Red River Rivalry Week: Texas vs Oklahoma Preview

It's Red River Rivalry week for Texas football as they get set to travel to Dallas to take on the Oklahoma Sooners this Saturday.

One of the biggest games of the season for the Longhorns, Saturday's game could help put the team back on track after an upset loss to the Florida Gators.

Red River Matchup

Texas vs Oklahom — Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver J.J. Hester (13) is up ended by defesive back Jaylon Guilbeau (3) in the first half of the Red River Rivalry college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorn at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas, Saturday, Oct., 12, 2024. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Heading into the season, the Red River game was expected to be a clash between two potentially top-10 teams, competing for more than bragging rights, but a significant win in the SEC. Now it's a matchup between No. 6 Oklahoma and unranked Texas, but there is still plenty on the line.

Oklahoma may be a top-ten-ranked team at the moment, but defeating Texas this weekend will be no easy task, especially with the team's starting quarterback, John Mateer, not expected to play due to a hand injury. Mateer broke a bone in his right hand and was forced to undergo surgery. According to USA Today, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said he will likely not play. Though he may not make an appearance, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian says they'll plan for him anyway.

"We'll plan for Mateer," Sarkisian said in a media availability. "You have to, he's a dynamic player, he's the heartbeat of that offense for sure, everything goes through him."

What does this news mean for the Longhorns? Mateer was playing very well for the Sooners before going down with an injury, with 1,215 passing yards and six touchdowns through four games. Now, Texas will likely face backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.

Texas will not be the first team that Hawkins faces this season, having already played against Temple and Kent State, with the latter being his first start this season. This past Saturday, Hawkins threw for 162 yards and three touchdowns against the Golden Eagles, but the Eagles and Longhorns are very different animals.

Although Texas' defense struggled against the Florida Gators, allowing 29 points to the conference opponent, it still boasts one of the nation's best units on the defensive side of the ball. Hawkins may find himself having a long and difficult day against a Texas squad that allowed only 14 points to the No. 1 team in the nation, the Ohio State Buckeyes.

On the offensive side of the ball, Saturday's game was not how Longhorn fans envisioned Texas's trip to the swamp would go. Quarterback Arch Manning finished the day with 263 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Though he didn't have the performance that was expected, he wasn't entirely to blame, with serious offensive line issues leading to forced throws and six sacks for the Gators.

Two teams with big questions surrounding the offense, this year's Red River game, at the moment, seems like a coin flip. The game is set to kick off at 2:30 CT on ABC.