Oklahoma Safety Billy Bowman Says Longhorns 'Didn't Earn' Win Over Longhorns

Oklahoma Sooners safety Billy Bowman did not mince words about his team's loss to the Texas Longhorns.
Oct 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. (2) intercepts a pass during the first quarter against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images
Oct 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. (2) intercepts a pass during the first quarter against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images
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The Oklahoma Sooners defense took accountability for their 34-3 loss to the Texas Longhorns.

But perhaps too much.

According to Sooners safety Billy Bowman, the Longhorns did not earn their win on Saturday. Instead, he believes that his team "gift wrapped" the game for Texas.

"We just gift-wrapped them opportunities. We just gave it to them," Bowman said. "As a defense we’re better than that. End of story. We gave it to them. They didn’t earn what they got shortly after that interception."

In defense of Bowman, the Sooners made a plethora of mistakes vs. the nation's No. 1 team. They fumbled the ball twice, and were sloppy on the defensive side of the ball, resulting in 34 unanswered Longhorns points and 406 yards of total offense.

All of that production came after an opening-drive interception by the Sooners, that put them in prime position to take advantage.

Only, they didn't. The Sooners went on to miss a field goal, and give the Longhorns the ball right back with solid field position.

All that said, and with all due respect to Bowman, the Longhorns thoroughly dominated the Sooners in every phase of the game, and more than earned their win.

The turnovers forced by the Longhorns were not an accident. They were heady and timely plays that were made by players who were in the right position to make an impact. The Horns also did not hold Oklahoma to 236 yards of offense and 2.3 yards per carry because the Sooners were shooting themselves in the foot.

The Texas offense also did not accrue more than 400 yards of offense or score 34 points by accident either.

Texas dominated the line of scrimmage, their playmakers made plays, and if anything else, they left plenty of points on the board in a game that was much more of a blowout than the score showed.

For Bowman, obviously the loss stings. A loss in this rivalry always does when either team loses.

But the Texas Longhorns deserve full credit for their blowout win.

And that is a fact.


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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns In SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks with the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com for 247Sports. He then moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki, ex Longhorns Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, FOX News and former ESPN host Will Cain, as well as countless other recruits and former players for each of the teams he has covered. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.