With the clock ticking and an orange crush of Texas defenders bearing down on him, Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel took a leap of faith.
Or rather, perhaps it was a leap to the heavens. The Sooners hurler had been a presence inside and outside the pocket all day, jostling between sidewinding harmonist and dizzying ballroom dancer with the ball in his hands. So even when he was bundled up in a sea of twisting limbs, Gabriel remained in control. He flicked a feather to the rafters, well above the sea of fury that descended upon him.
It landed comfortably in the lap of Nic Anderson, who stood all alone in a meadow three yards away. Touchdown. Game over.
In a game filled to the brim with stars, it was Gabriel who gleamed brightest. And it was his efforts on OU's final drive of the game — a five-play, 75-yard masterpiece — that proved vital in the Sooners' 34-30 win over the Longhorns in the Red River Showdown.
Gabriel was a calming figure amid the furor that was Saturday's rivalry game. He showcased elegance out in space, sidling along the Cotton Bowl grass for a career-best 113 rushing yards. He was similarly effective zipping the ball down the field, as he did when he found Anderson.
Oklahoma controlled the tempo for much of the proceedings. But the Longhorns will resilient, inching back with a score here, a timely stoppage there. Quinn Ewers was bursting with vigor. And despite a trio of turnovers, the Texas star certainly did little to deter the masses from calling him one of the best QBs in the country.
He very well could be. He looked the part throughout the afternoon, completing 31 of his 37 pass attempts for 346 yards and a touchdown on Saturday.
Still, those numbers paled in comparison to those of Gabriel, who basked in the vermillion spotlight of one of the Big 12's best rivalries. The Oklahoma veteran accounted for nearly 400 yards of total offense while grabbing two scores (one by air, one by ground).
The result was a predictable one; an instant classic, the sort of contest that will live on in glory in Norman and infamy in Austin. The short term implications are massive for both programs: a year after going 6-7, the Sooners are 6-0 and seem a certainty to burst into the AP top-ten this week.
Texas, meanwhile, sees its hot start come to an end. 5-1 isn't so bad, for what it's worth. But it's clear which side is considered the upper crust of the Big 12 as the weeks go by.
But fear not, Longhorns fans. For this very well could be a prequel. After all, both sides are widely expected to run the table during the remainder of their conference slates. And if they do, a rematch — under the star shine of AT&T Stadium — could very well be on the cards.
If it is anything like the first affair, the masses following along would be more than delighted.
MORE: Watch Oklahoma vs. Texas live with Fubo (free trial)
The Sporting News provided live updates and highlights from this year's Red River Showdown between Oklahoma and Texas. Scroll below for updates and final results from all the action at the Cotton Bowl.
Oklahoma vs. Texas score
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | F | |
| Oklahoma | 7 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
| Texas | 7 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 30 |
Oklahoma vs. Texas live updates, highlights from Red River Showdown
(All times Eastern)
End of fourth quarter: Oklahoma 34, Texas 30
3:52 p.m.:Ewer's effort isbatted away! Oklahoma prevails!
3:49 p.m.:Texas picks up a solid 20 or so yards after the Sooners give some up some cushion in the middle of the field. Longhorns have one timeout remaining and Ewers had quite the arm. He'll have to use every sinew of it to get this effort in and around the end zone. One play remaining. One last chance for the 'Horns.
3:46 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN!Gabriel puts it on a plate to Nic Anderson! The Sooners take the lead with 15 seconds left. OU takes it 75 yards in five plays to break Longhorns' hearts. What a game!
Oklahoma 34, Texas 30
3:44 p.m.:Three throws from Gabriel gets Oklahoma on the cusp of the red zone! And it's going to get worse for Texas, as a flag is called for pass interference on throw No. 4. The Sooners the ball on the goal line and four downs to make something shake.
3:41 p.m.: FIELD GOAL!Right down the middle! Auburn sinks from 47 out to give Texas the lead. The Longhorns are a little more than a minute away from a momentous victory in the Red River Showdown.
