Three Quick Takeaways From Oklahoma's Red River Humiliation Against Texas
DALLAS — The Brent Venables era hit a new low in the Cotton Bowl.
Playing without starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma’s offense opted to rely on smoke and mirrors instead of backup Davis Beville.
Unable to generate any kind of real offense, the Sooners had no hope of keeping up with Texas’ explosive attack. The Longhorns (4-2) embarrassed OU 49-0 on Saturday to snap a four-game losing streak against Oklahoma (3-3).
While the Sooners played musical chairs at quarterback, Quinn Ewers looked comfortable and in control for Texas.
The redshirt freshman completed 21-of-31 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns while throwing just one interception.
Wildcat Attack
Gabriel went through the warmups on the field as usual before the game, but that was the last hope of any competent quarterback play for the Sooners.
Beville, a former third-string quarterback at Pittsburgh, was never an option to move the football for Oklahoma.
On the first drive of the game Beville struggled to find receiver Drake Stoops in the flat, a sign of things to come.
Instead, offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby turned to the wildcat.
Tight end Brayden Willis, wide receiver Jalil Farooq and running backs Eric Gray and Marcus Major all got their turn taking the snaps for the Sooners and they had mild success.
Oklahoma was able to pick up a handful of first downs in the middle of the field. But once the field shortened toward the red zone, the Texas defense had little trouble bottling up the run game.
Throughout the spring, the coaching staff indicated they’d like to add another quarterback to serve as Gabriel’s backup to avoid putting true freshman Nick Evers in a tough spot.
As it turns out, letting Beville run the offense wasn’t a viable option and Lebby didn’t even give General Booty any kind of run to see if he was any better.
The season is already over for the Sooners, but the offense could be ugly again next week against Kansas if Gabriel doesn’t clear the concussion protocols.
Defensive Line Anonymous Again
For the third straight week, Oklahoma’s defensive line failed to play any role in the game.
Venables rolled with the three-man front, and the results weren’t any better than last week’s trip to Fort Worth.
Texas running backs Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson routinely hit the second level of the defense with a full head of steam, and the Longhorns averaged 5.9 yards per carry for the afternoon.
The few times Venables’ defense flushed Ewers out of the pocket, he showed why he was one of the highest rated quarterback recruits in the modern era.
Texas’ freshman delivered strike after strike, moving the chains and ensuring that the burnt orange half of the scoreboard never remained stagnant.
Finally Venables waived the white flag on the odd front in the second half, bringing another defensive tackle onto the field. It proved to be too little too late, as the Longhorn onslaught continued well into the overcast Texas afternoon.
Historic Humiliation
Texas’ victory marked their largest win over the Sooners in the 118 meetings of the Red River Rivalry, and only served to further pile on Venables’ struggles.
Oklahoma dropped its third straight game for the first time since 1998, which was John Blake’s last season in charge in Norman.
Saturday’s defensive showing also marked the first time any of Venables’ defenses have surrendered 40 or more points in three straight contests.
OU’s offense was held scoreless in the Cotton Bowl for the first time since 1965, and will need Gabriel next week to help try and pull the Sooners out of their downward spiral.
Lance Leipold’s Kansas Jayhawks will make the trip to Norman next week, vying to continue a resurgent season for the program that was very recently the doormat of the Big 12.
Kickoff between the Sooners and the Jayhawks is scheduled for 11 a.m. next week at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
