Former Texas head coach Mack Brown understands the Red River Rivalry better than anyone.
Brown recently joined Big 12 Radio’s Red River Special on SiriusXM to discuss the heated rivalry game between Texas and Oklahoma.
First and foremost, he dished on the unique and special atmosphere that takes place at the Cotton Bowl Stadium each year. Brown reiterates that it’s still a primary reason for why players choose to go to Texas or Oklahoma — to play in this specific game.
“Heroes are made in this game. You can stink the rest of your career, and if you make a play in this game, they love you for the rest of your life,” Brown said.
As a coach, he stressed the importance of how tough it is to play the week before the Red River Rivalry. Unfortunately for the Big 12, both the Longhorns and Sooners fell into this trap and suffered unexpected conference losses last week.
Playing the week after isn’t much easier as emotions are heavy. Due to these two factors, Brown began to view this heated matchup as a bowl game at midseason.
The Red River Rivalry is arguably the greatest rivalry in college football. @CoachMackBrown reflected the importance of the matchup with @Sportsiren & @FozzyWhittaker on Big 12 Radio's "Red River Special" #HookEm pic.twitter.com/Od43dOi3ks
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) October 7, 2020
Brown created a winning standard on the Forty Acres that has since been untouchable. The Longhorns have compiled an underwhelming 43-37 record since Brown resigned in 2013.
Texas faces a must-win game on Oct. 10 under head coach Tom Herman.