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DALLAS (AP) — Top-ranked Texas and No. 18 Oklahoma are giving the Southeastern Conference another great rivalry. This one is split by the Red River and played in the middle of the nation's biggest state fair.
“I’ve been part of some great games, some great rivalries,” said fourth-year Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian, who previously was on Alabama’s staff and was head coach at Southern California and Washington. “This one is just so unique.”
When the Longhorns (5-0, 1-0 SEC) and Sooners (4-1, 1-1) meet Saturday under their new conference banner, it will be the first time in 40 years that Texas will play in the rivalry as the nation’s No. 1 team.
While new for the SEC after the past national champions moved from the Big 12 this season, the Longhorns and Sooners will be meeting for the 120th time. They have been playing each other since 1900, and annually at the State Fair of Texas since 1929. Fans in crimson and burnt orange will be split at the 50-yard line inside the historic 92,100-seat Cotton Bowl Stadium.
“This is everything that you want to coach and play for at this level: The pageantry, the emotion, the intensity, the opportunity, all of it,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said.
Sarkisian said Thursday that quarterback Quinn Ewers would start after not playing since an abdomen strain in the second half against UTSA on Sept. 14. He missed two games before returning to practice during last week's open date. Ewers was out because of a collarbone injury the three games before his first Red River debut, when he threw four touchdowns in an unprecedented 49-0 romp over the Sooners two years ago.
That is the only win by the Longhorns in the series' last six meetings, a stretch that began with Oklahoma beating them 39-27 in the Big 12 championship game in 2018.
Texas has won all 11 of its regular-season games — and been in the College Football Playoff for the first time — since a 34-30 loss to the Sooners in their last meeting as Big 12 members last October.
Oklahoma will start a true freshman quarterback against the Longhorns for the first time. Michael Hawkins Jr. won his first start in the Sooners' last game two weeks ago, when they rallied in the fourth quarter at Auburn for their first SEC road win. Now he starts their biggest rivalry game in his hometown.
“Mike’s a very process-driven guy. He’s always been mature beyond his years. I think he’ll do a good job," Venables said. "I trust and have faith and belief in what I’ve seen, and trust and belief in the guys around him and the calls.”
A key moment in last year’s Oklahoma win was the Sooners stuffing the Longhorns on four consecutive plays inside the Oklahoma 5-yard line, and Sarkisian laid some of the blame on himself for the play calling. Texas in fact was terrible in “red zone” situations last season, ranking just 120th nationally in converting those chances into touchdowns. This season, Texas is vastly improved. The Longhorns have scored touchdowns on 24 of 27 trips inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.
Oklahoma offensive tackles Michael Tarquin and Jake Taylor have to protect their freshman quarterback from Texas freshman edge rusher Colin Simmons. Hawkins’ quick feet can turn broken plays into touchdowns. He will have to elude Simmons, who is emerging as one of the top freshmen defenders in the country and leads Texas with four sacks.
The Sooners rank fourth nationally in turnovers gained with 13, and it was Kip Lewis’ interception return for a touchdown that keyed the Sooners’ win over Auburn. Oklahoma will be keen to keep punching at the ball to force even more against Texas. Longhorns running back Jaydon Blue lost two fumbles in Texas’ win over Mississippi State.
When Texas was No. 1 in 1984, that rain-drenched game ended in a 15-15 tie.
The Longhorns have never lost to Oklahoma when topping the AP poll. This is the fifth time going into the game in that spot.
Oklahoma entered the Red River rivalry as the nation’s top-ranked team three times since 1984. The Sooners had lopsided wins in 1987 and 2003, but then-No. 5 Texas won 45-35 in 2008 to take over as the No. 1 team.
Texas and Oklahoma are both coming off open dates, marking the first time since they started playing annually in 1929 that both were off the previous week.
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AP Sports Writers Cliff Brunt and Jim Vertuno contributed to this report.
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