After Red River: Texas Falls to Florida, Oklahoma Loses to Kentucky
Texas and Oklahoma both lost on October 17, one week after the Sooners took the Golden Hat. Florida beat Texas 27-24 in Austin; Kentucky beat Oklahoma 21-13 in Norman. Texas is now 4-2 and OU is 3-3, with both at 1-2 in SEC play.
The losses left different problems to examine. Texas struggled to sustain possessions. Oklahoma moved the ball farther than Kentucky but lost scoring opportunities to interceptions. The AP’s weekend report places both results within a Saturday of upsets across the conference.
October 17 scores and quarterback stats
| Team | Result | Quarterback passing | Overall | SEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | Florida 27, Texas 24 | Arch Manning: 14/20, 173 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT | 4-2 | 1-2 |
| Oklahoma | Kentucky 21, Oklahoma 13 | John Mateer: 24/40, 270 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT | 3-3 | 1-2 |
Passing figures come from the Texas game center and Oklahoma box score. Oklahoma also had an interception on a fake field goal thrown by Jacob Ulrich. That makes four interceptions for the team, with three charged to Mateer.
Texas needs possessions that last
Manning completed 70 percent of his passes, but Texas ran just 50 offensive plays against Florida’s 81. The Longhorns converted two of 10 third downs and held the ball for 21:49. Those official team numbers explain how a respectable completion percentage coexisted with limited offensive output.
Florida’s account describes five sacks, including Myles Graham’s late strip-sack, recovered by Kanye Clark. Protection and third-down execution therefore deserve attention alongside Manning’s decisions. A passing line alone leaves out the possessions lost to pressure.
Texas has now lost consecutive games by three points. Against Oklahoma, a late tying touchdown preceded Tate Sandell’s winning kick. Against Florida, the final chance ended with a turnover. Those finishes put a premium on keeping the offense on schedule before the last possession. The Red River recap preserves the Dallas scoring sequence and player statistics.
Oklahoma’s yardage advantage could not cover four interceptions
OU outgained Kentucky 346-230, yet scored only one touchdown. The Sooners led 13-7 in the third quarter before Kentucky took the lead in the fourth. Kentucky’s game report traces the empty fake-field-goal possession and the later interception return that made the score 21-13.
That contrast matters for the Mississippi State game. Another yardage advantage would mean little if OU again surrendered possessions around scoring opportunities. Mateer’s 270 passing yards show that Oklahoma found completions; the three interceptions show their cost. The box score supports examining both together rather than treating either figure as a complete evaluation.
There was a defensive bright spot. Jake Kreul recorded six tackles, three tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. The SEC named him Freshman of the Week. His sack total set an OU true-freshman single-game record; the distinction matters because redshirt freshman Brian Bosworth had three in a 1984 game.
October 24 brings two different tests
Texas dropped to No. 19 in the October 18 AP poll; OU remains outside the Top 25. The October 18 AP coverage and AP table place Ole Miss at No. 7. These are media-poll positions, separate from College Football Playoff selection.
Texas Athletics lists Ole Miss at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 24 at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC. Read the Texas–Ole Miss availability and matchup guide for the dated report on Colin Simmons and Richard Wesley.
Oklahoma visits Mississippi State in Starkville on October 24 at 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network, as listed in OU’s Kentucky recap and the Bulldogs’ schedule. The season tracker collects both teams’ completed results and next games.
