Kennedy Brooks and Cameron Decker lead Red River’s famous final moments
From the iconic venue to the storied history, there are few elements as essential to college football as the Allstate Red River Rivalry.
From the constant buzz of the Texas State Fair outside to the famous orange-and-a-half-red Cotton Bowl, the annual showdown between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners always brings an unforgettable atmosphere.
This year, curiosity about the game has been particularly high, as Texas began the season as the No. 1 team in the country but is still searching for its first win against a power conference rival. And while No. 6 Oklahoma certainly doesn’t appear to be the type of opponent the Longhorns would want to face while still searching for that victory, Sooners quarterback John Mater’s availability is uncertain after a hand injury he suffered earlier in the season.
Conference affiliations can change — this year will mark the second season Oklahoma-Texas will be played as an SEC contest — but special moments remain a staple in Dallas. Just two years ago, Nick Anderson earned a permanent place in Sooners lore by making the game-winning catch with 15 seconds left.
Here are some of the most famous plays in the rivalry from the turn of the century.
2021: Oklahoma 55, Texas 48
Kennedy Brooks lunges for a last-second winner
The 2021 edition of the competition was one of the games this college football season and for good reason.
In addition to being a remarkably high-powered game featuring 1,178 total yards of offense, the stars were shining in the Cotton Bowl. Texans receiver Xavier Worthy caught nine passes for an astonishing 261 yards and a pair of scores. On the flip side, Oklahoma turned to their backup quarterback for a new mover — a highly touted freshman named Caleb Williams.
A late touchdown looked like it would send the game into overtime, but the Sooners’ offense had one last score remaining. Williams drove Oklahoma to the edge of field goal range, before Kennedy Brooks outran the Longhorns’ defense and into the end zone for the winning touchdown with just seconds left in the game.
2018: Texas 48, Oklahoma 45
Cameron Decker seals the deal late
With 8 1/2 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of the 2018 edition of the competition, it appeared Texas was in cruise control mode. The Longhorns’ three third-quarter touchdowns gave them a comfortable 45-24 lead.
Kyler Murray’s Sooners had other plans. Oklahoma came back on a 7-yard run by Trey Sermon to tie the game with just over two minutes left. But Sam Ehlinger engineered one final drive for Texas in response, ultimately putting the Longhorns’ hopes of winning at the feet of true freshman kicker Cameron Decker.
Decker, now with the Los Angeles Chargers, answered the call, draining a 40-yard field goal with nine seconds left to seal the Texans’ victory.
2008: Texas 45, Oklahoma 35
Jordan Shipley’s special teams spark
In a battle of top-5 foes, it was the No. 1-ranked Sooners that took an early 14-3 lead in Dallas.
With the Texans needing a spark, Jordan Shipley has delivered. He raced the kickoff return after Oklahoma’s second touchdown 96 yards the other way to the end zone for a momentum-changing score, the longest punt return of its kind in the long history of the rivalry.
The Longhorns offense was punted twice in three drives before Shipley returned. They would end six of their next seven drives with points, eventually compiling a 45-35 lead that would propel Texas to a big win.
2001: Oklahoma 14, Texas 3
Roy Williams goes into Superman mode to secure the Sooners win
With just over two minutes remaining in another Top 5 edition, the stage was set for another special finish.
The Longhorns, trailing 7-3, stood 97 yards away from the winning touchdown. They won’t get any closer. Texans quarterback Chris Simms took the first snap of the drive and barely took three steps on his putback before Oklahoma star safety Roy Williams reached him. Williams collided with Sims through a diving Superman, his body parallel to the ground at the point of contact.
Simms’ fouled pass fell straight into the arms of Teddy Lehman, who intercepted it and raced into the end zone untouched. A 14-3 lead for the Sooners would be the final score.