Since the turn of the century, the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns have met 21 times. The team to the north has owned the rivalry to the tune of a 14-7 record. The Longhorns haven’t been able to win consecutive games since the days of Colt McCoy. Even as great as Vince Young was he only beat OU once. McCoy finished his career 3-1 against them.
So why have the Longhorns have such a bad run against their bitter rivals? Since McCoy left the Longhorns have won just three times combined. Their last victory came on a last second field goal from Cameron Dicker in a 48-45 thriller. Football Scoop writer Zach Barnett recently discussed this in a series of tweets.
The reason OU has had the upper hand over Texas post-2000 is the same reason Ohio State has owned Michigan over roughly the same period—more often than not, OU has a better HC and a better QB.
Setting the HC position aside, Oklahoma just landed the No. 1 DT QB for 2021. Texas has a good commit in Jalen Milroe, but he’ll have to overperform, Williams will have to underperform, or both, to close that gap.
Doesn’t mean that can’t happen, of course. But Texas is starting with a talent deficit at the most important position on the field.
It is impossible to argue against Barnett’s first point about the head coach. Lincoln Riley has won the Big 12 every season since he became the head coach and has a College Football Playoff appearance in each of those seasons. When comparing the resume’s of Riley and Texas head coach Tom Herman, it is clearly Lincoln who wins that battle.
The better quarterback point is really common knowledge. Usually the team with the better quarterback will win the game more often than not. However, he is completely discrediting the current quarterbacks on the roster. While yes there is excitement surrounding Jalen Milroe, he likely won’t see the field for some time.
The number one quarterback from the 2019 recruiting class Spencer Rattler is expected to be the Sooners man for at least the next two seasons before he is NFL Draft eligible. During that time he will battle Sam Ehlinger in his final season. Behind Ehlinger are the number two and three dual threat quarterbacks of the 2020 recruiting cycle.
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Milroe will have to overcome Hudson Card and Ja’Quinden Jackson. Both of which will be in the Yurcich system for a season and they will have the leg up on the competition. Card is likely to be groomed as the heir to Ehlinger. Given that Texas quarterbacks usually stay to the end of their eligibility, that would give Milroe one season.
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You shouldn’t discount Jackson either. He may be a bit behind in terms of recovering from a slight ACL tear, but when he is on the field Jackson is dynamic. Card is the better passer but Jackson is the bigger threat on the field. While they may be ranked lower than a Rattler or Williams, rankings don’t mean much when you get on the field.
While the Longhorns are the underdogs and rightly so, we will find out if they can turn the tide at the turn of a new decade.