Game Preview: No. 1 Texas Longhorns versus Oklahoma Sooners

Texas and Oklahoma both had a chance to heal up during last week’s bye. Both teams needed that break before facing off in the Cotton Bowl this week. This game is always a physical war, and the more physical team usually comes out on top.

People say you can throw out the records in plenty of rivalry games. In this one, that actually holds true. We all saw Charlie Strong’s Texas team beat a Baker Mayfield-led Oklahoma squad that went to the playoffs in 2015. Texas enters this matchup as the No. 1 team in the country, but a 2-2 Oklahoma team will give the Longhorns everything it has.

This will be Oklahoma’s Super Bowl, without a doubt. Despite receiving a contract extension before the season, Brent Venables knows that falling to 1-4 against Texas would put his job in jeopardy at some level.

Can Oklahoma Find Its Run Game?

At SEC Media Days this summer, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said the Sooners needed to run the ball consistently in 2026. So far, that hasn’t happened.

Oklahoma’s run game has been nonexistent since the season opener against UTEP, when the Sooners rushed for 170 yards. Even that performance needs to be taken with a grain of salt, given Oklahoma’s significant talent advantage. Against Michigan, Georgia and, to a lesser extent, New Mexico, the Sooners have struggled to establish anything on the ground.

In those three matchups, Oklahoma totaled just 226 rushing yards, averaging only 2.3 yards per carry. That has to change against Texas, or it will be another long day in Dallas for the Sooners.

Texas doesn’t stop the run the way Georgia does, but the Longhorns did shut down a good Tennessee rushing attack. If Texas makes Oklahoma one-dimensional, Colin Simmons and the rest of the Texas pass rush will be coming after John Mateer all day.

There’s a reason the team that runs the ball better usually wins the Red River Rivalry. Oklahoma will need its best offensive performance of the season to win Saturday, but anything can happen in this game.

Will the Texas Offense Finally Play a Full Game?

Coming into the season, the Texas offense was supposed to be one of the best units in the country. That just hasn’t been the case.

Outside of the fourth quarter against Ohio State and the first quarter against Tennessee, the offense has been clunky. And calling it clunky is putting it mildly. Texas hasn’t been able to put together consistent drives, and the explosive plays that normally come with a Sark offense have been missing.

Starting this week, the offense needs to raise its level instead of relying on the defense to win games. At some point, one of the SEC’s elite offenses is going to put up 30 or more points against the Texas defense.

Oklahoma’s offense is a far cry from those of Florida and Ole Miss, both of which come to Austin in October. Even so, it’s time for Texas to put its offensive growing pains behind it.

Despite their 2-2 record, the Sooners have one of the better defenses in the country. Their front seven can get after just about any offensive line. Tennessee put pressure on Arch, and Oklahoma has a better front seven than the Volunteers. This matchup will test just how much the Texas offensive line has improved.