How Arch Manning, Texas flipped script on Oklahoma, John Mateer at Red River Rivalry

How Arch Manning, Texas flipped script on Oklahoma, John Mateer at Red River Rivalry originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Red River Rivalry is like that. 

What else can be said after Texas beat No. 6 Oklahoma 23-6 on Saturday? Ryan Niblett's 75-yard punt return for a touchdown with 9:54 remaining shook up yet another unpredictable blast at the Cotton Bowl, and the ramifications were implicit. 

The Longhorns (4-2, 1-1 SEC) redirected their season. The Sooners (5-1, 1-1 SEC) lost a third straight matchup in a predictably unpredictable matchup between the schools.

Let's skip to the part everybody will be talking about – the QBs. Did Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer return too soon after hand surgery? Did Arch Manning flip the script after a week-long dissection following the loss to Florida in Week 6? What does that mean moving to the next phase of the SEC grind?

MORE: Texas win could spark midseason push for CFP

John Mateer struggles in return from hand surgery  

Mateer – who underwent hand surgery on Sept. 23 during Oklahoma's bye week – returned after missing one game. To be clear, we don't blame him. He's a Little Elm, Texas, native. He was cleared to play. This is the game every Texas kid dreams of playing in, and Mateer was among the Heisman Trophy front-runners coming into the game.  

Was it worth it? Mateer's hand was bleeding throughout the first half. Mateer wasn't the same factor in the running game, and he struggled with turnovers against a tough Longhorns' defense. Mateer finished 20 of 38 for 202 yards and three interceptions. He had 14 carries for five yards and took five sacks. That was the difference. He was not the same threat, and the interceptions were costly. 

After the game, he insisted he was fine physically. Doctors cleared him Thursday to play. But he did not look like the Heisman candidate he played like in September.

Mateer threw a costly interception with two seconds left in the first half. Oklahoma led 6-3 after a defensive slugfest, and instead of settling for a field goal Mateer threw a 50-50 ball into the end zone. Texas' Malik Muhammad made the interception instead. 

Mateer was 14 of 24 for 140 yards and two interceptions heading into the fourth quarter, and the third interception came with 13:38 left in the fourth quarter. Texas freshman Graceson Littleton intercepted Mateer at the 44-yard line, and Niblett's punt return came after a three-and-out on the next possession. 

Mateer finished 6 of 14 for 82 yards in the fourth quarter. It was not enough. 

Arch Manning wins Red River Rivalry debut 

Manning waved goodbye to Oklahoma fans after a 29-yard run on a zone read with 4:15 remaining in the fourth quarter. If you have a problem with that, well, too bad. 

Arch Manning waves goodbye to Oklahoma fans in the Red River Shootout pic.twitter.com/Gb1M75cnpS

— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) October 11, 2025

After all, Manning was the most criticized player in college football leading up to Week 7 after Texas – the preseason No. 1 – fell out of the AP Top 25 following a 29-21 loss to Florida. We urged for a let-it-play-out scenario, and it is amazing what happens when it does. 

Manning was 10 of 14 for 69 yards at half, but he did his best work in the third quarter. Manning hit 10 of 12 passes for 93 yards and a TD. 

He gave Texas a 10-6 lead with a 12-yard TD to a wide-open DeAndre Moore with 7:49 left in the third quarter. Manning led a field-goal drive – with the help of a 21-yard pass to Parker Livingstone while scrambling out of the end zone –  that extended the lead to 13-6 in the fourth quarter. 

Manning finished 21 of 27 for 166 yards and a TD – a 77.8% completion percentage that was way better than the losses against No. 1 Ohio State and Florida. Quentrevion Wisner had 94 rushing yards, Manning added 34 rushing yards and he took one sack. It's also amazing what a running game and better protection does for a young quarterback – especially one named Manning. 

Where will John Mateer, Arch Manning go from here? 

Oklahoma plays South Carolina in Week 8 before closing the season with five consecutive ranked opponents. The Sooners had 30 carries for 48 yards against the Longhorns – and that was a glaring factor in the loss. Mateer will need to be a factor in the running game if Oklahoma wants to make a College Football Playoff push. It's only one loss – even if it stings more than the rest. 

Manning remains a work in progress – we're not anointing him anything after this week – and the Longhorns have road games at Kentucky and Mississippi State the next two weeks. The key will be building momentum heading into matchups against No. 20 Vanderbilt on Nov. 1 and No. 10 Georgia on Nov. 15. That is the next up-close moment for Manning – one that could determine whether two-loss Texas – which has one loss in SEC play – can be a factor in the SEC championship race. 

In the meantime, however, Manning is 1-0 in the Red River Rivalry, which is a legacy-defining game for every Texas quarterback ever. No matter what happens next, that will be on his resume. 

The Red River Rivalry is like that. Always has been. 

Don't act so surprised.