After almost a week of preparation, promotion and talk, the Sooners will travel to Dallas Saturday for the Red River Rivalry against the University of Texas Longhorns.
This year’s matchup between No. 8 OU and No. 21 Texas marks the 105th time the schools meet on the gridiron, the 82nd consecutive time the two have met in Dallas.
OU enters this weekend’s game 4-0 after three-straight wins at home and its most recent victory on the road over Cincinnati, 31-29. The Sooners held a double-digit lead for the majority of the game before giving up 17 points in the fourth quarter and allowing the Bearcats to close the gap before junior wide receiver Ryan Broyles recovered an onside kick to put the game away.
Texas enters 3-1 after a loss in Austin to the UCLA Bruins 34-12. The defenses were solid on both parts for the first half, but the Bruins came out of halftime with a stout running game to stun the Longhorns at home.
Any football fan can identify the Red River Rivalry as one of the biggest games of the year in college football, and it’s not hard to understand why.
Since the Big 12 was formed in 1996, just one other team — Texas A&M in 1997 and 1998 — has represented the South in the conference championship game. There have been a few years, most recently 2008, where the loser of the OU-Texas game represented the South, but such occasions are rare.
This season offers up a few younger players who are looking to make names for themselves as the focus of this rivalry for the future. Both teams feature two sophomore quarterbacks: OU’s Landry Jones and Texas’ Garrett Gilbert. Both were highly touted out of high school, and both saw time when the starters went down, Jones considerably earlier than Gilbert.
Wide receiver is another position where two young talents are emerging for both teams. OU’s Kenny Stills and UT’s Mike Davis are both true freshmen, and both are their team’s second most productive receivers statistically. Davis even leads the Longhorns in receiving touchdowns and receptions.
Texas leads the Sooners in the series 59-40-5, including the last two meetings. The Sooners have won six times in the new millennium.
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