Last year’s meeting of the Red River Shootout saw a hyped Oklahoma team unexpectedly lose to an underperforming Texas squad. Could the same happen again this season?
How to watch Oklahoma vs. Texas: Game guide, TV schedule, streaming, odds
Can the Longhorns salvage their season against their archrivals?
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The Sooners were considered one of the heavy favorites for the national title after opening the season with four straight double-digit wins, but those hopes took a heavy blow last week when they fell 37-33 on the road at TCU. Oklahoma made some defensive adjustments against the Horned Frogs that were too little, too late according to Sooner fans, and may be without star running back Keith Ford for this one.
Texas is scoring just 18.4 points per game -- near the bottom of the national leaderboards -- and has struggled against nearly every defense they’ve played. The Longhorns scored 38 points against North Texas, 23 against Kansas ... and a combined 31 in their other three games. Texas’s linebacking corps played well early last week against Baylor’s talented running back group, and will have another difficult matchup on their hands Saturday against the Sooners.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: Noon ET.
TV: ABC.
Online streaming: ABC
The numbers
Rankings and records: Oklahoma is ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 9 in the Coaches Poll. Texas is not ranked in either. The Sooners are 4-1, with a 1-1 conference record. The Longhorns are 2-3, and also sport a 1-1 record in Big 12 play. The Longhorns hold a 60-43-5 all-time lead in the series between the two schools.
Vegas: Oklahoma is a 14.5-point favorite. The over/under is set at 47.
Weather forecast: 76 degrees with a chance of thunderstorm.
Two things at stake
A win against Oklahoma would lessen a lot of the pressure on Charlie Strong after a disappointing start to his first season with Texas.
After their loss to TCU, the Sooners desperately need to get back on the right track if they have any hopes of making it back into the playoff hunt.
One big matchup
Samaje Perine vs. Texas rushing defense. The true freshman running back has been a major part of the Sooners' ground game dominance, using his 5'11, 243-pound frame to bowl over tacklers en route to 5.6 yards per carry and eight rushing touchdowns so far this season. He's not alone in the Oklahoma backfield: Keith Ford (5.7 yards per carry), Alex Ross (5.8) and quarterback Trevor Knight (4.8) have all done their part as well. If Ford isn't available, expect Perine to shoulder even more of the load.
Texas has allowed 3.8 yards per carry this season, but that number has been skewed by good performances against poor rushing teams like North Texas and Kansas. Against BYU, UCLA and Baylor (considerably closer to Oklahoma’s caliber), the Longhorns have given up 4.5 yards per carry and 247.7 yards per game on the ground.
Further reading
For more on Texas, head over to Burnt Orange Nation and Barking Carnival. For coverage of Oklahoma, head over to Crimson and Cream Machine.
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