Red River Showdown: Storylines to watch in Oklahoma-Texas

By Laken Litman
FOX Sports College Football Writer

Can last year’s Red River Showdown be topped?

At some point, yes. This year? Most likely not.

In the 2021 annual rivalry game between two ranked teams at the Cotton Bowl, Texas scored 14 points less than two minutes into the game. Then-quarterback Casey Thompson — who now starts for Nebraska — hit Xavier Worthy for a 75-yard touchdown on the very first play from scrimmage. On Oklahoma’s first drive, Texas linebacker DeMarvion Overshown blocked a punt at the Sooners’ 2-yard line. Two plays later, Bijan Robinson ran for a touchdown. The Longhorns took a 38-20 lead at halftime.

Oklahoma fought back and ultimately won the game, 55-48, on a 33-yard touchdown by Kennedy Brooks with three seconds left.

Flashback: Highlights from Oklahoma-Texas in 2021

The Oklahoma Sooners upset the No. 22 Texas Longhorns in a four-OT thriller. Oklahoma’s Tre Brown picked off Sam Ehlinger to seal the victory for the Sooners.

It was completely wild, and the greatest comeback in the rivalry’s history.

This season has a different feel. The two programs, both set to leave the Big 12 for the SEC in just a couple of years, head into Saturday with two losses apiece. It’s the first time since 1998 that neither team in this matchup has been ranked. Since then, usually, at least one team has been a national title contender, and four times this was a top-five matchup.

Honestly, the bigger Big 12 game this weekend is No. 17 TCU at No. 19 Kansas, and kickoff is at the same time. In fact, four other Big 12 teams are ranked in the AP Top 25, including No. 7 Oklahoma State and No. 20 Kansas State.

None of this changes the fact that there is always so much riding on this game — bragging rights, conference standings, the Golden Hat trophy, the season. Last year, the Longhorns were 4-1 heading into Red River. The loss to Oklahoma started a six-game losing streak as the Longhorns skidded to a 5-7 finish.

The Big 12 is wide open this year, and it wouldn’t be farfetched to say that a multiple-loss team could win the conference. Whoever wins this game, though, could have a leg up at the end of the season.

With that in mind, here are some of the storylines ahead of Saturday’s contest between historic rivals:

So, who’s starting at QB?

Expect both coaches Steve Sarkisian and Brent Venables to keep this close to the vest all week.

It’s not a secret that Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers might play on Saturday. We haven’t seen him since he sprained his clavicle in the first quarter of the Alabama game in Week 2, but there have been hints the past two weeks that his return is imminent. Ewers has been dressed, available and on the sideline for both the Texas Tech and West Virginia games, but he hasn’t taken the field yet.

Meanwhile, backup Hudson Card is coming off the best game of his career, going 21-for-27 for 303 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s win over the Mountaineers. Sarkisian told reporters on Monday that they are the healthiest they’ve been at the position. So what does that mean? Who will start? We don’t know, and that’s how Sarkisian likes it.

Oklahoma has quarterback health issues, too. Starter Dillon Gabriel left Saturday’s shocking loss to TCU in the second quarter with a concussion after enduring a late hit. His status is unclear, which means inexperienced Pittsburgh transfer Davis Beville could get his first career start.

Quinn Ewers goes down vs. Alabama

Texas Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers fell awkwardly on his shoulder against Alabama.

Venables’ first Red River Showdown as head coach

As if the quarterback situation wasn’t providing enough stress, Venables, a proven defensive guru, has the worst defense in the Big 12. That’s certainly not how he’d like to head into his first-ever Red River Showdown as a head coach.

The unit wasn’t great under Lincoln Riley and former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch either — they’re both at USC now — but the Sooners are either dead last or close to it in the conference in some major categories: rushing defense (198.2 yards per game), scoring defense (25.2 points per game) and total defense (423 YPG). It has also allowed the most big plays from scrimmage, including four for more than 60 yards, all of which came last week in the TCU loss. The Sooners’ defense was totally exposed in that game, allowing the Horned Frogs 668 yards of total offense.

Before that crushing defeat came the loss to Kansas State. Oklahoma went into that matchup as the No. 6 team in the country after blowing past Nebraska one week prior. The Wildcats beat OU 41-34. Heading into this Texas game, the Sooners have allowed 96 points and given up 1,177 total yards — more than 60% of a mile — in two games.

Meanwhile, Texas’ offense …

… is clicking pretty nicely at the moment.

The Longhorns hung 446 yards and averaged 7.4 yards per play against West Virginia. Robinson ran for more than 100 yards for the third straight week, but it was the passing game that was impressive.

Card, Ewers’ backup, passed for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns. Worthy, who completed a 33-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, also racked up his first 100-yard performance of the season with 119 and two scores of his own. Sanders had five catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns, and receiver Jordan Whittington had three catches for 58 yards. Texas was held to 10 points in the second half for the second consecutive week but had built up enough offensive firepower early to keep its lead intact.

Sarkisian prides his offense on fast starts — that’s what happened against OU last year. But for the Longhorns to get their first win over OU in the Sarkisian era — and first victory in this matchup since 2018 — they will have to start and finish strong.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.