Texas Offensive Line Preaching Composure Ahead of Red River Shootout

In one of the most heated games of the year, it's easy to get lost in the environment, but the Texas Longhorns offensive line won't let that happen.

Oct 21, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Jake Majors (65) in action during the third quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

AUSTIN -- Senior offensive lineman Jake Majors can envision what the Texas offensive line wants to look like at the end of the season.

The Longhorns are only five games and coming off a bye week, still, the team is building its depth in the right direction going into the rivalry matchup against Oklahoma.

"We're not a finished product by any means," Majors said. "But I'm very proud of the way we've progressed and learned from our mistakes so far. We take all those mistakes with a grain of salt, knowing that we can get better next week, and I'm very proud of our unit for continuing to grow."

The Texas offensive line went into the season ranked as one of the best in the country, per On3. Since the season opener, it has proved just that. After five weeks of standing atop the PFF highest-rated pass-blocking team with a score of 92.4, the Longhorns are very much in contention for the Joe Moore Award, a trophy that celebrates the best college football offensive line unit.

Regardless of rankings, the Red River Shootout brings the best and the worst of players and fans in a heated environment. Last year, the Longhorns fell to the Sooners on a last-quarter touchdown, and the memory is still fresh in the returning players' minds.

"You lean back on the feelings that you had at the end of the game," Majors said. "Then you just go about the week doing whatever you can to not feel that again."

Majors started against Oklahoma in 2023, where he accumulated 527 yards of offense. Some other names in the offensive line will be experiencing the rivalry for the first time. The fifth-year player, with some good Red River experience under his belt, is trying to help the younger generation stay level-headed.

"You can't let people outside the offensive line affect how you play," Majors said. "It's okay to trip back, but you don't want to get to the point where it's becoming personal fouls. That's not who we are."

The 120th edition of the Red River Shootout kicks off on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas.

"We're going to preach composure all week," Majors said. "When it comes to game time, you got to come back together and glued to what we're trying to do there."

And that is, of course, to win.