Texas, Oklahoma stress turnovers and run game before Red River
No. 1 Texas and 2-2 Oklahoma spent Tuesday talking about turnovers and the run game before Saturday's Red River Rivalry in Dallas. Sooners quarterback John Mateer is trying to bounce back from three turnovers in a loss at Georgia. Kickoff at the Cotton Bowl is 2:30 p.m. Central, or 3:30 p.m. ET, on ABC.
The 122nd Red River Rivalry is Saturday in Dallas, and both coaches are saying the same thing: run the ball and protect it. Top-ranked Texas is 4-0, while Oklahoma is 2-2 and has lost two of its last three games, CBS Sports reported.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said he knows how Oklahoma feels. A year ago, his team came in at 3-2 and unranked, then beat the sixth-ranked Sooners 23-6. "We were a desperate football team and found a way to win," he said.
Much of the focus is on Sooners quarterback John Mateer. He threw an interception and lost two fumbles in a 41-13 loss at Georgia on Sept. 26, before last week's bye. Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said "the catastrophic" mistakes can't happen against a defense like Texas', the OU Daily reported. Coach Brent Venables has said he will stick with Mateer.
The numbers back up the coaches. Since 2000, the team that wins the rushing battle in this game is 24-2, CBS said. Venables cited a 16-1 record over the last 17 games for the team that wins the turnover battle. Texas runs for 147.3 yards a game, while Oklahoma averages 99.
Health is a question on both sides. Oklahoma's patchwork line has been missing left tackle Michael Fasusi for much of the year since he was hurt in the opener, and his status for Saturday is unclear. Texas hopes running back Hollywood Smothers, who began his career at Oklahoma, and tight end Nick Townsend can return.
Venables is 1-3 against Texas, a mark the OU Daily said ranks near the bottom for Sooners coaches through four years. Texas has won the last two meetings, and Oklahoma has not scored a touchdown against the Longhorns since the final seconds of its 34-30 win in 2023.
The game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. Central, which is 3:30 p.m. ET, at the Cotton Bowl and airs on ABC, Sooners Wire reported. Oklahoma is the designated home team, as it is in even years.
What we know: Texas is unbeaten and top-ranked; Oklahoma is coming off a bye after a lopsided loss.
What we don't: Whether Fasusi, Smothers and Townsend play.
Where outlets agree CBS Sports and the OU Daily both report that Mateer had three turnovers in the loss at Georgia and that the Sooners are sticking with him.
Where they differ Oklahoma has not said whether left tackle Michael Fasusi will play, and Texas is only hopeful about Smothers and Townsend.