Tag: Red River Shootout

247Sports’ Josh Pate lays out two critical weeks for Oklahoma this season

The Sooners will be thrown into the fire right away in the SEC in late-September.

When the news broke three years ago that the Oklahoma Sooners were leaving the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] and moving to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag], fans were excited for new matchups and the challenge of a tougher schedule.

In December when the schedules were released, OU fans learned their new conference didn’t do their favorite team any favors. The Sooners’ inaugural SEC schedule is a brutal one.

The Sooners were picked to finish eighth in the SEC by the media during  [autotag]SEC media days[/autotag]. It’s certainly not the first time OU has been doubted coming into a season, but seeing the number eight next to their name in a conference standings list is jarring, to say the least.

But according to Josh Pate, a college football expert for 247Sports, Oklahoma is right at home in needing to prove the doubters wrong. The host of “The Late Kick with Josh Pate” explained the unique attitude of the Sooner fan base and laid out where he thinks OU’s pivotal point of the season is while on “The Next Round,” an SEC-focused podcast.

“There are some fan bases out there that claim that they want you to doubt them and disrespect them, but as soon as you do, they trash you,” Pate said. “Oklahoma’s folks actually do love this stuff. Oklahoma’s folks have gotten so used to being doubted every year against Texas, even though they’re the better program and have been for a while, they actually embrace that stuff.”

Pate explained that if he was affiliated with the OU program or fan base, he’d have faith in what the folks in charge of the storied football program are doing. He thinks Sooner fans are accustomed to feeling like their team is being undervalued nationally.

“Go in there and earn it is their attitude. I’d feel the same way,” Pate said.

Then Pate proceeded to plant his flag on a crucial portion of Oklahoma’s schedule in 2024. The Sooners host Tennessee on Sept. 21 before a trip to Auburn on Sept. 28. Following that are a bye week and the [autotag]Red River Shootout[/autotag] matchup on Oct. 12.

“That Week 4 game against Tennessee … that’s my sleeper game of the year,” Pate said. “They’ve got Week 4 against Tennessee, they go to Auburn Week 5. That’s their season, before they ever play Texas. That two-week stretch determines whether they’re gonna be a real factor in this thing (the SEC title picture) or not.”

Oklahoma’s schedule is certainly a snake pit this season, and it will not get any easier in 2025. But, breaking it up into mini-seasons can help fans stay optimistic about taming the daunting task in front of [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team.

If Oklahoma can navigate this portion of the season that Pate thinks is pivotal and be 5-0 heading to Dallas to face the Longhorns, the Sooners could set themselves up for success in their first season in the SEC.

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247Sports’ Josh Pate doesn’t believe there’s a gap between OU and Texas

Is there a sizable gap between the Sooners and the Longhorns? Josh Pate of 247Sports thinks there isn’t.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns are officially members of the [autotag]Southeastern Conference[/autotag]. After nearly three years of waiting, Monday marked the official move of OU and UT from the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

With both football programs making the move at the same time, naturally the question is posed by fans and analysts alike: Which team is ahead of the other heading to the SEC?

Most national analysts believe Texas is ahead of Oklahoma going into 2024. After all, the Longhorns are entering Year 4 under head coach [autotag]Steve Sarkisian[/autotag], while the Sooners are only in Year 3 of the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] era. Both coaches inherited programs that weren’t trending in the right direction, but Sarkisian has had a year longer to build his team. Both earned contract extensions this offseason.

Texas won the [autotag]Big 12 Conference[/autotag] and made the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] in 2023, finishing 12-2. Oklahoma went 10-3, narrowly missing the conference title game and settled for a berth in the [autotag]Valero Alamo Bowl[/autotag].

One national analyst, however, doesn’t think there’s a gap between the SEC’s newest teams. 247Sports’ Josh Pate outlined both programs’ standing going into 2024 on his show “The Late Kick With Josh Pate.”

“Oklahoma is 7-3 in the last 10 against Texas. They are 11-4 in their last 15 against Texas,” Pate said. “Oklahoma’s got a 14-4 lead in conference titles since 1996, that was in the Big 12, now they’re coming to the SEC. … The last five years, Texas has averaged a ([autotag]recruiting[/autotag]) class ranked 7.4, Oklahoma’s has averaged being ranked ninth. Not a huge gap in recruiting. What about the portal, Texas has done good there, Oklahoma has done better. So they’ve got the head-to-head, they’ve got history on their side, both recently and more long-term. Recruiting has been pretty comparable, portal has been edge Oklahoma, so where in the world is the perceived gap coming from?”

