Scroll down for live blog updates on the OU-Texas game
DALLAS —
The Oklahoma Sooners and No. 1 Texas Longhorns are locked in a defensive struggle as the two teams meet for the 122nd time in the Red River Rivalry game on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
>> Open the video player above for KOCO 5’s Countdown to Kickoff Pregame Show with Sports Director Bryan Keating and Sports Anchor Tessa Dorrell
Quick Facts Oklahoma and Texas are in an early defensive struggle, with the Longhorns striking first midway through the opening quarter before the Sooners got a special teams touchdown to tie it up. The Sooners enter the Red River Rivalry with a 2-2 record that features losses against Michigan and Georgia. The Longhorns are 4-0 and have a road win against Tennessee and a home win against Ohio State.
Scroll down for what you need to know and live updates on the Red River Rivalry game.
Second Quarter (Game tied 7-7)
11:50 left in the second quarter: The Longhorns convert on a 4th and 1 around OU’s 40 to keep their drive alive.
13:30 left in the second quarter: Texas quarterback Arch Manning has found a rhythm to open the drive, connecting with receivers for back-to-back first downs and putting the Longhorns offense around midfield.
14:11 left in the second quarter: The Longhorns take over at their 25 after a touchback.
14:11 left in the second quarter: The Sooners are on the scoreboard after a blocked punt led to a fumble recovery by Dakoda Fields in the end zone. OU ties the game 7-7. A replay review confirmed the touchdown.
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First Quarter (Texas leads 7-0)
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1:26 left in the first quarter: The Sooners decided to punt, and the Longhorns will take over at their own 14 after a 55-yard punt.
1:48 left in the first quarter: A replay review showed that Rocky Beers’ knee was down a half yard short of a first down. The review set up a fourth down decision for coach Brent Venables.
2:00 left in the first quarter: Quarterback John Mateer connected with Rocky Beers over the middle to pick up the Sooners’ first first down.
3:33 left in the first quarter: Oklahoma’s defense rebounds from the last drive, forcing another Texas three-and-out. The Sooners will take over at their own 21 yard line after a punt.
4:47 left in the first quarter: The Sooners’ offense posts its fourth straight three-and-out to open the game and is still searching for its first first down. Texas takes over at its 33 after a punt.
6:56 left in the first quarter: The Longhorns take advantage of the great field position and strike first, with quarterback Arch Manning connecting with wide receiver Cam Coleman for a 41-yard touchdown. Not only was the play the first score of the game, it was also the game’s first first down.
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7:04 left in the first quarter: The Longhorns are set up in great field position after a 29-yard punt by OU. They take over at the Sooners’ 41.
7:12 left in the first quarter: After quarterback John Mateer missed an open receiver past the first-down maker on a second-down throw, Texas’ defense allows a short third-down gain and forces another punt. Coach Brent Venables calls the Sooners’ first timeout of the first half.
8:10 left in the first quarter: Oklahoma’s defense forces another three-and-out, and the offense will take over at its own 11 after a 51-yard punt.
10:17 left in the first quarter: Oklahoma is held to a three-and-out on its second drive. Texas will take over at its 35 after a strong punt.
11:52 left in the first quarter: The Sooners’ defense stands tall, forcing a three-and-out and keeping the Longhorns on their side of the 50. Oklahoma takes over at its own 10 yard line after a Texas punt.
13:04 left in the first quarter: The Longhorns will take over at their own 43 yard line after a 34-yard punt.
13:44 left in the first quarter: Texas’ defense got to quarterback John Mateer on third and long, forcing a fumble that the Sooners recovered.
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15:00 left in the first quarter: The Longhorns send the opening kickoff out of bounds, setting up OU and quarterback John Mateer in great field position at the 35 to open the game.
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Pregame Updates
2:45 p.m. Saturday: The Sooners will have the ball to open the game.
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2:30 p.m. Saturday: The Sooners and Longhorns are ready for kickoff, which is slated for 2:45 p.m. The game will start on KOCO 5 at the end of the broadcast of the Missouri-Texas A&M game.
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2:25 p.m. Saturday: The Sooners are in their home crimson uniforms, and the Longhorns will be in their visiting white uniforms.
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Student-Athlete Availability ReportTexasOut: WR Kaliq Lockett; OL Jordan Coleman; DL Zion WilliamsGame-Time Decision: DL Justus TerryOklahomaOut: LB Taylor Heim; WR Trell Harris; RB Xavier Robinson; TE Trynae Washington; DB Jacobe Johnson; OL Eddy Pierre-Louis; OL Michael Fasusi; OL Fred HintonGame-Time Decision: DB Eli Bowen; TE Jack Van DorselaerGame Day BasicsWhen: 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10Where: Cotton Bowl in DallasTV: KOCO 5Radio: 107.7 FM The Franchise and The Varsity NetworkOklahoma Record: 2-2 (0-1 SEC)Texas Record: 4-0 (1-0 SEC)
>> Video Below: Can OU improve in the running game against Texas?
