3 winners and 2 losers from Oklahoma's heroic upset over No. 1 Texas in Red River Rivalry

Every Sooner is worthy of wearing that golden cowboy hat, but there were definitely some bigger winners than others in Oklahoma's massive 27-24 upset over No. 1 Texas in the Red River Rivalry. There were also even some losers from the game, especially the Longhorns.

Here are the winners and losers that stood out from a wild game at the Cotton Bowl:

Winner: Brent Venables

Brent Venables' squad beat the No. 1 team in the country to win the Red River Rivalry. He warrants the blame when his team is struggling, as it has been, but that also means he deserves the credit when it accomplishes feats like it did on Saturday.

A third loss in a row in the Red River Rivalry would have dropped Venables to 1-4 against OU's biggest rival and had him back on the hot seat. Instead, it's because of the culture he's built and the attitude his team has adopted from him that the Sooners are so hard to kill.

Loser: Xavier Robinson

Running back Xavier Robinson was a surprise addition to the availability report after a bye week and missed the Red River Rivalry. Robinson being sidelined while Lloyd Avant emerged as a hero and freshman Jonathan Hatton Jr. kept demanding more carries might have sealed Robinson's role as RB3, even though he was expected to lead the backfield.

Avant sparked the offense with a 42-yard run during the first drive of the second half. He then found the end zone in the fourth quarter. He finished with 72 rushing yards on 10 carries, while averaging a staggering 7.2 yards per attempt. Hatton had five attempts for 12 yards.

The Sooners need to start feeding one back with just one other as relief. Hopefully, Avant's performance was enough to make that clear to offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. If that's the case, it'll be all Avant and Hatton the rest of the season.

Winner: Trystan Haynes

Sophomore cornerback Trystan Haynes wasn't perfect, but when thrown into a moment that could have easily overtaken him, he instead became part of the moment.

With Eli Bowen out after injuring his ankle during Thursday's practice and Jacobe Johnson also hurt, Haynes, an Oklahoman from Carl Albert High School, went from fourth-string corner to making his first career start in the Red River Rivalry.

Not only was it the biggest game of the season, but it was also likely the toughest challenge OU's secondary will face in 2026, with Haynes facing off against Ryan Wingo and Cam Coleman, who was the top transfer prospect over the offseason.

Right off the bat, Haynes broke up the first pass of the game, immediately showing that he wouldn't be an easy target to pick on. He finished with seven tackles, which tied for the second-most on the team.

Coleman got free for a long touchdown in the first quarter, but for the most part, Haynes hung with a wide receiver who will be in the NFL this time next year while getting the most playing time he's ever gotten. Before Saturday, he had never played a meaningful snap, but in the Red River Rivalry, he didn't miss a single defensive play.

Loser: Arch Manning

Texas quarterback Arch Manning was everything that haters have been saying OU quarterback John Mateer is.

Mateer has had a turnover problem, but it's been publicized that he and Manning have actually had similar numbers all season, yet Mateer supposedly needed to be benched and Manning was a Heisman Trophy contender.

We could argue all day about what Manning's narrative would be if he had a different last name, but there's no denying that on Saturday, he was the loser, while Mateer was the winner. There's no need for those side-by-side comparisons anymore.

Mateer protected the football on Saturday, while Manning threw two crucial interceptions at the worst time, including his first pick-six. Both turnovers came in crunch time of the fourth quarter.

First, safety Peyton Bowen (coincidentally with a brother named Eli) picked off Manning and returned it for a 42-yard touchdown that gave the Sooners a 24-17 lead with 10:07 left.

Then, three drives later, Manning had the chance to be a hero and put together the type of game-winning drive one of his uncles could. But he's Cooper's son.

Venables dialed up an aggressive blitz that forced Manning to panic. He chunked the ball, and cornerback Courtland Guillory made a play for his first career interception. That turnover ultimately led to Tate Sandell's game-winning field goal.

Winner: Tate Sandell

I make notes for this winners and losers list throughout the game, and kicker Tate Sandell was originally labeled a loser after missing a 53-yard field-goal attempt in the second quarter. That's no easy make, but one we're used to Sandell nailing as the reigning Lou Groza Award winner. It was also his third miss in a row, which had some fans and media members questioning whether his backup deserved a shot.

Sandell then negated that 53-yard miss with a 53-yard make in the third quarter to end his skid. Then, with the game on the line and fans finally having doubts about him, Sandell drilled the 47-yard field goal as time expired to clinch the upset.

It was just the second legit walk-off field-goal win in OU football history and as the time expired, Sandell was the hero.

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