Texas 30, Oklahoma 27
3:40 p.m.:Looks like he tried to draw OU offsides. Didn't work, so Longhorns will take the timeout. Auburn heading onto the field.
3:38 p.m.:Brooks grabs a few yards to make the field goal a more viable option. Or is it? Sarkisian sends the offense back out on the field for fourth down
3:36 p.m.:Big third down here at the Cotton Bowl. Texas finds itself just outside of field goal range on third and nine.
3:33 p.m.:Ewers is launching leaflets all across the lawn. A trio of chunk passes, coupled with some strong runs from Brooks, have Texas inside OU's 30-yard line.
3:32 p.m.:Sooners hand the ball back to the Longhorns, who will have a chance to drive the ball down the field and potentially pick up a go-ahead score. Ewers is in his flow state. They certainly have a chance.
3:23 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN!Brooks takes it to the promised land from 28 yards out! He finds the edge, evades some weary defenders and trots into the end zone! Bijan Robinson's former understudy is strutting his stuff in the biggest game of his young career. We're all tied up now.
Oklahoma 27, Texas 27
3:15 p.m.: MISSED FIELD GOAL!Oklahoma's effort goes wide! Texas still has a chance of equalizing things. And there's plenty of time left!
3:09 p.m.:Gabriel does it again! He sends Texas' defense spiraling with a dizzying run through the fog. 44 yard gain puts Oklahoma on the cusp of field goal position; just what it needs with a one-possession lead in stow.
3:08 p.m.:Gabriel moves the chains again! The veteran QB surveys his options before finding a gap to pick up 12 yards. He's making the right decision with pretty much every snap of the ball at the moment.
3:07 p.m.:Gabriel places a ball perfectly into Jayden Gibson's hands. However, great play by Gibson's marker sends the ball crashing to the canvas.
3:06 p.m.:Walker bursts out the backfield like a cannon and give Oklahoma some breathing room with a 13-yard carry.
3:02 p.m.: TURNOVER ON DOWNS!OU's defense delivers! They stuff the wide receiver screen, sending their concourse into raptures in the process. What a goal-line stand by Oklahoma's defense! Gabriel and his offense will try to get the Sooners out of the shadow of their own end zone.
🗣️ THAT OKLAHOMA DEFENSE 💪#OUDNA | 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/EorfL3ahkt
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 7, 2023
3:00 p.m.:It's a battle of the trenches at the goal-line. Burnt orange vs. maroon and white. As of now, it's the Sooners winning out. Fourth down incoming after a major stop on third.
End of third quarter: Oklahoma 27, Texas 20
2:53 p.m.:Brooks frolics through the meadow opening up beyond the front seven. He's enjoyed a fairly prolific showing thus far, picking up 70 yards on just 11 carries.
2:52 p.m.: TURNOVER ON DOWNS!Gabriel's' throw strays a bit wide, falling harmlessly to the grass. Texas will get the ball in prime position: just outside midfield.
2:51 p.m.:Gabriel fought hard for yardage, just falling short of the first down marker. However, Texas' defense coalesced to knock him back. The Sooners have a choice to make.
2:46 p.m.: FIELD GOAL!Bert Auburn (what a name) hits from distance as the Longhorns cut into Oklahoma's lead.
Oklahoma 27, Texas 20
2:38 p.m.:Good start to the possession by the Longhorns, who pick up a sea of yardage after Ewers connects with Xavier Worthy and Brooks scythes through Oklahoma's defense fro another 26 in short succession.
2:34 p.m.:Huge stop by Texas' defense, which firms up to force a Sooners punt. The Longhorns will star their ensuing possession in the shadow of their end zone after an ill-timed fair catch inside the five-yard line.
2:31 p.m.: FUMBLE!Freshman Peyton Bowen rocks Ewers with a chilling hit, sending the ball hurtling down the field in the process. OU picks it up, snagging its third takeaway of the day. This one will set the Sooners up around midfield.
