DALLAS — The recipe for Red River Rivalry success is no secret. Keeping the mistakes to a minimum has been the key ingredient since Oklahoma and Texas first met in 1900.
Anyone who needs more proof got it Saturday in the Sooners’ 28-10 loss to the Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl.
OU shot itself in the foot with 11 penalties and then went after its toes with five turnovers.
“Those were the biggest factors in the game to me,” OU coach Bob Stoops said.
It didn’t take Sherlock Holmes to come up with that deduction. It only takes a very short history lesson to figure that out.
From 2000-2004, OU dominated Texas.
Longhorn coach Mack Brown knew why.
“When we come out of this game with a huge deficit it’s usually because of turnovers,” Brown said.
Take them away and OU played well enough to win. Texas only gained 232 total yards and its heralded rushing attack produced just 157. Redshirt freshman quarterback Colt McCoy was just 11-for-18 for 108 yards.
But his afternoon didn’t include an interception. The Longhorns’ 32 rushing attempts occurred without a fumble.
OU outgained them by 101 yards. Adrian Peterson rushed for 109 and Thompson threw for 209.
Those were winning numbers. But think what they would have been if the Sooners hadn’t had four drives snuffed out due to false starts. What would they have been like if they hadn’t fumbled six times and lost three.
“Our goal is to be a sound offense,” offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said. “That means you don’t turn it over. You don’t have the negative play, especially the sacks. And you don’t have penalties, especially pre-snap penalties where we have three or four jumps.”
Those were the kinds of things Texas used to do when OU was on the other side of the field. But for the last two seasons, the Sooners have had the suicidal tendencies.
Over the last two games, OU has committed seven turnovers to the Longhorns’ two.
OU Sports
Related Photos
-
KEVIN ELLIS
Discussion
Mistakes hurt
- OU Sports
-
-
Winning is only option
Every locker room in college basketball has the same topic floating around. It’s February. All are thinking about March Madness. Of course, some are thinking about their immediate future. Others are simply dreaming....
-
Sooners will test their mettle against country’s best at National Duals
Dual State is today....
-
Mizzou back on deck after another blowout loss to Baylor
Not again? Yes, again. For the second time this season, the Oklahoma women will have to put aside a disheartening and embarrassing loss to Baylor and get on with the rest of their season....
-
Sooners cruise past competition at Perfect 10
OKLAHOMA CITY — Compared to the rest of its schedule, Oklahoma was supposed to have a relatively easy night. Both Iowa State and Southeast Missouri are in the midst of down seasons. With little chance of losing, the fifth-ranked Sooners ...
-
Ricketts breaks record in season debut
LAS VEGAS — Well, it was going to happen. And still, it didn’t take long....
-
Schedule easing up for Sooners
For some time, the Oklahoma women have been done no favors by their schedule. That may still be the case, but not for much longer....
-
Sooners using roller-coaster season as motivation
Oklahoma’s women’s gymnastics team has been anything but consistent. After dominating its season opener, the Sooners fell to No. 7 Oregon State and No. 9 Nebraska before trouncing then-No. 2 Arkansas....
-
Sooners open season with World Series aspirations
The Sooners haven’t even taken the field yet, but there is already talk of a national championship floating around the Oklahoma locker room. The Sooners will take the first step toward that goal when they open the season at 1:15 p.m. ...
-
Sooners have to eliminate mistakes that are costing them wins
It was a typical practice for Oklahoma on Thursday. The long workout had a lot of energy and precision. It mirrored many it has had over the last three months....
-
Move to Big 12 is chance at stability
Maybe this Internet thing’s really going to make it after all. Maybe even as a news source....
- More OU Sports Headlines
-
Winning is only option
