DALLAS -- Texas vs. Oklahoma just means more. This game is 113 years in the making, and has featured some of the best players in the history of college football facing off in the capital of Southern opulence – the State Fair of Texas. Fans can refresh themselves with an order of Fried Oreos, wash it down with a Corn Dog Ale and then watch one of the most historic games in the sport.

Vince Young, Roy Williams, Adrian Peterson, Colt McCoy – all built their legendary reputations on huge performances at the Cotton Bowl. Add quarterback Sam Ehlinger and kicker Cameron Dicker to the list after an outstanding 48-45 win over No. 7 Oklahoma, the highest-scoring matchup in the history of the series.

“What a college football game, huh?” Texas coach Tom Herman said. “Unbelievable atmosphere. Our fans were incredible, their fans were too. That’s a hell of a football team.”

Texas came dang close to blowing it, though. Media was able to go down to field level with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Sooners scored a touchdown while we headed down. A murmur started to creep through the Oklahoma crowd. Country music superstar Toby Keith and wrestling announcer Jim Ross were among the legendary presences watching with bated breath.

Then, Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray took off for a 67-yard touchdown run. After another stop, Oklahoma running back Trey Sermon burst into the end zone to tie the game at 45-45 with fewer than three minutes remaining in the game. That just set the stage.

Ehlinger seized the spotlight. He threw an 18-yard pass to Devin Duvernay, a 7-yard pass to Andrew Beck and forced a pass interference penalty to push the ball into Oklahoma territory. He added a couple of extra runs to set up a makeable – albeit difficult – field goal.

That set up a play that will go down in Red River Showdown lore. True freshman long snapper Justin Mader snapped it to true freshman holder Ryan Bujcevski. Then, true freshman and Austin native Cameron Dicker nailed the biggest 41-yard kick of his life with just nine seconds remaining.

“Everybody dreams of this as a kicker,” Dicker said. “I like the pressure because it shows that what I do every day is something that’s important.”

Ehlinger played arguably the best game of his still-young career. He completed 24-of-35 passes for 314 passing yards, added 72 rushing yards and posted five all-purpose touchdowns against the No. 7 team in the nation. Most importantly – Ehlinger didn’t have a single turnover. It was the perfect second act to his 388-yard Red River Showdown debut in 2017.

“To be a art of this tradition and play in such an incredible rivalry is special,” Ehlinger said. “We were coming up in the elevators, and I told [my teammates], it feels a lot better than it did last season.”

Playing well in this rivalry means just a little extra. Throughout the game at the Cotton Bowl, the video board showed some of the great moments in the history of the rivalry. Vince Young’s monumental performance in 2005 showed up. So did Tyrone Swoopes’ incredible all-purpose day in 2015.

Dicker and Ehlinger’s exploits will quickly find their place on that video board. It’s a fast track to football immortality in this state.

“That’s one that people can talk about for years and years and years,” Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said. “I think the game lived up to the billing like it always does.”

With the hard-fought win – Texas’ third of the season against an AP Top 25 opponent – the future looks that much brighter. Herman was so happy when he reached the podium to field questions, he forgot that he was supposed to make an opening statement. 

As for the now immortal Dicker, fame hasn't quite reached his head as yet. The true freshman was shocked at the 50+ text messages he received. But easily the strongest stance he took was when asked about his Lake Travis High School, home of Baker Mayfield, and whether it's a Texas Longhorn school again. 

"I sure hope so," Dicker said.