Tag: OU Football

Former Oklahoma players preview game against Texas

Oklahoma’s defensive front is the Sooners’ only shot of stopping the Texas offense.

Oklahoma might face its biggest challenge on Saturday. At least that’s what two former Sooners players are indicating.

Former Oklahoma greats Teddy Lehman and Gabe Ikard discussed the matchup on their podcast, “The Oklahoma Breakdown.”

You may remember Teddy Lehman from the infamous 2001 Red River Shootout. In the game, Lehman intercepted Chris Simms near the goal line to seal an Oklahoma victory.

Lehman shared an insightful scouting report for the matchup with the Longhorns on Saturday. Among his observations, he noted Texas’ personnel versatility. Additionally he shared Texas seemingly always uses pre-snap motion with a purpose. The former linebacker warned that Oklahoma has to be ready for trickery every time Texas sends motion.

Gabe Ikard called Bijan Robinson, Xavier Worthy and Ja’Tavion Sanders the best players Oklahoma has faced at their respective positions (14:27). He concluded that for Oklahoma to win Saturday it will need to overpower the Texas offensive line.

Saturday will reveal Oklahoma’s plan of attack, but shutting down the Texas offense will not be easy. Even so, it is the Sooners’ best chance of making this game close.

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Brent Venables might think twice about blitzing Texas QB Quinn Ewers

Preparing for Quinn Ewers isn’t as simple as Venables indicated.

Shutting down freshmen quarterbacks is usually simple and straightforward. Throw complex blitzes and coverages at him and rattle his cage. It might not be that simple for Oklahoma on Saturday.

Quinn Ewers’ arm talent is well documented. Albeit, his instincts and ability to keep composure rival his arm strength for his best trait.

Ewers has an innate ability to make plays on the fly. Some call him a gunslinger for that reason. In addition, Ewers is a cold-blooded assassin in the pocket, unfazed by adverse situations he is presented with on Saturdays.

Can you rattle a quarterback who fearlessly stared down the team of the last decade in his second start? I will have to see it first.

The Longhorns can also count on three players for which Oklahoma has no answer. Texas can get the ball to Xavier Worthy, Bijan Robinson and Ja’Tavion Sanders fairly quickly. If Oklahoma blitzes, they better get to the quarterback quickly.

Shutting down Quinn Ewers is not going to be a simple task for Oklahoma. Brent Venables will need to bring his best game plan of the season on Saturday.

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Advanced metrics favor Texas over Oklahoma on Saturday

Could we be overthinking the matchup between Texas and Oklahoma?

Texas and Oklahoma meet in a battle of unranked teams for the first time since 1998. Given the unpredictability of the rivalry, the Longhorns are the betting favorite by a sizable margin.

Vegas is spotting the Longhorns a touchdown in the Big 12’s premier regular season game. Even so, other factors favor Texas heading into the matchup this weekend.

We’ve noticed individual matchups that could favor each team. As a whole it appears Texas is the better team so far through five games, according to football analyst Parker Fleming.

His metrics project Texas to score just under 35 points compared to roughly 26 points for Oklahoma.

What may not surprise you is Texas’ offensive performance. The offense is No. 12 in the nation in success rate and No. 4 in passing success rate. In contrast, Oklahoma is No. 96 in defensive success rate and No. 88 in pass defensive success rate.

The numbers don’t account for the variables that the rivalry provides. Nevertheless, they hint that Texas is the better team through five games.

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Texas vs. Oklahoma: Five matchups to watch in the Red River Shootout

Examining the matchups that will decide Red River this year.

Texas and Oklahoma meet for their annual rivalry game on Saturday. There are multiple matchups that could determine the outcome of the game.

Steve Sarkisian exploited matchups last season, making sure Xavier Worthy got his fair share of touches. Worthy torched the Sooners’ secondary finishing with 261 receiving yards.

Much of Worthy’s success was set up by a dominant performance by Bijan Robinson the week before. Robinson ran for a career-high 216 yards against TCU just before the Oklahoma game. Texas capitalized on Oklahoma’s preoccupation with Bijan and Worthy announced his presence to the college football world.

