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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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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