Three Texas Longhorns Who Stood Out in Loss to Oklahoma

For the first time in over 300 days, the Texas Longhorns have tasted defeat. And for the first time in over three years, the Longhorns have lost the Red River Rivalry.

After entering Saturday undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation, Texas watched a 10-point halftime lead disappear as Oklahoma escaped the Cotton Bowl with a 27–24 victory.

But despite the loss, there were still individual performances worth recognizing.

Here are three Longhorns who stood out against the Sooners.

Cam Coleman, WR

Cam Coleman's breakout game couldn't have come under more bittersweet circumstances.

Through the first four games, one of the biggest concerns surrounding Texas' offense was its inability to consistently generate explosive plays.

It took Coleman one catch to change that.

The Auburn transfer made his presence felt early, hauling in a 41-yard touchdown pass from Arch Manning to give Texas a first-quarter lead. It was an impressive play that saw Coleman adjust midair to secure the pass before tumbling out the back of the end zone.

But Coleman wasn't finished.

With Oklahoma holding a 24–17 lead late in the fourth quarter, Coleman once again came through when Texas needed him most.

Facing second-and-11, Manning connected with Coleman for another downfield dagger, this time a 42-yard gain that set up Texas' game-tying touchdown.

Coleman finished the afternoon with a team-high 110 receiving yards and a touchdown, marking his first 100-yard performance as a Longhorn.

Although the Longhorns ultimately fell short, Coleman provided a much-needed spark for an offense that has struggled to consistently stretch the field.

And if Saturday was any indication, his connection with Manning could become one of Texas' biggest offensive strengths moving forward.

Derrek Cooper, RB

While the Longhorns produced several downfield chunk plays, they continued to struggle to establish a consistent rushing attack.

But true freshman Derrek Cooper provided a glimmer of hope in an otherwise disappointing ground game.

Despite entering Saturday with just 57 rushing yards on the season, Cooper finished as Texas' leading rusher with 41 yards on eight carries, averaging 5.1 yards per attempt.

Perhaps more notably, Cooper nearly doubled Raleek Brown in carries, who entered the game as one of Texas' primary running backs but finished with just 14 rushing yards.

Cooper's biggest contributions came late in the second quarter.

With Texas holding a 14–7 lead, Cooper helped move the Longhorns downfield with runs of 16, nine and 10 yards on their final possession of the half.

Although the drive ended in a field goal, Cooper's efforts helped Texas carry a two-score lead into the locker room.

However, his success was largely limited to the first half, as Cooper gained no additional yardage after halftime.

Still, with Texas continuing to search for consistency out of its backfield, Cooper gave Steve Sarkisian another reason to consider expanding the freshman's role moving forward.

Colin Simmons, DE

After a record-setting performance against Tennessee, Colin Simmons immediately established his presence against Oklahoma.

On the Sooners' opening possession, Simmons burst past the offensive line and brought down quarterback John Mateer for a six-yard loss, forcing a fumble in the process.

Although Oklahoma recovered, the play helped force an early punt and set the tone for a Texas defensive front that made life difficult for Mateer throughout much of the first half.

Simmons also nearly found himself swinging the game for Texas late in the fourth quarter.

With the game tied at 24 and just over five minutes remaining, Simmons pressured Mateer on second-and-7, forcing an intentional grounding penalty and a nine-yard loss.

The play helped force another Oklahoma punt, giving Texas an opportunity to take the lead.

Unfortunately, it was all for naught, as Gianni Spetic missed what would've been the go-ahead field goal.

Simmons ultimately finished with two credited sacks, continuing his impressive start to the season and putting even more pressure on the all-time Texas sack list.

But for all the havoc Simmons wreaked in Oklahoma's backfield, it ultimately wasn't enough to keep the Golden Hat in Austin.

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