#5 Texas v #1 Oklahoma football preview

The tunnel.

For any Texas or Oklahoma player who has ever walked through it at the south end of the Cotton Bowl, the goose bumps appear rapidly, the heart races wildly and the tension increases briskly.

It’s hard to argue the pageantry of Texas-OU, the Red River Rivalry. The sounds of “Boomer Sooner” compete with the sounds of “The Eyes of Texas”.

The No. 1 Sooners and the No. 5 Longhorns meet for the 103rd time Saturday. This is the 80th meeting in Dallas.

The stakes are always high. This is the 10 th time the two teams have been ranked in the top five. The national attention toward this game is back at annual levels. ESPN’s College Game Day will do its pre-game show in front of the Cotton Bowl. And getting control of the Big 12 South comes with this win.

Plus, with the Cotton Bowl renovated to seat 92,000, this will likely be the largest crowd to ever watch this game.

“What you understand about this week is everybody’s different from a depth standpoint than the regular and the preparation for everybody is different,’’ Texas coach Mack Brown said. “They’re so excited that they play so hard on Tuesday, and by Saturday, they’re worn out.’’

The comparisons are striking. Oklahoma has won its games by an average of 49-13. Texas has won its games by an average of 47-11. Both teams have owned the first quarter. The Sooners have outscored the opposition, 103-3. The Longhorns have outscored the opposition, 52-9.

And yet, this is still a quarterback’s game. Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford has mastered the offense, completing nearly 73 percent of his passes for 1,665 yards and 18 touchdowns. Bradford has two spectacular receivers in Manuel Johnson (468 yards) and Juaquin Iglesias (401 yards).

But Texas quarterback Colt McCoy has been equally proficient completing 79 percent of his passes for 1,280 yards and 16 touchdowns. His top targets have been Quan Cosby (416 yards) and Jordan Shipley (368 yards).

Neither program has really established a go-to running back, which is odd for this series. The Sooners have DeMarco Murray who has rushed for 485 yards. Texas has been a little worse off. Behind McCoy’s 317 yards, no other back has surpassed 200.

But this game has always been about the turnovers. Whoever wins the battle, usually wins the game.

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That may be influenced by each team’s defensive line. The Sooners have a great tandem in Auston English and Gerald McCoy which have led the way in the defense collecting 17 sacks.

The Longhorns, embracing new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp’s aggressive mentality, have an equally impressive duo with Brian Orakpo and Roy Miller who have led the Longhorns to collect 19 sacks. Orakpo already has six.

But the game will come down to whichever team’s defensive line will dominate. Pressure on the quarterback will lead to mistakes in the passing game.

Oklahoma may have the edge. But call this one going with your gut.

Prediction: Texas 28, Oklahoma 24

No. 5 Texas (5-0, 1-0) vs. No. 1 Oklahoma (5-0, 1-0)
Time: 11 a.m. CDT
Site: Cotton Bowl, Dallas
TV: ABC
Series: 103rd meeting. Texas leads, 57-40-5

Notable

• Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops is 6-3 against Texas. Texas coach Mack Brown is 4-6 against Oklahoma.
• The lower rated team has won this game 15 times. But Oklahoma comes into the game ranked No.1 for the eighth time and has won the six out of the first seven meetings.
• The teams play for the Golden Hat.

By Kevin Lonnquist
Big 12 Fans Staff Writer

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