2:23 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN!Walker punctuates a surging OU drive with a short-yard foray into the end zone. 13 plays and 75 yards at the drop of a hat. The Sooners' offense is hitting its stride.
Oklahoma 27, Texas 17
2:16 p.m.:We byke for the third quarter. Sooners will start the second half with the ball. Look out for Farooq, who looked a real force in the flat in the first two frames.
End of second quarter: Oklahoma 20, Texas 17
1:54 p.m.: FIELD GOAL!...and they sink it! OU walks into the locker room with the slightest of leads.
Oklahoma 20, Texas 17
1:52 p.m.:Walker drops a clear touchdown! Unable to reel in Gabriel's pass with the end zone gaping. Oklahoma will attempt a chip shot from just inside the 10-yard line in the hopes of taking the lead.
1:50 p.m.:Another play, another first down; Tawee Walker sends a man crashing to the turf after crashing into him on the reception out in the flat.
1:49 p.m.:Farooq finds space on the right sideline and carves Texas' defense for 34 yards. With a little over a minute left in the half, OU is thinking touchdown.
1:46 p.m.: FIELD GOAL!Texas levels things with a chip shot from short distance. Oklahoma will have about two minutes to operate before halftime.
Oklahoma 17, Texas 17
1:42 p.m.:Texas surging once more. Sarkisian's offense has moved like a stampede when its kept the ball in its grasp. Ewers sends a sumptuous letter to Xavier Worthy to bring the Longhorns 40 yards down the field. A few more chunk plays have Texas on the brink of pay dirt. Can it make the Sooners pay, however? They aren't the most prolific side when they reach the shadow of the end zone.
1:35 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN!The Sooners respond with a flourish! Gabriel helms an impressive drive that sees OU march from one end of the field to the next. Tawee Walker caps it with a one-yard leap into the promised land.
Oklahoma 17, Texas 14
1:23 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN!Sarkisian is deep in his bag! Another fourth down call ends in raptures; Ewers rolls right and finds a wide open Helm on the corner route to capture the lead. It's Helm's first career touchdown. And, perhaps most importantly, it serves as an indication that Ewers is finding his rhythm.
✅ First career TD for Gunnar Helm pic.twitter.com/AR26tJGRS2
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) October 7, 2023
Texas 14, Oklahoma 10
1:19 p.m.:Ewers and the Longhorns are cooking with fish grease at the start of the second. After a few chunk plays — including a 31-yard scamper by Jonathan Brooks — Texas finds itself firmly entrenched in Oklahoma territory.
1:10 p.m.:FIELD GOAL!The Sooners take the lead after Zach Schmit sends his effort barreling through the uprights.
Oklahoma 10, Texas 7
End of first quarter: Oklahoma 7, Texas 7
1:01 p.m.:Tremendous diving grab by Andrei Anthony, who dangled his feet along the boundary to notch a first down on third and long.
12:59 p.m.:Gabriel airs it out, finding wideout Jalil Farooq with a 44-yard feather. The Sooners are bearing down on Texas' red zone.
12:56 p.m.:...Well, just as I say that Gabriel is forced to retrieve a knuckleball of a snap that nearly lands in the end zone. The youngster had the presence of mind to send a toss into the sideline rather than incur a sack.
With his incompletion, Gabriel very well may have saved his team. Because on the ensuing punt, the Longhorns rammed into the Sooners punter. That moves the chains and puts OU in prime position to retake the lead.
12:55 p.m.:It was always going to be hard to match the frenetic pace of the game's opening moments. But neither side looks daunted by the challenge that awaits them.
12:42 p.m.:...Nevermind...the toss is ruled a forward pass, meaning a foul is assessed at the spot of the toss. Five-yard penalty will bring the ball back to the 15-yard line. That makes a world of difference.
12:41 p.m.:Oklahoma runs a trick play of its own on the kickoff, successfully completing an end-around to get the ball right outside midfield to start its third offensive possession of the day.
