DALLAS — After taking care of its Red River rival on Saturday afternoon, the Texas football team is off to its best start since 2009.

Backed by a strong defensive effort, No. 1 Texas rolled to a 34-3 victory Saturday over No. 16 Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl. Ranked No. 1 in both the US LBM Coaches and Associated Press polls, Texas improved to 6-0 for the first time in 15 years.

Texas, which is also 2-0 in conference play, will host Georgia next week in a matchup between the teams picked to finish first and second in the Southeastern Conference's preseason poll.

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With starting quarterback Quinn Ewers back in the huddle for the first time since Sept. 14, the Texas offense struggled as the Red River Rivalry got underway. Over its first three possessions and nine plays, UT gained just eight yards and Ewers was also intercepted on the first pass he threw.

Sparked by a toe-tapping catch by DeAndre Moore Jr. on its fourth possession, Texas finally put together a scoring drive that Gunnar Helm capped with a 7-yard touchdown reception. That erased the first deficit of UT's season, which was created when Tyler Keltner kicked a 42-yard field goal with 10 seconds left in the first quarter.

Later in the second quarter, things really got interesting.

On a first-down play at the Oklahoma 36, Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner broke off a long run but lost the football as he approached the goal line. As the football bounced toward the back of the end zone for what would have been an Oklahoma turnover and touchback, UT receiver Silas Bolden hustled into the frame and pounced on the fumble for a Texas touchdown.

Two plays after that Texas fumble, Oklahoma lost a fumble when quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. was stripped by linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. On the next snap, Wisner sprinted 43 yards for a touchdown and a 21-6 lead with 1:40 left in the first half.

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Down 21-3 at halftime, Oklahoma was unable to pull any closer in the second half. Texas added a 41-yard field goal by Bert Auburn in the third quarter and Auburn made a 29-yard kick in the final frame. Ewers scored on a late touchdown run.

Defensively, Texas held Oklahoma to 236 yards of offense while forcing two turnovers. Two years after it recorded a shutout of Oklahoma, Texas allowed just Keltner's first-quarter kick to appear in the Sooners' scoring summary.

The win was UT's 64th in its 120-game-old rivalry with Oklahoma. The Longhorns are 64-51-5 all-time against the Sooners.

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas vs OU game: Longhorns remain undefeated