After Oklahoma went up 28-21 at the beginning of the fourth quarter in last year’s Red River Rivalry, Texas defensive tackle Roy Miller could hear the heckles from Sooner fans. “They were saying all sorts of things to me and telling me I should have gone to Oklahoma,” Miller said.
Longhorn Advantage Quarterbacks No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 5 Texas enter Saturday with top-notch quarterbacks. Both Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy have big numbers, qualifying them as Heisman contenders. Bradford has led the Sooners from the front with his passing game while relying extensively on wide receiver Manuel Johnson.
It’s that time of the year again. Worried fans, holding their breath, waiting for it. But why do fans seem more antsy this year? It’s because this year there’s no No. 1 Ohio State coming into town to ruin a 1-0 season. And there’s no Kansas State — in pouring rain — crashing what was supposed to be a pre-OU steamroll.
1. The Sooners put their game against Baylor out of reach in the first quarter, building a 28-0 lead and amassing 226 first-quarter yards en route to a dominating 49-17 win. Oklahoma has outscored opponents 103-3 in the first quarter. They will hope to carry over that first-quarter success to the Cotton Bowl this weekend for the Red River Rivalry.
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Both conferences filled with teams chasing BCS title
If the BCS Championship game was next week, it would be the Big 12 versus the SEC. With the nation’s top five teams being from these two conferences, both are in prime position to send members to the title game. Until one of those conferences has all of its teams with at least one loss, no other conference will cause much discussion.
Sam Bradford, QB Coming off of a stellar first-year performance, the 20-year-old sophomore quarterback from Oklahoma City has only continued to improve this season, becoming an early Heisman favorite while guiding the Sooners to their first national No.
Lamarr Houston knows better than to spar with Brian Orakpo. The defensive end makes mincemeat out of opposing quarterbacks on a weekly basis, so it’s probably not the best idea to suit up against him in the boxing ring. That still didn’t keep the two defensive linemen from using pugilism as a way to improve their techniques on the football field.
McCoy and Bradford starred under pressure as unheralded freshmen
Three-star recruit coming out of high school. Winning quarterback in the Red River Rivalry my redshirt freshman season. Heisman contender. Who am I? If you said Colt McCoy, you’re correct. If you said Sam Bradford, you’re also correct. The name of the school they play for is one of the few differences between the two quarterbacks leading undefeated teams into this Saturday’s Red River Rivalry game.
Ninteen-year-old quarterbacks usually don’t look as good as Sam Bradford did last season. Oklahoma’s young quarterback looked like a fourth-year senior, leading the Sooners past the Longhorns in a close 28-21 victory. Bradford, a redshirt freshman at the time, calmly threw for 244 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions with the extra pressure of the Red Red Rivalry looming in the two-toned Dallas crowd.
By winning on Saturday in Boulder, Colo., Texas did more than silence doubters who said the Longhorns couldn’t hold on in Big 12 play — they also pushed Colt McCoy into serious contention for the Heisman Trophy. That’s because no Heisman winner, in the modern era of college football, has come from a Big 12 or Southwest Conference team that lost its conference opener.
1. Sam Bradford, Oklahoma QB The No. 1 Sooners go into the Red River Rivalry with their sophomore quarterback putting up big numbers this season. Sam Bradford’s 1,665 passing yards have played an important part in Oklahoma’s dominance. Bradford has gotten good support from his receivers, who have enabled him to throw 106 completions out of 146 attempts.
As cliched as it sounds, Texas needs this game. It’s a rivalry game against the No. 1 team in the country. It’s the first ranked opponent the Longhorns will face, and the poll voters need a win to validate the top-10 ranking they’ve been giving Texas since the season started.
1958: Royal’s Return, Texas 15, Oklahoma 14: Former Oklahoma quarterback Darrell K Royal took the helm at Texas in 1957 and led the ‘Horns to their first Red River Shootout win in six years, beating his former coach and mentor, Bud Wilkinson, by one point. Texas went on to win seven consecutive meetings and 11 of the next 12, the most dominant streak either side has enjoyed in the 108-year history of the rivalry.
While all rivalries are built on tradition, Texas-Oklahoma is practically deep-fried in it. From the more than hundred-year-old legacy to the neutral-site setting at the Cotton Bowl — which is split down the 50-yard line with each team’s colors — to the atmosphere at the State Fair of Texas — where fans can wash down a deep-fried corn dog with fried Coke and top it off with a fried banana split for dessert — the Red River Rivalry is unlike any other in college football.
Head coach Mack Brown was asked by his legendary predecessor Darrell Royal in 2006 what was wrong with linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy. When Brown told him that Muckelroy had torn a tendon in his finger, a confused Royal repeated the question. “So what’s wrong with him?” Still, Muckelroy — whom teammates call Muck — realized how serious it was.
No. 17 Oklahoma State at No. 3 Missouri Two record-setting offenses will go head-to-head Saturday night as two of the Big 12’s six ranked teams show down in Columbia, Mo., under the national spotlight. Mizzou quarterback Chase Daniel continues his march toward the Heisman, leading the Tigers to 52 points against Nebraska last weekend.
Kansas State at Texas A&M In Saturday’s 56-28 deflating loss to Oklahoma State, Texas A&M struggled to hold onto the ball. The Aggies’ five first-half turnovers, two of which were interceptions the Cowboys returned for touchdowns, left Texas A&M in an early hole, down 28-7 at the half.