KOCO 5’s Countdown to Kickoff Pregame Show
Ahead of the Red River Rivalry, KOCO 5 brought you our Countdown to Kickoff pregame show with Sports Director Bryan Keating and Sports Anchor Tessa Dorrell.
We got fans ready for the Sooners’ matchup against Texas as well as Oklahoma State’s home game against UCF. Open the video in the main player at the top of this story to watch the pregame show in its entirety.
>> Video Below: No. 18 Oklahoma State looks to stay hot as conference foe UCF visits Stillwater
No. 1 Texas has reversed role and a reminder in Red River game against 2-loss unranked Oklahoma
Coach Steve Sarkisian and No. 1 Texas certainly know about going into their Red River rivalry game already with two losses, like Oklahoma has now, and what can happen next.
The Longhorns (4-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) were in that exact position last October. They had plummeted from preseason No. 1 to unranked for the game in the middle of the State Fair of Texas, then beat previously undefeated No. 6 Oklahoma.
“We were a desperate football team and found a way to win in the second half,” Sarkisian said this week. “So we know what it is.”
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That is a bitter rivalry going into its 122nd game in the series that Texas leads 65-51-5. Fans in burnt orange and crimson are split at the 50-yard line inside the historic 92,100-seat Cotton Bowl Stadium, where the game will be played for the 90th year in a row on Saturday.
“It’s a big game,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said. “Certainly not where we want to be as a football team right now. … But we need to create some momentum. It’s a very real thing during this time of the year.”
>> Video Below: Who does the KOCO 5 Sports Team think will win OU-Texas?
Neither offense is operating as expected
Despite their different records, both teams have sputtering offenses.
The Sooners (2-2, 0-1), the preseason No. 10 with losses at No. 2 Georgia and Michigan against their only Power Four opponents, rank 120th nationally at 321 total yards per game. Quarterback John Mateer, who threw three interceptions against Texas last year, has struggled and they have only 37 points total their past three games.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning has been inconsistent and under pressure since a big fourth-quarter comeback to beat then-No. 1 Ohio State in Week 2. He was sacked six times and twice penalized for throwing a pass beyond the line of scrimmage in a 20-17 win at Tennessee two weeks ago.
From roommate to rivals
Oklahoma wide receiver Parker Livingstone was a Longhorn and a Texas fan favorite last season with 29 receptions for 516 yards and six touchdowns. He was also Manning’s roommate. But offseason roster moves by Texas sent Livingstone into the transfer portal and the Lone Star native ended up across the Red River at Oklahoma. His first season with the Sooners hasn’t been very productive. He has just 6 catches for 51 yards and has yet to reach the end zone.
“It’s going to be different, obviously being roommates and best friends (last year). But I’m not going to think anything of it,” Manning said. “We’re going to try to win the game, and then I’ll say “What’s up?’ to him after that.”
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Chasing Mateer and chasing Texas sacks record
Oklahoma has struggled in pass protection and that’s nothing new. The Sooners gave up five sacks to the Longhorns last year and edge rusher Collin Simmons had 2½. Simmons comes into this year’s matchup on a heater. He had a school record 5½ sacks against Tennessee. The third-year player now has 28½ in his career, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Michael for sixth in the Texas record book.
The Sooners will try to avoid 3 losses in a row against Texas
Oklahoma has lost three of four to Texas since Venables, their former defensive coordinator, returned as head coach. The Sooners won 34-30 in a 2023 battle of unbeatens, but were outscored 106-9 in those other three games. They now try to avoid three consecutive Red River losses for the first time since 1997-99.
When asked this week if it’s tougher for Oklahoma to succeed when Texas is good, Venables dismissed that idea.
“I think they can go hand in hand as far as Oklahoma being successful, Texas being successful,” Venables said. “Both programs have been very fruitful simultaneously, so I don’t think one has to do with the other. One’s success is one’s demise, I don’t believe that at all.”
>> Video Below: Breaking down the OU-Texas quarterback comparison
No. 1 in the Red River rivalry
This is the second time in three years Texas is No. 1 facing Oklahoma.
The Longhorns won 34-3 in 2024, making them 4-0-1 in the series as the top-ranked team. The Sooners were No. 3 for the 15-15 tie in 1984.
Oklahoma was last No. 1 against Texas in 2008, a 45-35 loss to the fifth-ranked Horns. The Sooners won 44-9 in 1987, the last time one was No. 1 and the other unranked.
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