Game Prediction: Oklahoma Sooners vs Texas Longhorns
The Red River Rivalry has major stakes this season, and the battle between the Texas Longhorns (3-2) and the Oklahoma Sooners (3-2) will go a long way towards determining which team has a chance has a chance to compete for the Big 12 crown.
Texas bounced back from a disappointing loss to Texas Tech with a convincing win over West Virginia. The Longhorns are 1-1 in the conference and a win over the Sooners keeps them in the mix for the conference title. A loss makes it very, very difficult to stay in the mix.
The Sooners are on the outside looking in after back-to-back losses to Kansas State and TCU. Any hope at being in the mix to get into the title game requires a win over Texas, and a loss not only knocks them out of the conference title game conversation, and gives them a third straight loss and raises major questions about the season beyond what already exist.
Plenty on the line!
BRYAN DRISKELL, PUBLISHER
Prediction: Texas 41, Oklahoma 27
Texas has struggled to get its ground game going in the last two games, and if the Longhorns are going to make a run they will need to figure that out. The good news is they are going against an Oklahoma defense that has given up 275 yards (Kansas State) and 361 yards (TCU) on the ground in its last two games. I don't see Texas rolling up yards like that, but Bijan Robinson will finally get some room to work and will have a strong performance on the ground, which is a key to this game.
I'll be shocked if Dillon Gabriel plays this weekend after the brutal shot he took last weekend, and Gabriel was struggling even before the injury. If he comes back I don't see him being sharp, if he's out I don't see Davis Beville being able to rip up the Texas defense the way Donovan Smith did.
Oklahoma's coverage has been a mess this season, and the final key for me in this game is Xavier Worthy is going to build on his 7-catch, 119-yard performance against West Virginia with an even bigger game against the Sooners. That will be the key in this Texas victory, and I don't think it matters who plays quarterback in this instance. If Quinn Ewers plays and can quickly shake off the rust this game could be even more lopsided.
VINCE DEDARIO, FOOTBALL ANALYST
Prediction: Texas 42, Oklahoma 17
The Red River Rivalry takes center stage this week as the Sooners take on the Longhorns. Ok, maybe not center stage since neither team is ranked and neither team is living up the the preseason hype but it should still be a great game either way. This is one of the rivalry games that I still love the tradition of. Actually playing in a neutral site venue like the Cotton Bowl where half the stadium is red and the other half is orange. Not a fan of either team but a big fan of the game itself. Oklahoma just has so many question marks right now. What happens at QB? Can the defense literally stop anyone? The Sooner defense is the only thing I have to know about this game to pick the Longhorns.
RYAN ROBERTS, DIRECTOR OF RECRUITING
Prediction: Texas 37, Oklahoma 27
Quarterback Quinn Ewers is expected back for Texas in this one, just in time for the Longhorns to get back on track. Before he was injured against Alabama, he was off to a tremendous start. They will need him to get back into form early on in this one.
Oklahoma comes limping into this one after a humiliating blowout defeat to TCU last week. It’s just hard to bet on the Sooners right now, especially with the injury to Dillon Gabriel under center. Give me Texas, more comfortably than the final score indicates.
SHAUN DAVIS, RECRUITING ANALYST
Prediction: Texas 41, Oklahoma 30
After watching TCU light the Oklahoma defense up a week after Adrian Martinez did the same thing in Norman, leads to believe that bigger issues exist for first year head coach Brent Venables. Dillon Gabriel is a huge loss if he’s not able to go and the Longhorns will have some extra juice as they welcome their starting quarterback, Quinn Ewers, back to the huddle. The Longhorns jumped out to an early lead in last year’s battle, and it wouldn’t shock me to see the same thing this year. Unfortunately, Caleb Williams won’t be running through that tunnel.
SEAN STIRES, STAFF WRITER
Prediction: Texas 34, Oklahoma 28
OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel’s status is uncertain after taking a hit to the head in last week’s loss to TCU. He’s one of several banged up Sooners heading into the Red River game. Oklahoma has given up 96 points in losses to the Horned Frogs and Kansas State the last two weeks. Meanwhile, Texas QB Quinn Ewers could be back this week after missing the last three games with a clavicle sprain. Hudson Card has thrown five touchdown passes the last two weeks in place of Ewers.
ANDREW MCDONOUGH, IB CONTRIBUTOR
Prediction: Texas 38, Oklahoma 24
We woke up on September 18th thinking the Red River Rivalry was setting up to be a dandy this season - Oklahoma had just demolished Nebraska and looked like a top-4 team, while Texas had put a pesky UTSA team away one week after giving Alabama all it could handle. Then the last two weeks happened - Texas lost to Texas Tech in Week 4 and Oklahoma gave up 96 points the past two weeks in losses to Kansas State and TCU. I expect the Sooner defense to come out and play with intensity, but with Dillon Gabriel's likely out with injury while Quinn Ewers returns for Texas, I think the Sooners will struggle to keep up with the Longhorns. Texas avenges last season's 55-48 loss where they were outscored 25-7 in the fourth quarter.
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