What Rabbits Will Oklahoma Pull out of its hat in Red River Rivalry?

DALLAS — Oklahoma will need some crazy happenings to pull off an upset over top-ranked Texas when teams show down in the Cotton Bowl in the latest edition of the Red River RIvalry.

The Sooners come into the game with a struggling offense, special teams that haven’t been quite as special recently and a defense that has a couple key players banged up.

But crazy things can happen in early October in the middle of the State Fair of Texas.

Oklahoma and Texas will kick off at 2:30 p.m. in a game televised on ABC.

So let’s get right into three bold predictions for the game:

Oklahoma Will Score a Rushing Touchdown

This one shouldn’t be too bold, but in the framework of the Sooners’ current offensive woes and their recent lack of scoring success against the Longhorns, it certainly is stepping out on a limb.

Oklahoma has not scored a touchdown in the game since Nic Anderson’s touchdown catch from Dillon Gabriel to give the Sooners a win in the 2023 version.

The Sooners’ last rushing touchdown against the Longhorns was early in the third quarter of that game, a 1-yard run by Tawee Walker.

Oklahoma has not scored a rushing touchdown this season since Whitt Newbauer’s 3-yard run early in the fourth quarter of the season opener vs. UTEP.

But the Sooners add some wrinkles to the offense in this one, and the defense gives the offense a chance with short field position, and Oklahoma finds a way to get into the end zone on the ground.

Oklahoma Sooners, Kip Lewis — Oklahoma linebacker Kip Lewis warms up before facing Georgia. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Kip Lewis Gets a Defensive Touchdown

Kip Lewis has become known for big-time defensive plays.

Back in 2024, he had a pair of Pick Sixes, helping the Sooners to wins over Auburn and Alabama.

But Lewis hasn’t found the end zone since then.

Things didn’t look great for Lewis early this season.

He struggled in the opener against UTEP and then suffered an injury against Michigan that did not look good at the time.

But Lewis came back two weeks ago against Georgia and was probably the Sooners’ best defender.

He was a much-surer tackler in that game than he was before the injury.

The Texas native has played in plenty of Red River games, with 14 combined tackles against the Longhorns during his career.

So far, his biggest plays have been back-to-back tackles of Jonathan Brooks in the goal-line stand early in the fourth quarter of Oklahoma 2023 victory.

Lewis comes up with a major play here, ending his Red River Rivalry career with a signature moment.

Oklahoma Sooners, Jacob Ulrich — Oklahoma punter Jacob Ulrich prepares to punt against UTEP. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

The Sooners Pull off a Successful Fake

When you’re heavy underdogs, you’ve got to rely on some trickery, and Oklahoma will need some imaginative approaches to get the job done against the Longhorns.

This time, Brent Venables channels the Bob Stoops Riverboard Gambler era and rolls the dive on a fake punt or kick.

It might not lead to a touchdown but it’ll at least be more successful than Michael Turk’s 3-yard pass in the 2022 season, and move the chains.

The best chance here is Jacob Ulrich, either as the holder on a kickoff or from the punter spot.

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