Tag: ou sooners football

Texas is separating from Oklahoma in WR development

Marvin Mims’ comments validate concerns over receiver development at Oklahoma.

Oklahoma simply isn’t developing wide receivers like they used to. That much is evident after Marvin Mims’ comments at the NFL combine.

Mims said the following on how he was utilized in Norman:

Oklahoma didn’t ask me to run a technical route tree, but I have a trainer and run more routes. I just wasn’t asked to do it for Oklahoma.

Under Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma joined Ohio State, Clemson, LSU and Alabama as a premier landing spot at wide receiver.

The departure of Riley paired with the Longhorns’ addition of Steve Sarkisian has allowed Texas to take Oklahoma’s seat at the table of elite receiver recruiting. And, for that matter, offensive line recruiting as well.

The Sooners have become an afterthought for big name receiver recruits with uncertainty at receiver. While Brent Venables won out for Langham Creek star Jaquaize Pettaway, his staff put up a far inferior class to Texas’ elite trio of Johntay Cook, Ryan Niblett and DeAndre Moore.

For whatever reason, fewer elite pass catchers see Oklahoma as a viable option for receiver development. Given Mims’ comments at the NFL combine, perhaps their concerns are valid.

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Texas Football: It’s time to stop doubting Quinn Ewers

There aren’t five college quarterbacks playing better football than Quinn Ewers.

Quinn Ewers is the real deal. If you can’t tell by now, I don’t know what would convince you.

The redshirt freshman put on a clinic against Brent Venables’ defense on Saturday. The Oklahoma defense has been bad this season, but found itself in better position to make plays against Texas. Ewers simply carved them up.

One 3rd-and-6 throw illustrates how little Oklahoma’s efforts mattered against Ewers. The talented transfer exited the pocket, rolled left and placed a football right over a defender’s outstretched arms to Bijan Robinson near the sideline.

Quinn fit the ball to Bijan just inside the left boundary. It was the type of play you live with as a defensive coordinator. Unfortunately for Oklahoma defensive coordinator Ted Roof, it’s the type of play Robinson and Ewers routinely make.

As recently as last week, former Oklahoma linebacker Teddy Lehman and others asserted that Quinn Ewers should sit and allow Hudson Card to play in his place against Oklahoma. We discussed the topic but certainly never came to that conclusion. Respectfully, no hot hand is warm enough to justify sitting a healthy Ewers.

Presently, there aren’t five quarterbacks playing better football than Quinn Ewers. He is the reason Texas is capable of a Big 12 title run. It’s time to give the quarterback his respect.

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Red River Unfiltered: What we learned in Texas’ 49-0 win over Oklahoma

Oklahoma messed around and found out.

Texas embarrassed Oklahoma on Saturday. The win unearthed multiple doses of reality for both teams. For Texas, reality tasted much sweeter.

Oklahoma went down quietly for the most part. The Sooners did their best to run out the clock and prevent further damage. The apathetic performance may have done damage control, but it didn’t hide what Quinn Ewers and the Texas offense were able to accomplish.

Texas took what they wanted offensively. The Sooners made Quinn Ewers beat them, and he certainly did. Venables’ defense sold out to stop the run and Ewers made them pay to the tune of four touchdown passes and 289 yards.

Despite the efforts to stop the run, Bijan Robinson still ran for 130 yards and two scores on 22 carries.

Let’s examine what we learned in Texas’ dominant win over Oklahoma.

Horns down the Sooners into the Dallas sod

Texas has all but eliminated Oklahoma from Big 12 contention.

How the mighty have fallen. Continue reading “Horns down the Sooners into the Dallas sod”

What a Red River win would mean for Texas HC Steve Sarkisian

Steve Sarkisian is in search of his first Red River Shootout win on Saturday.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is in search of his first Red River Shootout win on Saturday. It is perhaps the greatest regular season spectacle in college sports, but certainly the biggest game of the regular season for both teams.

Earlier this week, Brent Venables downplayed the game indicating it was no more significant than any other game. The veteran defensive mind is probably smarter than that, but the quote was noteworthy.

Sarkisian will certainly take a different approach. Last year, the Longhorns set off first quarter fireworks with 28 points in the first period of the game. Unfortunately for Texas, Pete Kwiatkowski and company had no answer for Caleb Williams or the Oklahoma running game.

This season, Texas will have an opportunity to perform better on both sides of the football. Let’s examine what a win would mean for Steve Sarkisian.

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”

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”