DALLAS — Arch Manning threw 3 touchdown passes Saturday, and the Oklahoma Sooners scored 10 points off his two fourth-quarter interceptions in a 27-24 win over the No. 1 Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. The second interception set up Tate Sandell’s 47-yard field goal as time expired.
Manning finished 19-of-31 for 261 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He entered the game with 862 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions through 4 games. Peyton Bowen returned the first interception 42 yards for a touchdown with 10:07 left. It was the first pick-six of Manning’s career. Courtland Guillory made the second at the Oklahoma 39 with 19 seconds left and the game tied 24-24.
After the game, Manning said Texas has to protect the football better, and that it starts with him.
“I think we’ve got to do a better job, especially me, not being loose with the ball,” Manning said. “I think we beat ourselves a lot tonight.”
The loss was the first of the season for Texas, which fell to 4-1 and 1-1 in the SEC. Oklahoma improved to 3-2 and 1-1.
Arch Manning Gives Texas Early Control With 2 First-Half Touchdowns
Texas went three-and-out on its first two possessions. A 29-yard punt by Jacob Ulrich then gave the Longhorns the ball at the Oklahoma 41, and Manning hit Cam Coleman for a 41-yard touchdown on the next snap with 6:56 left in the first quarter.
Texas started its next possession at its own 14, and Manning was sacked by Trent Wilson and Taylor Wein on the drive. Danny Okoye blocked the punt that followed, and Dakoda Fields recovered in the end zone to tie the game 7-7 early in the second quarter.
Manning answered on a nine-play, 75-yard drive. He completed passes to Emmett Mosley V for 10 yards, to Coleman for 15, and to tight end Nick Townsend twice for 9 more. After Hollywood Smothers converted a fourth-and-1 at the Oklahoma 41, Manning found Ryan Wingo for a 34-yard touchdown on third-and-5 with 10:09 left in the half.
Texas added a 23-yard Gianni Spetic field goal with 12 seconds left in the half for a 17-7 lead. Manning was 9-of-13 for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns at the break.
The Longhorns opened the third quarter with a 23-yard completion from Manning to Wingo and then punted on all 3 of their possessions in the period, including a three-and-out from their own 9. Oklahoma tied the game at 17-17 on a 2-yard Lloyd Avant run with 14:48 left.
On the offense’s consistency problems, Manning pointed to early downs.
“Got to win on first and second down to make third down easier,” Manning explained. “I can’t be loose with the ball.”
Manning Owns 2 Fourth-Quarter Interceptions
Texas went three-and-out after Avant’s touchdown. On its next possession, a holding penalty left the Longhorns at second-and-13 from their own 20, and Bowen intercepted Manning at the Texas 42 on the next play. He returned it 42 yards for the touchdown and Oklahoma’s first lead of the game, 24-17.
Manning was looking for Coleman on the throw.
“I was trying to extend a play, throw it to Cam, and missed high,” Manning said. “And can’t do that backed up and give them the lead.”
Manning brought Texas back on a seven-play, 75-yard drive. He completed a 42-yard pass to Coleman and threw a 15-yard touchdown to Jermaine Bishop Jr. with 6:32 left. Coleman finished with 5 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Texas had a chance to go ahead late. The Longhorns reached the Oklahoma 35 and faced fourth-and-2 at the two-minute timeout, and Spetic’s 53-yard field goal attempt went wide right with 1:54 left.
Oklahoma went three-and-out and punted. Texas reached the Oklahoma 49, 15 yards from field goal range, and the Sooners blitzed on second-and-10 with 24 seconds left. Guillory, a Klein Oak graduate, intercepted Manning at the Oklahoma 39.
John Mateer then completed passes of 13 and 20 yards to Isaiah Sategna III, both upheld on review, and Sandell made the 47-yarder on the final play.
Steve Sarkisian Says Texas Cannot Put Everything On Manning
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Texas has to run the ball better so the offense does not fall on Manning’s shoulders.
“I think Arch competed his tail off and he made some tremendous plays, to the shots down the field, to the drives when we had to have them,” Sarkisian said. “He’s made a lot of plays scrambling out of the pocket. And he went to make a play and the ball gets intercepted on the one they run back. And I think, you can ask him, but I think as the competitor in him, he’d love to have that back, but he was competing. And so there’s the fine line there.”
“Again, the last play of the game for him, they called a good defense. He tried to make a heck of a throw,” Sarkisian continued. “It was bang-bang, and their kid made a really good play. And you can’t take that away from their guys when they make plays too. So, again, I thought there was a level of confidence, consistency, and rhythm in which he was throwing the ball. We’ve got to continue to run the ball better so it’s not all on his shoulders of when he’s got to throw it to go make all these plays for us.”
No Texas player had more than 12 carries. Sarkisian said the Longhorns pride themselves on running the ball and have been only OK at it.
“I just think it’s we’ve got to find the right scheme. We’ve got to find the right schemes, I should say, and the right ability to run the ball consistently,” Sarkisian explained. “We pride ourselves on running the ball, and we haven’t been great. We’ve been OK. We haven’t been great. But I know we can be better, and we’ve got to strive to be better, and we’ve got to stay committed to it because we can’t keep putting all the pressure on Arch to try to make those plays on third-and-longs.”
Texas also lost to Florida last season. In a 29-21 loss at Florida on Oct. 4, 2025, Manning went 16-of-29 for 263 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions and was sacked 6 times.
The Longhorns host the Florida Gators in their SEC home opener on Oct. 17 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT on ABC or ESPN.