Pate went on to outline three reasons Texas is seen as a step in front of OU at this stage.

“I think three things are at play. There’s bias toward Texas that I think’s undeniable,” Pate said. “No. 2, I think there’s a lot of recency bias, and what they do is they don’t think back to the [autotag]Red River Shootout[/autotag] last year. If they did that, they’d know Oklahoma won the game. More recent than that, we saw Texas make the playoff … finally Texas made some folks look smart and they love them for it. Oklahoma won double digits games last year as well and there were a couple of one-possession losses that stood between them and maybe doing a whole lot more than just a nice solid bowl game.”

But Pate’s third and final reason is the one that stands out as the most likely reason for the gap some perceive to exist.

“For some reason, the stink of Brent Venables’ first year and his record being 6-7 still lingers much more so than Sark going 5-7 his first year,” Pate said. “That was a year prior to Brent Venables’ first year, but also, Texas has a playoff appearance … whether it should or not it just washes everyone’s memory clean. Because Oklahoma had a nice year last year .. wasn’t a playoff appearance though.”

Certainly, the standard in Norman is to make the CFP once again, especially with the expansion to 12 teams. And certainly, Texas made it to where OU wanted to be last year. But, as Josh Pate suggests, the gap between the two schools isn’t nearly as big as folks in Austin and all over the country believe it to be.

In fact, there may not be a gap at all.

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Paul Finebaum thinks Texas will be better than Oklahoma in 2024

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum thinks the Longhorns will have a better season than the Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns are both officially joining the [autotag]Southeastern Conference[/autotag] in on July 1. Both football programs are looking to make a great first impression in the SEC, but who will be able to put their best foot forward?

Well, according to one ESPN college football analyst, the Longhorns will have the better season.

Paul Finebaum made an appearance on “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” and said that Texas would be better than Oklahoma in 2024.

Here’s what Finebaum told Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic when asked who would win more in year one in the SEC:

“Texas. They’re better prepared for it, and I think their roster is probably inherently better. I’ll defer to you guys, but I think it’s pretty obvious [with] what they have across the board. I think there’s some unknowns at Oklahoma,” Finebaum said. “The schedules could be the equalizer because Texas’ schedule is challenging. Oklahoma’s is tricky.”

Finebaum’s opinion isn’t an unpopular one. Most analysts nationally have Texas a step or two ahead of Oklahoma heading into the SEC. After all, Texas won the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] and went to the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] last year. OU had to settle for a trip to the [autotag]Alamo Bowl[/autotag], even after beating Texas in the [autotag]Red River Shootout[/autotag]. Losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State took the Sooners out of the College Football Playoff and the conference title game races.

[autotag]Steve Sarkisian[/autotag] has also been at Texas one year longer than [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has been at Oklahoma. Sark has had more time to build his roster.

On the other hand, Texas’ 2023 season was the first true sign of life in a half-decade for the Longhorns. It was also the first time they were truly contenders since 2009.

Oklahoma, meanwhile, continued to run the Big 12 while UT floundered. This was before a coaching change in Norman shifted the momentum of the conference. Now, the Sooners are trying to build back better than before. However, none of Texas’ perceived advantages mattered last year in OU’s 34-30 instant classic of a win in the Cotton Bowl.

Both teams lost talent and production from 2023. Both coaching staffs have done well to replenish their depth charts in recruiting and the transfer portal.

October 12 will be a huge day for both programs, the SEC, and for the landscape of college football. But looking even further, the entire 2024 season will do a lot to shape the national perception of OU and Texas as they embark on their respective journeys in a new conference.

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Texas AD tells Paul Finebaum ‘There’s nothing like’ the Red River Rivalry game

Oklahoma’s rivalry matchup with Texas every October won’t take a backseat to any other game in the SEC.

[autotag]SEC[/autotag] spring meetings took place this week in Destin, Florida, with the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns taking their place at the table.

