Head-to-head info
The Red River Rivalry is one of the most prestigious rivalries in all of college football. Oklahoma has won five of the last six against Texas, including a 34-30 win last season. The Longhorns did smash the Sooners 49-0 in 2022, though. This should be another very entertaining clash at one of the best venues in the nation.
Texas is shining
The Longhorns announced themselves to the country last year, advancing to the College Football Playoff before losing to Washington by a score of 37-31 in the semifinals. Despite losing some key pieces to the NFL draft, Texas is a force once again and has a fantastic chance at making the expanded CFP.
Quinn Ewers missed the last few weeks with an injury, but Arch Manning did a fantastic job under center. The youngster completed 70.5% of his passes for 900 yards and nine touchdowns against two interceptions in four games this season, with the last two coming as starts. Manning showed he’s more than capable of being QB1 and could even steal the job back at some point. When Ewers does leave for the NFL though, Manning is the main man.
Texas is an extremely solid team on both sides of the ball. They’re eighth in total yards and seventh in points, scoring 45 per contest. That will be tested in the next two weeks though with Oklahoma and Georgia ahead on the schedule. Defensively, the Longhorns are allowing the ninth fewest yards per contest and conceding a mere seven points per game. This program is legit. They’re a 14.5-point favorite here at Sports Interaction.
Can Oklahoma continue success vs Texas?
Sitting at 4-1, Oklahoma is also having a respectable campaign. They’ve collected wins against Temple, Houston, Tulane, and Auburn while losing in Week 4 to Tennessee. The Sooners have a solid offense and have turned to Michael Hawkins, who took over for Jackson Arnold after the Volunteers loss.
Hawkins has completed 62.2% of his throws for 310 yards and a touchdown. He was 10 for 15 in the Auburn win but did serious damage with his legs, running for 69 yards and a TD on 14 carries. Hawkins is a dual-threat and that’ll come in handy on Saturday. Oklahoma doesn’t exactly shine in any particular area but we know their history in the Red River Rivalry.
While their offense does have some injuries heading into this matchup, the Sooners have a very strong defense, especially up front. They will be putting serious pressure on Ewers, which is surely going to be a key to staying in this one. While it remains to be seen if they can win, I do believe OU will keep it low-scoring. The Sooners are a clear underdog at online betting sites.