Oklahoma had a couple matchups of their own to use to their advantage. Alex Grinch’s aggressive front six adjusted to Steve Sarkisian’s attack and creatively got to the quarterback. The Sooners’ pass rush simply out-matched the Texas offensive line.

Let’s take a look at who Texas and Oklahoma will look to this season.

Biggest questions for Texas, Oklahoma heading into Red River Rivalry

Looking at who will start at quarterback for Oklahoma and more.

The biggest week of the regular season is underway. It’s Texas-OU week. Continue reading “Biggest questions for Texas, Oklahoma heading into Red River Rivalry”

Final thoughts on Oklahoma Sooners primetime matchup with Kansas State Wildcats

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to take on the Kansas State Wildcats, here are this week’s final thoughts.

The opponent gets tougher as the Oklahoma Sooners get set to face the Kansas State Wildcats on Saturday night. In front of a capacity crowd under the lights, the Oklahoma Sooners will look to put on a show in their first conference game of the Brent Venables era.

Despite who the Wildcats have faced, Kansas State is the toughest opponent they’ve faced thus far.

The Wildcats pose problems on both sides of the ball that could keep this game interesting into the second half, but the Sooners have the talent and the coaching staff to earn another statement win Saturday night.

Here are this week’s final thoughts.

10 storylines heading into Texas vs. UTSA matchup

Let’s look at a few of the biggest storylines heading into the game.

When the Texas Longhorns scheduled the UTSA Roadrunners, I am not sure they expected the game to be this significant. Continue reading “10 storylines heading into Texas vs. UTSA matchup”

ESPN’s College Football Playoff Predictor includes Texas in Top 15

ESPN predicts the Top 15 College Football Playoff contenders.

Are the Texas Longhorns legitimate national contenders in 2022? They are according to ESPN’s playoff predictor.

Texas is among the fifteen teams the predictor indicates have a legitimate chance to play in the elite postseason tournament. Coming in at No. 7 on the list, Texas is given a 17.4% chance of finishing the regular season in the top four.

Playoff predictors are not always accurate, and certainly are not when it comes to Texas.

The Longhorns return blue chip talent across the field, with Bijan Robinson and Xavier Worthy among the nation’s top returning contributors. Even so, it will take more than returning production to win games.

The teams you might expect are at the top of the list. Texas A&M brings up the rear with a 2% chance to reach the playoff.

Five games that will shape the Texas football season

These games will define the Longhorns’ season.

Steve Sarkisian begins a crucial second season as head coach at Texas. And while some consider the team a year away from conference title contention, winning this season could do wonders for program trajectory.

A number of games have significant bearing on how this season will unfold. Some games figure to be physical slugfests, while others could be track meets.

In recent years, Texas hasn’t had any trouble playing up to elite competition. The Longhorns built early leads against the top three Big 12 teams last season. Often times, Texas has been caught off guard by lesser teams.

Last year, Texas famously dropped a home game to Kansas. They aim try to avoid that fate this season.

Here are the five games that will determine what kind of season Texas has, in sequential order.

Casey Thompson begins life after Texas against Northwestern

Casey Thompson will face his first test of the season on Saturday.

Casey Thompson was a productive player in his short stint as the Longhorns’ starting quarterback last season. After Texas opted not to promise Thompson the starting role this year, he found a new home in Nebraska.

The former Oklahoma City area product will face his first test of the season in a conference bout with Northwestern this Saturday. The Wildcats are only the beginning of a difficult slate for Thompson. Nevertheless, his parting from Texas was the right move both parties.

Nebraska and Texas are in different places, though their records were similar last season. While Texas has an opportunity to build around a quarterback of the future, Nebraska head coach Scott Frost must win this season to ensure job security. Clearly, Casey Thompson found the better fit for himself this offseason.

Saturday’s opener could be the beginning of a career defining season for the talented quarterback. The veteran player will look to lift Nebraska back to their past winning ways.

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