Steve Sarkisian Sees Oklahoma in a Familiar Spot Ahead of Clash With Texas

The Sooners are the clear underdogs ahead of the Red River Rivalry, but the Longhorns know they're gonna see a desperate football team at the Cotton Bowl.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian meets with Oklahoma coach Brent Venables ahead of the Red River Rivalry. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Steve Sarkisian isn’t going to let Oklahoma’s 2-2 record sneak up on anyone in Austin. 

The Sooners and No. 1 Longhorns both enjoyed a bye week before the 2026 edition of the Red River Rivalry.

Brent Venables is looking to get his team back on track in dramatic fashion after a rocky start to the year. 

It’s a spot that Sarkisian himself has been in before. 

“We were in the same situation a year ago. We were just coming off losing to Florida. We were a two-loss team,” Sarkisian said during his weekly press conference on Monday. “We were a desperate football team and found a way to win and played a really good second half.”

That victory helped the Longhorns get back in the mix, though they did eventually fall short of a bid to the College Football Playoff. 

That’s the task for an OU team that has underwhelmed so far. 

The offensive woes from the last two years haven’t been fixed, and Ben Arbuckle’s unit needed the week off to reset and refocus. 

But Texas isn’t focused on the Sooners’ struggles. 

“I’d say this about Oklahoma. I don’t know that necessarily they haven’t played well,” Sarkisian said. “I think, first of all, defensively, they’ve played exceptional. I mean, these guys are a phenomenal defensive football team.

“I think, unfortunately, offensively, they’ve had some untimely turnovers that have just hurt them. But I do think there’s some things they’re doing offensively — now they’ve played some tough games. They played at Michigan, which is not easy. They’ve played at Georgia, which we know is not easy.”

John Mateer’s turnovers were especially brutal against the Bulldogs. 

He turned the ball over on back-to-back-to-back possessions, which turned into 14 Georgia points. 

So far this season, the Sooners are a minus-six in turnover margin, which ranks 136th out of 138.

The Longhorns have forced and surrendered five turnovers, netting out to an even turnover margin, but a bad day of taking care of the football can upend any team in the Cotton Bowl. 

Texas won the turnover battle 3-0 in last year's 23-6 victory, something that helped it take down the No. 6 Sooners.

“We know what it is,” Sarkisian said. “We’re gonna need to find a way to put together four quarters of good football.” 

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