'Texas Fears Oklahoma:' How Danny Stutsman Found the 'Passion and Energy' to Spark His Teammates Over Texas

A year after their worst loss in the history of the Red River Rivalry, the Sooners were inspired by Stutsman's improvisational pregame oration.

Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman's pregame speech against Texas / Screenshot via OU Athletics

NORMAN — The vibe in the Oklahoma locker room was solemn.

The last time the Sooners had faced their arch-rival Texas Longhorns, they had been handed a 49-0 beatdown — their worst loss in the history of the Red River Rivalry.

The outcome in 2022 wasn’t indicative of either program, nor of the trend this series has followed for most of the last 70 years. But, without their starting quarterback, and without a backup plan, Oklahoma couldn't move the football, and Texas toyed with the Sooners.

Now, just minutes away from taking on the Longhorns once more in the football forge that is Cotton Bowl Stadium, there seemed to be a morose tension, almost a hesitancy among the Sooners in the quiet time between pregame warmups and kickoff.

So Danny Stutsman decided to stand up and let his teammates knows what was in his heart, what was burning a hole in his soul. After reminding them that this game would be decided by physicality, Stutsman stepped into OU history and planted his flag in Red River Rivalry lore.

“I’m certain of two (expletive) things in life!”  One, I’m certain that Oklahoma only fears God! And number two, Texas fears Oklahoma!”

It didn’t win the game, of course. Execution and turnovers and OU’s fourth-quarter goal-line stand and Dillon Gabriel’s touchdown pass to Nic Anderson with 15 seconds left won the game.

But Stutsman’s speech did spark his teammates. And it did carry the day in a 34-30 OU victory. 

“I just remember the locker room erupting when he said that,” said defensive end Trace Ford. “It was one of those things like ‘Did he write that before?’ How he came about it was just so perfect. It was just one of those things.”

Barely captured on video by the team’s crack video staff, it also became a viral sensation, which today means T-shirts and bumper stickers and coffee mugs — and, for Stutsman, a bankable NIL property. 

“I didn’t even know it was recorded,” Stutsman said in 2023. “I was just in the heat of the moment. I guess it’s a cool moment I guess, or quote in history or whatever that means. But it’s a good message for my guys. That’s really all it was for, you know? I love those dudes. I just want to inspire them so we can go out there and dominate.”

“What he was saying in the locker room, it made you like feel some type of way,” defensive back Kendel Dolby said last season. “ … It was a good speech. It was a great speech actually.”

OU plays Texas again on Saturday, a 2:30 p.m. kickoff inside The State Fair of Texas. Last year the Sooners were a 4 1/2-point underdog. This year, with Texas at 5-0 and coming off its first College Football Playoff appearance and its first Big 12 Conference championship in 15 years, that spread has ballooned to 14 1/2. This is considered the Longhorns’ most talented squad since 2009, when Mack Brown’s team lost to Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game.

If Oklahoma is going to hang with college football’s No. 1-ranked team, they might need another pregame banger from their senior captain — one of the many things he can bring to a football team.

“Just his energy,” said offensive lineman Jacob Sexton. “This game is all about passion and energy. I think Danny brings it to every game, especially this one. It blew up last year. There’s reasons for that, deserves it. That’s one of our team leaders. Everybody gets behind him. It drives that message.”

“From the jump, before the game he got us motivated with that speech, after the game, halftime,” Ford said. “Danny is just the prime example of a true leader. He's just a locker-room guy and his energy is fantastic. Danny is someone that everyone looks up to.”

Stutsman and senior safety Billy Bowman were freshmen when Caleb Williams came off the bench and rallied the Sooners to an incredible comeback over Texas. They are sophomores when Gabriel was hurt and OU didn’t have a quarterback. And they were juniors last year when Gabriel returned and brought his team back in the final seconds.

“That was probably my most favorite Red River Rivalry game, winning at the last minute,” Bowman said. “They were throwing the ball into the end zone and we got to knock it down. Obviously DG threw a great pass to Nic Anderson in the back of the end zone."

Now, Stutsman and Bowman are seniors who have transformed the Oklahoma defense in three years under Venables — and they’ve got one final shot to finish their careers the way they want. That starts with beating Texas one more time.

“Sitting at 2-1 so I don't want to split even,” Bowman said. “Looking to go 3-1.”

“Last year, unfortunately,” Stutsman said last week during OU’s open date. “Going to be a little emotional out there. It’s a really big game man, especially being a Sooner. It's the one you kind of look forward to every year. It's probably one of the biggest games because of how deep and meaningful the rivalry is. There's a lot of great memories all the way from freshman year, that comeback, to last year. You can go on and on, and hopefully we can continue to make memories in the next one.”