When Oklahoma defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. picked off a pass from Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers on the Longhorns’ first possession, it looked like it was going to be a great day for the Sooners, but it wasn’t to be.

The No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns easily defeated then No. 18 Oklahoma, 34-3, in the Allstate Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, on Saturday. With the loss, OU dropped out of the Top 25 poll for the first time this season.

This was the second straight time OU intercepted a Texas pass on the Longhorns’ first possession in a game. Oklahoma (4-2, 1-2 SEC) even scored first, with a 42-yard field goal by Tyler Keltner with 10 seconds remaining in the first quarter, but it still wasn’t to be for the Sooners.

Texas (6-0, 2-0 SEC) responded with three touchdowns in the second quarter and never looked back. The Longhorns led 21-3 at halftime.

Michael Hawkins Jr. became the first true freshman quarterback in OU history to start against Texas. He completed 19-for-30 passes for 148 yards. Hawkins added 27 yards rushing. Wide receiver Zion Kearney led the Sooners with four receptions for 45 yards.

“We’ve got to get better everywhere,” Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said. “I like the leadership, the will of this team and the hunger. We’ve got to help guys. We’ve got to continue to help them, get them to know what to do every play, and be able to play in a competitive way against whoever we’re lined up against.”

Bert Auburn kicked a 41-yard field goal in the third quarter and a 29-yarder in the fourth quarter to extend the Texas lead to 27-3.

The Longhorns closed out the scoring with a one-yard Ewers run into the end zone with 5:21 remaining in the game. Ewers completed 20-of-29 passes for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

“It’s the consistency of overall execution,” said OU offensive coordinator Seth Littrell. “It gets frustrating for everyone. Listen, it’s a great group. They work extremely hard. Eventually, we’ve got to carry that execution over to the game plan, and on Saturdays you’ve got to be able to perform at a high level. For whatever reason, we haven’t been able to do that yet. Again, that’s why you bounce back and work hard to get it right.”

Texas racked up a total of 406 offensive yards while the Sooners squeaked out 237 yards.

Oklahoma’s schedule doesn’t get any easier over the next few weeks. The Sooners will host South Carolina at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday, at 11:45 a.m. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network. Then OU plays at Mississippi, at Missouri, at home against Alabama and at LSU.

South Carolina (3-3, 1-3 SEC) is coming off a 27-25 loss at Alabama. The Sooners and Gamecocks have never met, but there will be a familiar face on the South Carolina sideline, head coach Shane Beamer, who was an assistant at OU from 2018-2020, before taking over the job at S.C.