Oklahoma football: What Sooners must do to defeat No. 3 Texas in Red River Rivalry game
By Chip Rouse
The two most important factors every Oklahoma football season, regardless of what the record is are wins over chief rivals Texas and Oklahoma State.
Nebraska used to part of that mix as well, but after the 2010 season the Cornhuskers left the Big 12 to join the Big Ten Conference. After this season, the Bedlam rivalry with Oklahoma State may also be history.
Success among Oklahoma head coaches is heavily measured by national championship trophies and conference championships. But there is also one other factor that weighs heavily: the ability to beat Texas in the annual Red River Rivalry game.
Brent Venables was 8-5 as an assistant coach and coordinator under Bob Stoops (1999-2011), but he is 0-1 as a head coach and in danger of doing something that none of the four legendary Sooner head coaches did during their historic careers in Norman: lose to Texas in your first two games as head coach.
There aren’t many people outside of Sooner fans giving Oklahoma much of a chance to knock off its archrival in this year’s annual rivalry clash in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The point spread, however, is only 5.5 points and the ESPN Football Matchup Predictor actually gives the Sooners better than a 50-percent chance to pull off the upset.
If Oklahoma were able to come away with the victory on Saturday, the outlook for the rest of the season would change dramatically for the Sooners. Plus, a win over a Texas team that beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa earlier this season would send the message that Oklahoma is definitely ready and armed for the move to the SEC next season.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. OU is definitely going to have a big challenge on its hand against a Texas Longhorn bunch that is playing probably its best football since the Vince Young championship season of 2005, or possibly the 2009 national championship runner-up Longhorn team led by QB Colt McCoy. Any way you slice and dice it, this year’s Longhorn team is loaded and extremely good.
So what does Oklahoma (a.k.a. “David”) have to do to slay “Goliath” (a.k.a. Texas) on Saturday?
Get the passing game going early and often to open up the run game
Dillon Gabriel has completed over 70 percent of his passes this season and a deep group of wide receivers has surprisingly become the strength of the Sooner offensive unit. Seven different Sooner receivers have caught at least eight passes this season, which makes it difficult for defenses to key on any one receiver. Texas appears vulnerable to the big play through the air. The Longhorn secondary gives up an average of 196 passing yards per game and allowed several deep completions against Kansas.
Sooners have to be able to run the football and limit Texas’ ability to do so
Oklahoma has struggled this season to run the ball consistently. Entering the season, it was believed that the running back room was the deepest and most talented position group on the team. Four different running backs have been used, but none of the four have taken over the No. 1 spot. The Sooners average 158 yards rushing per game, but the Longhorns are holding opponents to under 100 yards per game. If OU can throw the ball effectively, it will help in the running game, which is a must if the Sooners hope to win the game.
Conversely, OU must limit the Longhorns’ rushing attack. Otherwise, it will put undue stress and strain on the Sooner defense and open up the field for Texas to unleash its powerful offensive weapons.
Hold their own in the trenches on both sides of the ball
The Longhorns are big and talent on both the offensive and defensive lines. The defensive line contains three sure fire NFL prospects. The Sooners must be able to hold their own on both sides of the ball, protecting Dillon Gabriel , who has been sacked just four times this season, while getting pressure on and disrupting the rhythm of Texas sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Create takeaways and win the turnover battle
The Sooners lead the Big 12 with 10 interceptions, an average of two per game. Oklahoma can’t afford to beat itself against a talented team like Texas. OU needs to win the turnover battle and limit costly penalties, which have plagued the Sooners again this season.