Texas Longhorns: By the Numbers

Steve Sarkisian's explosive Texas offense will pose a major threat to a reeling Oklahoma defense in Saturday's Red River Showdown.

For the 118th time, Oklahoma and Texas will lock horns this Saturday.

The atmosphere and fanfare of the Cotton Bowl and the surrounding State Fair of Texas will serve to dress up an unranked matchup between the Sooners and the Longhorns, as both programs enter the contest at 3-2 and needing a momentous victory.

Questions surround who will start for each side at quarterback, with Steve Sarkisian hoping to get redshirt freshman Quinn Ewers back in the fold while Oklahoma may be forced to throw a backup into the fray after Dillon Gabriel entered concussion protocol.

Brent Venables’ defense will need to take massive steps forward after consecutive dismal performances against Kansas State and TCU as OU puts its four-game winning streak against Texas on the line.

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Texas wide receiver scored on the first play from scrimmage last year, running for 75 yards to the house against the Oklahoma defense :: Bryan Terry / The Oklahoman-USA Today Network

Coverage busts led to plenty of big plays last weekend in Fort Worth as Horned Frog quarterback Max Duggan punished the Sooner defense for seemingly every major communication error.

OU’s mental mettle will be put to the test once again, as the Texas offense has been explosive so far in 2022.

Sarkisian has dialed up 28 plays this season of 20 yards or longer, and the ‘Horns have done a tremendous job of spreading the ball out between all their skill talent.

Running back Bijan Robinson has been involved in eight of those big plays, with receiver Xavier Worthy adding five, and both tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders and receiver Jordan Whittington hauling in three passes each of 20 yards or more.

The Oklahoma defense has been placing an emphasis on improved communication this week, but if they again have busts on the back end, Texas will be poised to convert those mistakes into easy points.

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Texas running back Bijan Robinson gashed Oklahoma in the first half of last year's Red River Showdown :: Kevin Jairaj / USA TODAY Sports

Two weeks ago, the Sooners struggled to wrangle in Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn.

This week, the Longhorns will trot out an even more explosive runner in Robinson.

Through five weeks, Robinson leads the Big 12 in all purpose yards, averaging 141.60 yards per game.

The Tucson, AZ, product also leads the conference with nine total touchdowns and 54 points scored, while ranking second with 515 rushing yards and fifth with 5.85 yards per carry.

Last year, Robinson ran all over the Sooners in the first half but Oklahoma rallied to limit the star to 137 rushing yards.

OU’s tackling issues will have to get fixed quickly if they hope to contain Robinson in the Cotton Bowl this Saturday.

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Texas star DeMarvion Overshown blocked a punt to help the Longhorns jump out to an early lead against OU last season  :: Kevin Jairaj / USA TODAY Sports

On the other side of the football, Texas brings an improved defense to the table.

Buoyed by a strong performance against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Austin, the Longhorns are getting improved play from their front seven.

Texas enters the week as the No. 27-ranked defense with 34.0 tackles for loss on the year, helping plant opposing offenses behind the chains.

Success on early downs will be especially important Saturday, as the Sooner running game will likely play an even bigger role if backup quarterback Davis Beville is indeed taking the snaps.

Running back Eric Gray has had the best season of his OU career to date, and true freshman Jovantae Barnes posted his first career 100-yard rushing performance against the Horned Frogs last week.

The Oklahoma runners will have to win one-on-one battles against the Texas defense to help pop big chunk plays, and the Sooners offensive line will have to be keyed in on Jaylon Ford who has 4.5 tackles for loss on the season and DeMarvion Overshown, who enters the contest with four tackles for loss.

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Oklahoma linebacker Caleb Kelly stripped Texas' Xavier Worthy on a kickoff last year to set up OU's go-ahead score to take the lead for the first time  :: BRYAN TERRY / THE OKLAHOMAN-USA TODAY NETWORK

Saturday will mark the first time since 2009 Oklahoma has walked down the ramp in Dallas surrounded by black curtains, crimson and burnt orange as an underdog.

To pull the betting upset, the Sooners will have to win in the margins across all aspects of the game.

One spot OU has struggled in recent years against Texas is in the turnover department.

The Longhorns have won the turnover battle in seven of the last eight seasons.

All nine of the last Red River battles have been decided by eight points or less, magnifying the importance of every single possession.

Oklahoma won’t be able to call on Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts or Caleb Williams to bail the offense out if they fall into a deep hole against the Longhorns, and the Sooners will have to take care of the football to stand any chance of extending its current win streak to five.

The eyes of the nation will descend on the State Fair of Texas on Saturday, as the Sooners and the Longhorns will kickoff at 11 a.m. on ABC. 

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