Game Preview: Texas

It's saddening to think that the regular season will be halfway over for OU after this game. That said, I can not wait for this game. This will bring Sooner Nation the biggest sense of euphoria or a major depression. Regardless, it is Red River Rivalry time in college football. Let's get excited and talk about this game!

Photo Credit to KOCO News 5 in OKC.

Oklahoma

The Sooners are coming off a commanding 50-20 win over the Iowa State Cyclones. Despite some early blunders on the defense, the Sooners fixed things quickly for a dominant victory, with Dillon Gabriel leading the way. Below are the statistical leaders from week five:

• Passing: Dillon Gabriel, 26-39, 366 yards, three touchdowns, one interception.

• Rushing: Marcus Major, 19 rushes, 66 yards.

• Receiving: Jalil Farooq, five receptions, 81 yards.

• Tackling: Danny Stutsman, six tackles, two solo, one tackle for loss, one pass deflection.

The Oklahoma offense was a monster last week, led by Dillon Gabriel and the wide receivers. The entire unit just played lights out. This game against Texas will likely be Gabriel's most aggressive game of the season. I wouldn't be surprised if he attempted at least 45 passes, at least half of which being 10+ yards beyond the line of scrimmage. The receivers are hot right now, Gabriel is as accurate as ever, and the offensive line has held up well against pressure. I predict Oklahoma will try to establish the run game early on the second or third drive but might have difficulty. Texas has a mean defensive line that plays incredibly in the middle of the line. If our offensive line doesn't have the breakout game we're hoping they will, we will likely see many outside zone runs. On top of this, don't expect Oklahoma to abandon the tempo unless they're winning by two scores in the fourth quarter. OU wants to be as aggressive as possible against this Texas team, and I don't see any chance of slowing down in any other circumstance.

The Oklahoma defense is in for their biggest test of the year. Sure, we might struggle in a game later in the season and give up way too many yards, but no upcoming games have the talent on offense that Texas does. They have a running back who is playing (statistically) better than Bijan Robinson, an offensive line that's playing pretty well, and wide receivers who are making Quinn Ewers look elite. Xavier Worthy only knows big games against OU. Adonai Mitchell can fly. This Texas offense is completely loaded, and they find almost all of their success in the middle of the field. Passes 10-20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage tear defenders to shreds weekly. I expect OU to run a lot of man coverage, throwing in a frequent man blitz. Ewers and the receivers tear up zone defense up the middle week in and week out. We can't allow massive holes in the zone to appear against this offense. The blitz aspect will help us defend their lethal ground attack.

Texas

The Longhorns are coming off a dominant win over the #24 Kansas Jayhawks. Despite the Jayhawks not having their starting QB, they gave Texas their best shot but still lost 40-14. Below are Texas' statistical leaders from week five:

• Passing: Quinn Ewers, 25-35, 325 yards, one touchdown, one interception.

• Rushing: Jonathon Brooks, 21 rushes, 218 yards, two touchdowns.

• Receiving: Adonai Mitchell, 10 catches, 141 yards, one touchdown.

• Tackling: Jaylan Ford, seven tackles, one solo, one tackle for loss.

I described the Texas offense above in the prediction of the OU defense, and I didn't oversell them. This is the best Texas offense we have seen since Colt McCoy. Ewers isn't on the same level as McCoy, but the receivers and tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders have elevated his stats to historic levels. The running game has been even better. We'll see a lot of zone runs as Jonathon Brooks does those better than just about anyone. The offensive line is better this year, but certainly not to an elite level. We will likely see Texas focus heavily on the mid-range pass game with passes 10-20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage with many crossing routes. Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell are lethal in these plays. When OU brings the blitz, we will likely see a lot of screens to try and discourage it. Pile a lot of runs with a dominant run game on top of that air attack, and the Sooners are in for a long game.

The Texas defense has much to prepare for, but they have proven to be a really good unit. The Texas run defense is an absolute monster with huge defensive linemen who make running the ball difficult. This defensive line also gets a lot of sacks week in and week out. I'd expect not to see too many blitzes, but instead, many plays were designed to scheme the DLs to go right through the offensive line. They know they will have to put a lot of effort into stopping the pass, and their line knows how to get into the backfield. With this, we'll likely see Texas focus its energy on covering OU's receivers and trying to force OU to run the ball, which certainly has not been Oklahoma's strength.

Prediction

As I said in my forum post for this week, I believe this game is nearly impossible to predict. No matter the year, the ranking of each team, the talent on each team, the records, the coaches, or any other factor, this game never plays out like it should, with last year being the only exception. OU still would've lost last year, but no QB was the nail in the coffin. That being said, my (likely inaccurate) prediction is that, as opposed to the offensive fireworks many expect, this will be a defensive battle, with Oklahoma barely pulling away.

Score Prediction: Oklahoma 27, Texas 24

Oklahoma Yardage:

• Passing Yards: 230-280

• Rushing Yards: 80-130

• Total Yards: 310-410

Texas Yardage:

• Passing Yards: 240-270

• Rushing Yards: 90-140

• Total Yards: 320-410

I am ready for the stress this game causes me to be over. But even more so, I'm excited to see OU go up against a great team and have a chance to prove we are an elite team. Boomer Sooner!

All stats above courtesy of ESPN.