Oklahoma Schedule Preview: Get to Know the Texas Longhorns
As September creeps closer, AllSooners previews every game on the 2022 schedule.
Oklahoma’s 12-game regular season schedule features six home games, five away games and the annual neutral-site Red River Showdown.
After the opening up conference play with Kansas State and TCU, Oklahoma will turn its attention to one of the biggest games on the schedule. The Sooners will head south to take on the Texas Longhorns in a week six showdown.
Texas Longhorns
- Oct. 7, Dallas
- Head Coach: Steve Sarkisian
- 2021 record: 5-7, 3-6 Big 12
Key players
QB Quinn Ewers
Ewers was just recently named the Longhorns’ QB1 after winning the competition over Hudson Card. Now, the work begins.
The top recruit will have a plethora of options in the skill position department, as Texas is loaded with talent in the backfield. Ewers will be paired with Bijan Robinson and Xavier Worthy, arguably the Big 12’s best running back and wide receiver. To make sure he’s comfortable with the offense, expect the Longhorns to lean heavily on simplifying the game and helping him get the rock to his playmakers.
Ewers has phenomenal arm talent and has made some jaw dropping throws throughout summer camp. It’s hard to project just what he’ll be next month after a short high school career and no snaps at Ohio State last season. If Ewers lives up to the hype, though, Texas could be dangerous.
RB Bijan Robinson
Robinson is one of the most talented running backs in the country. He has a chance to be a high NFL Draft pick, too.
Last season, the star back ran for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns. Robinson is also lethal in the passing game, too, where he brought in 26 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns. One hurdle for Robinson in the fall could be the inexperienced offensive line that the Longhorns will start. He’s talented enough to get the job done by himself and carry the team on his back, but a stellar offensive line would make Robinson unstoppable.
Expect Texas to try to utilize the Ewers-to-Robinson connection early to make life easier on both stats. Ewers can get comfortable in the pocket while Robinson has the ball in his hands. If the Longhorns try to find Robinson, good things will happen on the offensive end.
"The (quarterback situation) is a much bigger deal to people outside the program," said Robinson in an ESPN article. "It's on us around the quarterback to make him comfortable, make plays for him and be there for him the whole season and not just parts of the season. The thing we've got to do this season is finish games, and that's not just on the quarterback."
WR Xavier Worthy
Worthy has already had moments of serious stardom, and he’s just a sophomore. Sooner fans got acclimated to Worthy early on, as the wideout torched Oklahoma’s secondary for 261 yards and two touchdowns.
Over the course of his freshman campaign, Worthy reeled in 62 catches for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Longhorns struggled to find consistency at quarterback at points throughout the season, too, making Worthy’s eye-popping numbers even more impressive.
LB DeMarvion Overshown
Overshown will lead a defense that desperately needs to improve this fall. If the Longhorns can put together a solid defensive unit, this could be one of the more complete teams they’ve had in recent seasons.
The linebacker has 152 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, 12 pass break-ups and five sacks over the last three seasons for the Longhorns. He’s also a two-time Honorable Mention All-Big 12.
Overshown is a veteran at Texas, and has tons of game experience. He’s seen change throughout the team and the defense during his time in Austin. Now, the coaching staff will rely on his leadership and talent on the field to help the Longhorns defense take the next step.
2022 Oklahoma schedule
- Sept. 3 vs. UTEP
- Sept. 10 vs. Kent State
- Sept. 17 at Nebraska
- Sept. 24 vs. Kansas State
- Oct. 1 at TCU
- Oct. 8 vs. Texas
- Oct. 15 vs. Kansas
- Oct. 22 Idle
- Oct. 29 at Iowa State
- Nov. 5 vs. Baylor
- Nov. 12 at West Virginia
- Nov. 19 vs. Oklahoma State
- Nov. 26 at Texas Tech
The Rundown
Texas has as much talent as anyone in the country at some positions, but that’s true nearly every year. Sarkisian has plenty of electrifying talent at the skill positions, but games will be decided in the trenches for the Longhorns this season.
Texas has a fresh group of players after an eventful offseason and year two under Sarkisian should look quite a bit different. After the Longhorns lost the Red River Showdown to Oklahoma, the 2021 season unraveled. Texas lost five games in a row following the defeat against OU, and failed to reach a bowl game. The Longhorns had plenty of talent on paper, but the team seemed to lose connection during the season.
"The kids knew not everybody in that locker room was all-in last year," Sarkisian said in an ESPN article. "I think they could feel it, and they wanted to weed out some of the warts, some of the bad apples. I think they got a sense of reality about some of the things we were talking about and trying to instill last offseason. I don't know how much they gave credence to it, and then those same things reared their ugly head in-season.
"They came back in January with this mindset of, 'We've got to take these things to heart because they will show up again.' They've made that investment and bought into every aspect of it, and you can feel it amongst our team."
The Longhorns’ key to the 2022 season will be centered around the offensive line and the defense. With Ewers, Robinson and Worthy, Texas should be able to put up points in a hurry. Sarkisian is known to be a great quarterbacks coach, and if he can help turn Ewers into an elite quarterback, Texas’ ceiling rises exponentially.
In addition to Overshown, the Longhorns are going to need big production out of both defensive tackle Keondre Coburn and linebacker Luke Brockermeyer. Both players will be experienced seniors on the Longhorns defense.
