No. 1 Texas carried a 17-7 halftime lead over rival Oklahoma into the third quarter of the 122nd Red River Rivalry on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, with quarterback Arch Manning throwing two first-half touchdown passes to power the Longhorns. Oklahoma answered with a blocked-punt score to stay within shouting distance before a third-quarter field goal cut the margin to seven.

Manning Takes Over Early

Texas led Oklahoma 7-0 after an ugly first quarter at the Cotton Bowl, with the Longhorns breaking open the game on a 41-yard touchdown throw from Arch Manning to Cam Coleman. A shanked Oklahoma punt set up Texas at the OU 41, and Manning delivered the touchdown throw to Coleman on the very first play of the drive.

A Quick Response After Oklahoma Tied It

Oklahoma finally got a big play on special teams, as Danny Okoye broke through the line and blocked a punt in the end zone that was narrowly recovered by Dakoda Fields for a touchdown — the Sooners’ first touchdown of any kind since 2023 in the Red River Rivalry. Texas refused to let the tie stand for long.

The Longhorns converted a key fourth-and-1 and capitalized three plays later with a 34-yard touchdown bomb from Arch Manning to Ryan Wingo, with Wingo getting lost in the middle of the Oklahoma zone for an easy pitch-and-catch. At the half, Manning was 9-of-13 passing for 124 yards and two touchdowns, while Oklahoma starter John Mateer sat at 10-of-13 for 68 yards.

Texas Pulls Away Before the Break

Texas added a 23-yard field goal from Gianni Spetic just before the break, with freshman running back Derrek Cooper breaking off a 16-yard run that gave him 41 yards on six carries to set up the score. No. 1 Texas led Oklahoma 17-7 at halftime after that late field goal, taking the ball to start the second half with a chance to put the game further out of reach.

A Missed Chance for Oklahoma

Oklahoma put together its best drive of the first half, going 40 yards on 10 plays, but Tate Sandell missed a 52-yard field goal to cap it off, leaving Texas still ahead 14-7 at that point in the second quarter. The missed kick proved costly as the Longhorns tacked on points before intermission.

Oklahoma Answers Early in the Third

Early in the third quarter, a big Oklahoma run set up Tate Sandell for a 53-yard field goal that cut the Texas lead to one score, making it Texas 17, Oklahoma 10. The Sooners’ defense, which had struggled to find answers for Manning in the first half, needed a response of its own after being outgained badly through two quarters.

A Lopsided Statistical Battle

Texas was outgaining Oklahoma 134-15 by the midpoint of the second quarter, a gap that underscored how one-sided the game had been outside of the Sooners’ special-teams score. By halftime, Texas had built a 194-69 advantage in total yardage.

A Marquee Setting With Deep History

The matchup pitted Oklahoma against No. 1 Texas in the 122nd edition of the rivalry, one of the sport’s longest-running annual showdowns. The series dates back to a first meeting on October 10, 1900, with Texas winning that inaugural contest 28-2, and the two programs have met annually at the same Dallas site ever since.

The 2026 edition aired nationally on ABC. Texas entered the day 3-1 against Oklahoma coach Brent Venables, having won the last two meetings in the series, and was chasing a third straight victory over the Sooners. This season’s Red River Rivalry carries extra weight inside the college football world now that both programs compete in the same conference, a shift that has already produced chaos elsewhere this year, including Missouri’s upset of Florida a week earlier.

What Comes Next

With the outcome still being decided in the second half, both programs will turn to the rest of their conference slate once the final whistle blows. Texas and Oklahoma remain part of a crowded group of ranked contenders this fall, a reminder that results like Alabama’s hard-fought showdown with Mississippi State can shift the national picture just as quickly as a rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl.

For now, the headline out of Dallas belongs to Manning, whose two touchdown strikes staked Texas to a lead that Oklahoma has yet to overcome.