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Texas dumps No. 9 Oklahoma in Charlie Strong's biggest win with Longhorns

Paul Myerberg
USA TODAY Sports
Texas' effective running attack against Oklahoma was stoked by quarterback Jerrod Heard.

DALLAS — Breaking down Texas' 24-17 win against No. 9 Oklahoma on Saturday in the Red River Rivalry:

THE BIG PICTURE : As it turns out, Texas was not as bad as its 1-4 record might have indicated. Coincidentally, Oklahoma was never as good as its 4-0 mark — complete with wins against Tennessee and West Virginia — might have suggested. The Sooners' rivalry loss against Texas revealed two truths: OU isn't on the level of TCU and Baylor, its two prime Big 12 Conference rivals, and the Longhorns are not quite an unmitigated disaster.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Texas lost in narrow and devastating fashion to both California and Oklahoma State before suffering an ugly loss at TCU; essentially, the Longhorns have sandwiched that one out-of-hand defeat with three solid performances. Now 2-4, Texas can begin thinking about a bowl game. There's no sugarcoating the loss for Oklahoma, which will suffer a steep drop in both polls and lose any of its early-season momentum. Remember: OU still has games ahead against three teams ranked in the top 20 of the Amway Coaches Poll.

WHAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT : The focus will be on Texas, which could use this win as a springboard toward bowl eligibility in Charlie Strong's second season — and, in the bigger picture, potentially look back on Saturday as the program's turning point. Oklahoma will face its own scrutiny, particularly in offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley's decision to nearly ignore Samaje Perine and the running game.

There's a takeaway for the Big 12 race as a whole. In terms of national perception, OU's start had placed the Sooners on par with the Bears and Horned Frogs. The loss removes Bob Stoops' team from that mix, leaving Baylor and TCU as the unquestioned leaders in the Big 12 — and the league's best hopes for a College Football Playoff — as conference play begins in earnest.

BREAKOUT PLAYER : Jerrod Heard has cemented his place as the Longhorns' starting quarterback. Yet the teammate he replaced, Tyrone Swoopes, has found an important role in his team's red-zone offense. Swoopes ran for one touchdown and threw for another in close quarters.

KEY STAT : Texas built a 14-3 halftime lead despite a vanilla approach on offense. The Longhorns attempted just five passes in the first half, though one short completion was taken 24 yards for a touchdown by Marcus Johnson. The running game gained 138 yards, converted several third downs and accounted for Texas' second touchdown, a three-yard run by Swoopes.

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