Tag: Keilan Thompson

Red River Showdown: Going Behind Enemy Lines with Longhorns Wire

As the Sooners and the Longhorns prepare to face off in the Red River Rivalry, we’re going Behind Enemy Lines with Longhorns Wire.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns will meet for the 117th time this Saturday in a game that will be a hotly contested matchup between two of the better teams in the Big 12.

While the Oklahoma Sooners may come in as the “favorite” in this matchup, what we’ve witnessed over the last decade is that it doesn’t really matter who the favorite is. The rivalry provides high drama and games that go down to the wire more often than not.

For both sides, this game carries a ton of weight as the Oklahoma Sooners look to prove they belong among the top four teams in the country. For the Texas Longhorns, they’re trying to work their way back up the rankings after a disappointing loss to Arkansas a few weeks back.

As if they didn’t have enough to play for, pride is on the line in one of the most storied rivalries in all of sports. We’re excited to help you get ready for this year’s playing of the Red River Showdown with Longhorns Wire’s Griffin McVeigh as he takes us through the ins and outs of the Texas Longhorns ahead of Saturday’s matchup.

Oklahoma vs. Texas features a battle on the ground in this Red River Showdown

One of the best rushing defenses faces one of the best rushing offenses. Much of how this game goes will be determined by those two units.

The last few years in the Red River Rivalry have featured shootouts led by quarterbacks who could put up a lot of points for their respective sides. They’ve combined for 77 points per game over the last six contests. And while this week’s matchup features two high-scoring offenses, much of how the outcome of this game will be determined by what happens on the ground.

At least for the Sooners.

The Sooners come into this contest as the seventh-ranked rush defense in the nation allowing 79.4 yards per game on just 2.59 yards per carry. The Texas Longhorns boast the fifth-ranked rushing offense led by star running back Bijan Robinson.

Texas is averaging 265.8 rushing yards a game at 5.80 yards per carry. They’ve scored 17 touchdowns on the ground, which is tied for sixth in the country.

While the Oklahoma Sooners have been good on the ground, they haven’t faced a team with a running back quite like the Longhorns and Robinson.

Yes, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are 14th in the country in rushing yards per game, but much of that is predicated by their quarterback Adrian Martinez. The Sooners haven’t seen a traditional rushing offense as dynamic as the Longhorns.

Tulane ranks 78th in rushing at 149.6 yards per game and average just 4.18 yards per attempt. West Virginia had a solid day against Virginia Tech, but they’re the 109th-ranked rushing attack, averaging 112 rushing yards a game. And of course, there’s Western Carolina who is 56th in the FCS in rushing yards per game.

While the Sooners have something to do with where those teams rank, they haven’t been playing the Colorado Buffalos of the 90s or the Cornhuskers of the 70s or 80s.

Oklahoma’s been good against the teams they’ve faced, but the Texas Longhorns are a completely different animal. With Robinson, they have one of the best running backs in college football. Robinson’s averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Then there are backup running backs Roschon Johnson and Keilan Robinson, both averaging more than seven yards per carry. Throw in quarterback Casey Thompson, who is a threat on the ground averaging six yards per carry and you have a dangerous group of runners for the Oklahoma Sooners to contend with.

The Sooners have some really strong run defenders in Nik Bonitto, Isaiah Coe, Perrion Winfrey, and Josh Ellison. If they can get Danny Stutsman back that will help too.

Oklahoma doesn’t have to shut the Longhorns running game down, because let’s be honest, that’s a monumental task The Sooners have to prevent it from dictating the flow of the game. If they can keep the Texas running game from hitting big plays (easier said than done), it can help keep Casey Thompson in uncomfortable throwing situations. Look for Texas to grind away with the running game and then use play-action to find plays down the field.

This looks like it will be another close, back and forth game for the Oklahoma Sooners. Every possession will count and the Oklahoma offense will have its say in the outcome. But much of how this game turns out will be determined by how well the Sooners’ defense can contain Bijan Robinson and the Longhorns running game.