12:35 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN!Freshman Malik Muhammad gets his mitts on Oklahoma's punt attempt and scoops it up in the end zone, leveling the score at 7! What a start to this year's Red River Rivalry!
GO CRAZY @KitanCrawford @Returnof7 pic.twitter.com/LUJsc7QIpq
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) October 7, 2023
Oklahoma 7, Texas 7
12:33 p.m.: INTERCEPTION!The Sooners get it back! Kendel Dolby picks off Ewers after reeling in his deflected pass! That will kill off a surging Texas effort that just breached into Oklahoma's red zone.
12:27 p.m.: FUMBLE!More hocus pocus by Sarkisian results in a mammoth gain by the Longhorns; however, as Gunnar Helm went down, the bar was jarred loose. The ball falls into the Sooners' arms, but the call is overturned after referees rule that Helm was down by contact before the ball went tumbling.
12:25 p.m.:Excellent play call by the Longhorns on fourth down, who run the direct snap on a fake punt to move the chains. The prospect of sending the ball back to an Oklahoma side with confidence running through their veins did not seem viable.
12:15 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN!Sooners draw first blood courtesy of a Dillon Gabriel scurry through the mire on the QB Draw. Doesn't get much better than that from an Oklahoma point of view.
Do it yourself, DG 💪#OUDNA | 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/conFKqYaRd
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 7, 2023
Oklahoma 7, Texas 0
12:13 p.m.: INTERCEPTION!Welp, that's not how you'd want to start things. Hesitation by Ewers proves fatal; he delays a toss before sending it right into he hands of cornerback Gentry Wiliams. That will put the Sooners on the brink of the red zone a little less than a minute into the game.
12:11 p.m.:The ball is kicked off and the game has begun! Texas taking the field first.
12:05 p.m.:The Longhorns are out on the field!
11:45 a.m.:The Longhorns are congregating in the end zone in front of their student section. Looks like they're embracing with the fans prior to today's game.
11:35 a.m.:The Sooners have a distinguished guest in the waiting room as well: former Heisman winner Baker Mayfield. Maybe he can sprinkle a bit of magic dust on his alma mater before the game.
Ready to make his pick 😏#OUDNA pic.twitter.com/8l7SeT7gEH
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 7, 2023
11:20 a.m. —Alright, alright, alrighttttt...
Greg Sankey and Matthew McConaughey pic.twitter.com/BjZ318fE0o
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 7, 2023
11:15 a.m. —Quinn Ewers has been a force thus far, showcasing his elite tools to the tune of 15 total touchdowns (10 passing, five rushing) to just one interception. Can he keep the good times rolling against the Sooners? If he does, he certainly will cement himself as one of the nation's best hurlers.
9:35 a.m. — Bevo is in the building.
The best live mascot in college sports has arrived 🤘 @TexasMascot pic.twitter.com/KFK3sXrP45
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) October 7, 2023
9 a.m.— Hype video time? Hype video time.
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 7, 2023The epicenter of college football. Nothing compares to OU-Texas.
Scene Setter presented by @FollowMercy ⤵️ #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/2uBoJSGwJh
8:05 a.m. — Sounds like Texas will be without starting DB Ryan Watts against the Sooners as he continues to recover from an injury.
Sources: Texas starting defensive back Ryan Watts is doubtful against OU today. He hasn’t practiced this week after getting injured against Kansas and is unlikely to play. Expect freshman Malik Muhammad and Wake Forest transfer Gavin Holmes to get an uptick in snaps for Texas.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 7, 2023
How to watch Oklahoma vs. Texas
- Date:Saturday, October 7
- Time:Noon ET (11 a.m. local time)
- Location:Cotton Bowl
- TV channel:ABC
- Live stream:ESPN+,Fubo
The Red River Showdown will be aired on ABC in Week 7. The network will broadcast the game from the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, beginning at noon ET (11 a.m. local time).
Those seeking a streaming option can turn to ESPN+ or Fubo, which offers a free trial to new users.