Oklahoma enters its first year in the SEC after leaving the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag]. Along with Texas, they will be the newcomers to a conference that’s been very successful, especially in football.

But the [autotag]Red River Shootout[/autotag], the annual rivalry matchup between the Sooners and the Longhorns, won’t be taking a backseat to any other game the SEC has to offer.

Oklahoma athletic director [autotag]Joe Castiglione[/autotag] and Texas athletic director [autotag]Chris Del Conte[/autotag] joined “The Paul Finebaum Show” this week to discuss joining the SEC and the topic turned to Red River.

Del Conte spoke up with high praise of the game, saying, “It’s ridiculous, it’s the greatest thing ever.” He went on to say, “There’s nothing like this game.”

Del Conte added, “…you may talk about the Cocktail Party, the Iron Bowl, there’s nothing like this game at the State Fair.”

The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is the rivalry between Georgia and Florida, played at a neutral site in Jacksonville. [autotag]The Iron Bowl[/autotag] is the matchup between Alabama and Auburn played at campus sites each year. Both are two of the most storied rivalries in the SEC and in all of college football, but the Red River Shootout is on a different level, at least according to the man running the athletic program south of the Red River.

Del Conte’s words are the latest example of the idea of many in the states of Oklahoma and Texas that think the Sooners and the Longhorns won’t be tiptoeing around in the SEC in year one. Both teams plan to make a statement with their play and with their programs. And in this instance, Del Conte is right on the money.

One of the truly special things about college football is the rivalries that are baked into the game. Hundreds of years of animosity between players, coaches and fanbases stir the pot in a sport that is all about passion and pageantry. OU-Texas is not only one of college football’s best rivalries, it’s one of the best in all of sports.

Sure, both teams have other rivals. The Sooners have intense matchups with Oklahoma State and Nebraska that have carried over from the Big Eight days. The Longhorns have plenty of foes from the old Southwest Conference, like Texas A&M and Arkansas. But these two blue bloods and their fans consider each other their undisputed rival.

Then, there’s the setting. The Cotton Bowl in Dallas is probably the most unique in sports. Located right in the middle of the State Fair of Texas, it has a built in atmosphere that’s unique.

Neutral-site games aren’t usually what we think of when we think college football, but Red River is a wonderful exception. The history of the two programs and the 50/50 split of the fans in the stadium creates an environment unlike any other. Anytime someone brings up home-home matchups in the Red River Rivalry, both fan bases shut that talk down really quickly.

There are great rivalry matchups in the SEC and in college football, but Red River has its own sacred place in the lore of the sport. Del Conte certainly isn’t alone is his thinking, at least not according to Josh Pate of 247Sports. Pate said, “Seeing folks who’ve never been to the Red River Shootout commenting on it. I’ve been sideline for all the big ones multiple times… it takes a backseat to NO rivalry game in CFB.”

The Red River Shootout is sixty minutes of pure, unadulterated hate between two of the ten best programs in the history of college football. It takes place in a venue unlike anything else sports has to offer, and both athletic directors are committed to keeping it that way.

It’s the essence of college football.

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Texas, Oklahoma agree on extension with Cotton Bowl through 2036

College football’s greatest rivalry will continue to be played in the Cotton Bowl for the foreseeable future.

On Wednesday, the Texas Longhorns made an official announcement that the annual football rivalry game against the Oklahoma Sooners will be extended through 2036. Continue reading “Texas, Oklahoma agree on extension with Cotton Bowl through 2036”

Texas QB Quinn Ewers corrects himself, finishes strong despite loss

After a sluggish start, Quinn Ewers corrected himself and finished strong

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers finished the Red River Rivalry game with 346 passing yards, completing 31/37 of his passes (83.8%), one passing touchdown, and three turnovers.

The sophomore started the game slow after throwing an interception to Oklahoma’s Gentry Williams on the second play of the game. The Sooners then scored a touchdown in just over a minute.

On Texas’ next possession, the Longhorn offense made their way downfield, but a pass thrown by Ewers bounced off Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders and was intercepted by Oklahoma defender Kendel Colby.

Despite starting the game slowly, Ewers solidified himself by completing 27 of his next 29 passes for 364 yards and a touchdown. Ewers proved to everyone that he could step up when he needed to and that he was not the reason the game was lost.

