Texas up for Oklahoma showdown

By Steve Habel, Senior Contributing Writer

AUSTIN, Texas — There’s nothing quite like the Texas-Oklahoma game played annually at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on the grounds of the State Fair of Texas.

Despite the two teams’ coaches trying to downplay Saturday’s Red River Showdown with clichés like “it’s the next game on our schedule” and “we’re just trying to go 1-0 this week” both side know the stakes are high, for this season and for success in recruiting for future classes.

This will be the first time since 2012 that both teams will enter this game ranked in the AP top 25, with Texas at No. 19 and Oklahoma at No. 7. 

“I think you play aggressive when you are the underdog,” Texas coach Tom Herman said. “There’s that attitude that you don’t have a lot to lose, so you empty the tank and don’t leave anything behind. Play aggressive, play loose.”

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The series, which began in 1900 and predates Oklahoma’s statehood, has been played in Dallas since 1912 and at the State Fair of Texas since 1929.

Since 1900, the only years Texas and Oklahoma have not played were 1918, ’20, ’21 and 1924-28. The first matchup between the two teams in 1900 ended with a 28-2 Longhorns’ victory.

The Longhorns are the only Big 12 team that holds an all-time series lead against the Sooners (61-46-5).

No. 19 Texas (4-1, 2-1 in Big 12 play) heads to Big D with four straight wins in its collective pocket, plenty of momentum and swagger and the stated belief that despite what oddsmakers say, they are anything but an underdog.

But if the Longhorns need any more motivation, and that’s doubtful, the prediction that No. 7 Oklahoma will win Saturday for the third straight season seasons and seventh time in the 10 most recent dustups has added fuel the Texas’ fire.

“I don’t think anybody in our building thinks we are an underdog,” Herman added. “We know how special this game is and we want to look back fondly about how we played.”

The Sooners (5-0, 2-0) travel south across the state line after whipping Baylor, 66-33, last Saturday while rolling up 607 total yards on 54 plays, an average of 11.2 yards per snap.

Oklahoma also set school records for yards per pass attempt (18.8), yards per completion (25.2) and pass efficiency rating (317.8) in the victory, which was the team’s 27th in its past 28 league games.

There’s also one given in this year’s game: how Texas handles Oklahoma’s mercurial dual-threat quarterback Kyler Murray likely will determine its outcome.

Murray has passed for average of 294 yards per game with 17 touchdowns (good enough for third in the nation), and just two interceptions, and has added 55 rushing yards per contest with four rushing scores. He has been the chief architect of the Sooners’ success this year, which has him in the conversation for the Heisman Trophy.

“I’ve dreamed of it my whole life, winning the Heisman,” Murray said. “But for me, it’s just about winning games and doing what’s right for the team. Individual goals will come along if you do what you do.”

Herman said this week that Murray favorably compared to former Sooners signal caller Baker Mayfield, last year’s Heisman winner who was the first pick in the NFL draft.

“The names have changed. I don’t know that the results have at all,” Herman said of Murray and Mayfield. “Maybe the difference is how elite of a runner their quarterback is. They’re still one of, if not the best, offenses in the country. We’ll have our hands full.”

Another key to the Longhorns’ success this week will be their ability to shorten the game on offense, in essence taking the ball out of Murray’s hands and chewing up the clock with sustained offensive drives of their own.

That strategy worked last week in UT’s 19-14 road win over Kansas State, when the Longhorns had just eight offensive possessions, three of which had at least 10 plays.

“Our goal offensively is not to score as many points as we can but to score one more than our opponent,” Herman said Thursday. “We will have to be more aggressive in this game, more up-tempo on offense, but we will have to manage the game depending on how our defense plays.

“Oklahoma is really good, and we have to play our ‘A’ game offensively, but we also have to have a great game from our defense.”

Texas’ defense has been up to the task during its past four games, all wins, which have included victories over No. 22 USC, No. 17 TCU and on the road against Kansas State, 19-14, last Saturday. The Longhorns surrendered just 217 total yards in the win over the Wildcats, the least in the 18-game tenure of Todd Orlando as Texas defensive coordinator.

Herman said Texas took it easy on itself at practice this week, understanding that his team was hyped for the game with the Sooners and that he was going to get maximum intensity from his players, even in their preparation.

“We were on the field about 10 or 15 minutes less per day this week than we normally are because of this stretch of difficult games we’ve had and what we have this Saturday,” Herman said. “We wanted to make sure we were smart with our guys’ bodies. Last year, this week —the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday practices — graded out as our most intense, so we decided to be smart with the players. They are excited, focused and ready to go.”

NOTES: Herman said Thursday that his team was healthy and ready to play, with the only question mark being freshman B.J. Foster being cleared to play in concussion protocol. “Foster was great today, so barring a setback between now and Saturday, he’s good,” Herman said … Herman said center Zack Shackelford would be back with the starting unit after seeing limited action last week against Oklahoma as be works his way back from a foot injury. That means Elijah Rodriguez, who has been at center the past three weeks, will move back to right guard and that Derek Kerstetter will be used as part of the rotation at right tackle … Offensive coordinator Tim Beck has been back at practice with the team since Tuesday after missing some time last week and the trip to Kansas State with an infection in his elbow that required surgery. “(Beck) looked like death warmed over on Tuesday, but he’s been better every day and has a lot more color now,” Herman said.

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