Individual offensive play lifts Texas to 34-3 win over No. 18 Oklahoma, despite Quinn Ewers making a rocky return – The Daily Texan

In a game where anticipation of Quinn Ewers’ return added to pregame expectations, the junior quarterback was overshadowed by the talents of his right-hand men.

No. 1 Texas’ 34-3 victory over No. 18 Oklahoma wouldn’t have been possible without the determination seen in the rest of the Longhorn offense. The trio of senior tight end Gunnar Helm, sophomore running back Quintrevion Wisner and senior wide receiver Silas Bolden turned the Red River rivalry into a bright orange blast.

The scenes of a stagnant first quarter might have said otherwise, as Oklahoma was able to generate 54 offensive yards, as opposed to Texas’ 13 from Ewers’ three completed passes. The Longhorns allowed the Sooners to get within field goal range twice, but they only did so on the second time, putting a 3-0 lead on the board at the end of the quarter.

Ewers’ first pass on the first drive of the second quarter was redemption when he sent a 26-yarder to sophomore wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr.

Enter Helm, who caught a pass four plays later and rushed for 21 yards, which included a hurdle-flip maneuver after contact with a defender. He eventually stumbled into the end zone on a separate seven-yard reception, giving Texas its first score.

“It was a tough start, but I think overall we did a good job overcoming the adversity,” Ewers said.

With less than five minutes left in the first half, Wisner rushed 36 yards and crossed into the end zone, but Oklahoma junior defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings forced a fumble. Bolden was hot on Wisner’s heels and dove for the ball to secure another Texas touchdown.

“That’s the effort,” said Moore Jr. “I think that really shows who Silas is as a person. He was behind Tre the whole game and was just there to get the ball.”

On the ensuing drive, Texas recovered another fumble, but it was forced out of the hands of Oklahoma freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. With the clock now on the Longhorns’ side, Wisner wasted no time rushing for 43 yards and scoring a touchdown Texas led 21-3 at halftime.

Wisner ended up rushing for a season-best 118 yards on 13 carries, an average of nearly 10 yards per carry, and rushed for a career-high 43 yards.

Sarkisian mentioned that Wisner wasn’t originally slated to be the frontman, but his performance spoke volumes that couldn’t be ignored.

“Tre didn’t plan on coming back and being the future, but you could feel his presence on the field,” Sarkisian said. “That was the hand we tried to use to cement the win.”

Ewers failed to find success with deep passes into the end zone in the second half, and Texas hung on with two field goal attempts, one in each quarter, to push the score to 27-3 with just over six minutes to play.

On Texas’ final drive, junior wide receiver Matthew Golden found Helm for a 30-yard gain that ultimately set up a rushing touchdown from Ewers himself. Helm finished the game with 91 total yards and a touchdown on five receptions, an average of 18.2 yards per catch.

The Longhorns didn’t allow a single touchdown from the Sooners, finishing the game 34-3 and earning the Golden Hat to take home to the Forty Acres.