The Longhorns went into the Sooners’ house, gave the ball away twice and still left with a 24-13 win. That is not a spotless performance. It is a statement about who owns the line of scrimmage—and, at 7-0, who is setting the pace in this division.

The afternoon opened with a warning shot: Victor Contreras intercepted a Longhorn pass in the first quarter. But Edward Bolin’s team did not fold. It answered with a 12-yard touchdown connection to George Hastings, whose 91 receiving yards led the Longhorns. Oklahoma missed a 57-yard field goal before finally getting on the board with a field goal early in the second quarter.

Then came a brief Texas stumble. Timothy Vance ripped off a 12-yard run and fumbled, giving the Sooners another chance. They settled for a second field goal, trimming the margin to 7-6. The Longhorns responded the way a team with real muscle should: Benjamin Maple punched in a 2-yard touchdown just before halftime, and the visitors took a 14-6 lead into the break.

The third quarter delivered the play that made the afternoon’s loudest argument. On third-and-1 from their own 15, the Longhorns handed the ball to Blake Jones. He went 85 yards for a touchdown, turning a tight game into a 21-6 Texas advantage. Jones finished with 149 rushing yards and a score, part of a Longhorn ground attack that piled up 249 yards on 29 carries. That kind of production is more than a nice stat line; it is a way to make the opponent spend the afternoon chasing shadows.

The Sooners did answer immediately, with John Riley breaking loose for a 75-yard touchdown run. Riley finished with 92 rushing yards and a score, and Oklahoma’s 140 yards on the ground showed it could land a punch. But the Longhorns had the deeper supply. Richard Brown’s 53-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter restored the 11-point cushion, and Texas’ defense helped make it hold. The Longhorns recorded four sacks, with Brian Spencer accounting for two.

Oklahoma quarterback Benjamin Rich threw for 269 yards, but the Sooners did not turn that passing production into a touchdown. They went 7-for-18 on third down and scored no red-zone touchdowns in three visits. Texas, meanwhile, converted both of its red-zone trips into touchdowns.

The Longhorns were not flawless: they were intercepted, lost a fumble and managed just 171 passing yards. But they ran for 249, made the big plays when the game asked for them and improved to 7-0, with a 4-0 division mark. The Sooners fell to 4-3. In Austin, the takeaway is plain: this Longhorn team can absorb a mistake, seize a game and keep rolling.