The Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns play each other every season in a college football game in Dallas. It’s always a big game — most seasons, it’s the biggest game of OU’s seasons. But could this be the biggest Red River Rivalry yet?
There’s a compelling case to be made. Last season’s matchup was an all-time classic, with Dillon Gabriel finding Nic Anderson for the game-winning touchdown with eight seconds left.
This might not just be the biggest game on OU’s schedule. It has all of the ingredients to be one of the most epic games in college football this season. The first SEC matchup between these two teams will mark a historic day in college football.
This also won’t be a morning game. This year’s matchup will be at 3:30 — a fantastic change or one for the worst, depending on your perspective. But there’s no doubt that it being in the afternoon will make things feel different.
This game falls at the midway point of the season. Win it, and the Sooners will get a signature victory that could propel them into the meat of their conference schedule. Lose it, and the Sooners will be playing catch up.
Texas enters this game as the top team in the country, with a 5-0 record entering this game. Quarterback Quinn Ewers has missed the last few weeks but Arch Manning has stepped in nicely not missing a beat.
Oklahoma vs. Texas Series History
Texas leads the overall series, which began in 1900, with a record of 63-51-5. Yet since 2000, Oklahoma is 17-8 against its longtime archrival, including a 34-30 upset win in last year’s game.
The top-ranked Longhorns (5-0) are two-touchdown favorites (plus-14) over Oklahoma (4-1) to win on Saturday. Although there have been double-digit favorites in this classic rivalry over the last 30 years, most have favored the crimson and cream.
There’s pretty strong reasoning behind Texas being a heavy favorite in this year’s game. The Longhorns are extremely talented, deep, and well-coached, and playing well in all three phases of the game. The Longhorns are one of just two teams (Ohio State being the other) that have won every game this season by more than 17 points.
Disregarding the Sooners’ 51-3 blowout of hapless Temple to start the season; OU’s average margin of victory is just under 4.0 points per game.
Plus, Oklahoma will be starting a true freshman at quarterback in the Red River Rivalry game for the first time in Sooner history; behind an offensive line that has been banged up and inconsistent through five games and in an offense that has been out of synch from the start.
The Sooners are 1-2 historically against Texas as a double-digit underdog. The one Oklahoma victory in those three games came, ironically, in John Blake’s first season as the Sooners’ head coach, in 1996.
OU started the season 0-4 that year and was a 20.5-point underdog to the No. 25 Longhorns. The Sooners overcame a 24-13 deficit to pull off a highly improbable 30-27 win in overtime. That Oklahoma team would only win three games that season and finished with a 3-8 record.
If Oklahoma is to win on Saturday (or even prevent Texas from covering the spread), they are probably going to have to do it with superlative defense and keep it a low-scoring game. The problem is that Texas ranks among the top-10 teams in the country both in scoring offense and defense; as well as in total offense as well as total defense.
Meanwhile, the Sooners have been elite on the defensive side of the ball, ranking inside the top-20 nationally in EPA/Play.
Key Players to Watch
Quinn Ewers
The junior quarterback is expected to return from an oblique injury that cost him the last two games for the Longhorns. Ewers has completed 73 percent of his passes so far this season with eight touchdowns to two interceptions. Last season in the Red River Showdown, he completed 31-of-37 passes for 346 yards but had two interceptions in the loss.
Michael Hawkins Jr
Freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. has stepped in for Jackson Arnold and navigated a stunning comeback win against Auburn ahead of the team’s bye week. A dual threat who will be used as a rusher, Hawkins had 14 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown against Auburn.
Can the Sooners find answers against a tough Texas defense? Last season, OU used Dillon Gabriel as a rusher; he ran for over 100 yards in the Sooners’ upset against Texas.
