Texas is the team that entered this season with all of the hype.
Oklahoma came into the season with plenty of questions on both sides of the ball.
But entering Saturday afternoon’s Red River Rivalry showdown between the programs at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the roles have been reversed.
The Sooners (5-0, 1-0) enter the Southeastern Conference clash undefeated and ranked sixth in the nation, while the Longhorns — who were ranked No. 1 in the preseason — come in unranked after a 29-21 loss at Florida last week.
“I love all aspects of it,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said of the annual rivalry game. “I love that it’s neutral site. I love that it’s a state fair. I love that both teams are in the same tunnel. I love that the crowd is split 50/50. … I don’t love that there’s some noise around how we’re playing, but that’s the reality of the situation. That’s what we signed up to do.”
Texas (3-2, 0-1) has won two of the last three games in the series, with its two victories by a combined 83-3 around Oklahoma’s 34-30 victory in 2023.
The Longhorns lead the all-time series 64-51-5.
Last season, the Sooners came into the game with freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. at quarterback after he replaced an ineffective Jackson Arnold earlier in the season.
Hawkins likely will start again Saturday after he began last week’s 44-0 win over Kent State in place of the injured John Mateer, who is recovering from a broken bone he sustained in his throwing hand in a victory over Auburn on Sept. 20.
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said Tuesday that he was preparing for Hawkins to be the starter against the Longhorns, noting that Mateer had not returned to full reps in practice.
ESPN reported Tuesday that Mateer was pushing to return for the showdown against the Longhorns.
“When they tell me he’s available, I’ll let y’all know,” Venables said.
Mateer threw for 1,215 yards and six touchdowns, with three interceptions, while running for 190 yards and five scores before missing last week’s game against Kent State.
While quarterbacks — Mateer and Hawkins for Oklahoma, and Arch Manning for the Longhorns — are always a hot topic of conversation in the game, the defenses figure to be at the center of deciding the outcome.
Oklahoma enters the game ranked first nationally in total defense, allowing an average of 193 yards per game, while the Longhorns are 13th at 260.2.
“They’re very active up front, very athletic group,” Sarkisian said of the Sooners’ defense. “Multitude of pressures, multitude of coverage. I think they lead the SEC in about everything. … So we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Mateer isn’t the only injured player uncertainty hanging over the game. Texas star cornerback Malik Muhammad missed the matchup with Florida due to an undisclosed injury and is questionable for Saturday’s game.
In the win over Kent State, the Sooners lost wide receiver Keontez Lewis early after he hit his head on a brick barrier in the end zone. He was carted off the field.
Venables said Lewis avoided serious injury, but the coach didn’t say if the Southern Illinois transfer would be available vs. Texas.