The Texas quarterback had his second-best game of the year and is becoming the player that Texas needs him to be. Texas is scheduled to face the Houston Cougars on Oct. 21 after the bye week.

By the numbers: Texas outgains Oklahoma in Red River Rivalry loss

Looking at the final numbers in Texas’ sour defeat.

The No. 3 Texas Longhorns dropped a stunner on Saturday to rival No. 12 Oklahoma, 34-30. Every year, the Red River Rivalry brings out the best of both teams and previous records and statistics must be thrown out.

Texas only had the lead twice in the game, and the first one was an 85-yard drive that ended with quarterback Quinn Ewers finding tight end Gunnar Helm in the end zone for a 22-yard pitch and catch on fourth down.

The second time Texas took the lead was in the fourth quarter when they capped off an 11-play, 55-yard drive with a 47-yard field goal by Bert Auburn.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian ultimately left too much time on the clock for Oklahoma, in which they scored in just under a minute to take the lead back and win the game.

Despite three crucial injuries to key players, including Jake Majors at center, Jalen Catalon at safety, and Ja’Tavion Sanders at tight end, and three turnovers, Texas only lost by four points on the biggest stage yet.

Although Texas outgained Oklahoma, the only thing that matters is the win. Here are the final numbers in Texas’ defeat versus Oklahoma.

Texas defense disappears in heartbreaking loss to Oklahoma

Texas’ defense struggled against Oklahoma.

The No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners defeated No. 3 Texas in the annual Red River Rivalry, 34-30.Texas’ defense seemed to disappear, allowing 201 rushing yards to the Sooners.

The Texas Longhorns gave up a touchdown with just 15 seconds left in the game with a pass by Dillon Gabriel to the corner of the endzone to put the Sooners up by four.

It seemed like the tide was shifting in favor of Texas after forcing Oklahoma to punt with 1:47 left in the game.

The Longhorns then drove down the field, and with the help of kicker Bert Auburn made the game 30-27.

The defense then allowed a five-play 75-yard drive, only taking one minute to put Oklahoma back on top.

Oklahoma dominated the trenches all game in which not a lot of people predicted. The Texas defensive line cause no pressure, which gave Gabriel time to throw and make plays on his legs when he needed to.

Texas now has to sit on this loss for two weeks before they take on Houston on October 21st.

Oklahoma leads Texas at the half, 20-17

No. 12 Oklahoma leads No. 3 Texas at halftime.

No. 12 Oklahoma leads No. 3 Texas 20-17 at the half. While the Sooners came out swinging, the Longhorns struggled early.

The Texas offense started slow with an interception on the first possession of the game. The interception led to a Sooner touchdown.

After driving the field with some trickery through fake punts and fourth down conversions, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers’ pass to tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders was intercepted.

Texas answered the interception with a block punt for a touchdown.

The game has been back and forth, but Oklahoma seems to have all the momentum after kicking a field goal as time expired. In addition, the Sooners get the ball after halftime with a chance to make it a two-score game.

From the offensive line struggling to poor tackling on defense, the Longhorns will have to come out of halftime with major adjustments. Despite the team’s struggles, the game is well within reach.

The Red River Rivalry never disappoints, and this year seems to be shaping up as an instant classic.

Social media reacts to Texas DB Kitan Crawford’s blocked punt

Kitan Crawford’s blocked punt lit the Texas crowd ablaze.

The 2023 Red River game did not start well for the Longhorns. Two interceptions by Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers ushered the Oklahoma football team into the game.

After a lengthy drive including a fake punt and fourth down conversion, Oklahoma intercepted the pass deflected off Ja’Tavaion Sanders inside the Texas 20 yard line. After the play, mayhem ensued.

Texas defense held Oklahoma to force a punt, leading to a block and a touchdown. After an impressive defensive stop Texas changed momentum. The team tied the game with a blocked punt after a costly interception.

Prior to the play, the Longhorns went down 7-0 after Quinn Ewers threw an interception on the first possession of the game. Despite it all, Texas found itself still in the game following the two turnovers.

While the Special Teams have kept the team in the game, the other two units will need to improve to compete going forward. Texas has started off slow on both sides of the ball, and the offensive line will need to play better in order to win the game.

Here’s a look at how social media took in the play.