One Ryan Niblett TD return later, Texas' season may just be saved after win over OU | Golden

DALLAS — If Ryan Niblett ever has to pay for a meal in Austin, that place will be out of business quicker than you can say “Texas-OU legend.”

His 75-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter Saturday could go down one day as the play that helped save Texas football's 2025 season. Left for dead after the Florida Swamp no-show, Texas just announced its return to relevancy with a statement 23-6 win over No. 6 Oklahoma.

It was Texas’ third top-10 win in the Steve Sarkisian era and the first since the 2024 win at Michigan.

Give the Longhorns credit for marshaling their resources and emerging from those circled wagons with the type of intestinal fortitude needed to win the biggest gut-check game of the season.

Arch Manning rises from the depths

Quarterback Arch Manning turned a Florida nightmare into a Dallas dance party. He played his second turnover-free game of the season and led a gigantic 14-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a touchdown pass to DeAndre Moore Jr. to put Texas up to stay in the third quarter. He finished an economical 21-of-27 passing for 166 yards and a touchdown behind a resurgent offensive that produced 133 yards on the ground after rushing for only 52 yards in Gainesville, 37 of those coming from Manning.

MORE CEDDY: QBs Arch Manning and John Mateer meet in a crossroads game

The defense also flexed some old muscles by holding the Sooners without a touchdown for the third time in the last four Red River Rivalry meetings. Kudos to Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer for coming back 17 days after thumb surgery to play in the annual clash, but the Horns had his number.

Aside from some crimson flowing from that hand wrap after the most talked about digit in college football caught the business end of a Longhorns helmet in the first half, he held physically but didn’t play well. Malik Muhammad intercepted him twice and young Graceson Littleton added another. Mateer, who was getting some Heisman love before the injury, now has six touchdowns and six interceptions.

And how about that Texas pass rush producing five sacks? That’s five more than we witnessed at Florida.

It’s a win they can build upon with six games left in the regular season. At 4-2 overall and 1-1 in SEC play, the Horns are still a long way from booking a ticket to the SEC title game, but they sure as hell weren’t going to Atlanta at 0-2 with games against Vanderbilt, Georgia and Texas A&M remaining. 

No one wanted any part of two months of shoulder shrugging and empty platitudes about how things went off the rail.

This win breathed some life back into the locker room, coaching staff and fan base.

It was a defensive affair for the most part    

The first half was the type of slobber-knocking, head-socking action that had defensive legends like Derrick Johnson, Brian Jones and Doug English smiling, but it wasn’t anywhere close to aesthetically pleasing to the offensive eye.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables pulled a head scratcher near the end of the second quarter when he snubbed his nose at a 47-yard field goal after kicker Tate Sandell had already split the uprights twice. Mateer’s deep pass from the 30-yard line found Muhammad’s breadbasket for the second time in the half, leaving the Horns with a manageable 6-3 deficit at the half.

With winnable road games coming up against Kentucky and Mississippi State coming up, the Horns can creep back into this title race if they can build on the biggest win of the season.

Style points don’t matter in the SEC. Wins do and the Horns just notched a huge one.

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