DALLAS (AP) — Arch Manning and Texas have many lingering questions after another shaky outing.
Their 27-24 loss to Red River rival Oklahoma, when Manning threw two crucial interceptions in the fourth quarter Saturday, provided a definite answer to one of those questions: The Longhorns are no longer No. 1.
After staying the top-ranked team through uneven performances by Manning's offense in two previous victories, Texas dropped six spots in the new Associated
Press Top 25 released Sunday.
The Longhorns (4-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) already had given up a touchdown on special teams with a blocked punt in the end zone, and defensive penalties helped a sputtering Oklahoma offense score its only TD. Then came the picks.
Manning's first interception was returned 42 yards for a touchdown by Peyton Bowen to give Oklahoma its first lead at 24-17. The second gave the Sooners a chance to get in position for a final-play field goal when Texas was trying to do that exact thing in the final 30 seconds.
“I think we've got to do a better job, especially me, not getting loose with the ball,” said Manning, who had three touchdown passes. “I think we beat ourselves a lot tonight.”
No. 7 Texas plays the first of three consecutive home games on Saturday against Florida (4-2, 2-2), which fell out of the poll Sunday after its second consecutive big loss since a 52-28 win over No. 9 Mississippi. The Longhorns then face four consecutive Top 25 teams.
Since a fourth-quarter rally in a 24-23 victory over Ohio State on Sept. 12 that vaulted the Longhorns to No. 1, they were less than impressive on offense in wins over UTSA (30-6) and Tennessee (20-17).
And yet, after each win, even amid questions of whether Texas should stay atop the poll, the first-place votes rose both times. The Longhorns weren't at the top of any ballots after Oklahoma improved to 5-3 when it was unranked against a ranked Texas team in a series that has been played 122 times.
Along with that, the Sooners made it consecutive years for a two-loss team to hand the other its first defeat. Last year, Texas did that to Oklahoma — when the Longhorns were unranked and the Sooners were No. 6.
“The competitive spirit is what gives me confidence,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “We'll get up off the mat.”
Besides the interceptions from Manning, which tied his career high, Texas turned a rusher loose right up the middle on the blocked punt.
Sarkisian wants more takeaways from the defense, and the one the Longhorns did get was erased by a penalty for roughing the passer. Rasheem Biles hit receiver Isaiah Sategna III in the head just after Sategna released the throw and Bo Mascoe intercepted it.
The Sooners scored their only offensive touchdown five plays later — after Kade Phillips was called for pass interference in the end zone.
“My frustration with the penalties is exactly that, I'm frustrated,” Sarkisian said. “Because we’re working at it. It’s not for lack of effort. But clearly it hasn't been good enough, and so we’ve got to continue to strive for better. I'm not saying perfection. I'm just striving for better.”
At the 2-minute timeout in the fourth quarter, Sarkisian chose a 53-yard field goal attempt from Gianni Spetic over going for it on fourth-and-2. The coach said he didn't feel strongly about any play call and was thinking about OU stops in a couple of other short-yardage situations.
The Longhorns then forced Oklahoma's seventh three-and-out — Texas had that many as well — and were on the edge of field-goal range when Manning got immediate pressure and threw toward the sideline.
Sarkisian said he thought Manning would probably want back the throw on Bowen's pick-6, but he credited Courtland Guillory for making the play on the second interception.
“I think Arch competed his tail off, and he made some tremendous plays,” Sarkisian said. “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.”
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