(Photo: Clutchpoints)
Campus Clash
(1) Texas Longhorns at (18) Oklahoma Sooners
Texas: I’ve enjoyed watching them throughout the year. I was high on them and even predicted for Quinn Ewers to win the Heisman this year. What made me pay more attention to them was the game in Ann Arbor in the “Big House” against the Michigan Wolverines. The football world knows that’s not an easy place to play and they went in there and silenced them. When you think of this team, the run-and-gun offense comes to mind, or, as I like to say, they love to turn football games into track meets. That week two showdown against the defending champs showed me they can slow a game down and run the football at you. Then, Quinn unfortunately gets hurt due to an oblique injury and Steve Sarkisian has to turn to Arch Manning, yes, the nephew of Peyton and Eli. Even without Ewers, this Longhorns offense didn’t miss a beat. Arch kept things afloat and of course, the two questions were asked. One, is there a Quarterback controversy in Austin, and two, even if Ewers is healthy, do you bring him back into the starting job or do you remain with the hot hand that has been Arch Manning? Even the other day on College Football Showdown with Matt James and Israel Rivera, I posed that question to each of them and they both said they’d stick with the hot hand which I agreed with because I often find myself saying the same thing. In a year where they joined the same conference as the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs, whoever imagined that the Texas Longhorns would be the number one ranked team in the country at this point of the season and they would have zero losses compared to Alabama and Georgia who each have a loss and then, factor the Tennessee Volunteers into the equation as well! They’ve been great this year and just suffered their first loss in week six. This Saturday, they renew an old rivalry at the Cotton Bowl.
Oklahoma: A few weeks ago in week four, I had the opportunity to cover and break down this team for their SEC opener against the Tennessee Volunteers which may still be weird to write and say. Not many gave this football team a chance to win that game and they did lose that showdown. The one thing I will say is they are one of two teams to do what many haven’t been able to accomplish this year which is keeping one of the best offenses in the nation under 30 points in the Tennessee Volunteers and holding them to 25. I guess you can say they unveiled the blueprint for the Arkansas Razorbacks because they held them to only 14! Whenever Oklahoma Sooners football comes to mind, they’ve always been one of the elite offenses in the country. I’m talking about a unit that could score at any time, no matter where the football was lined up! They could truly catch lightning in a bottle at any moment. That was their bread and butter with Bob Stoops and Lincoln Riley continued that. Under Brent Venables, that hasn’t necessarily been the case. For years, the Sooners have always had an incredible offense as I mentioned up top, and a defense that would struggle and rely on the offense to sustain those long drives just to take pressure off them. Nowadays, the defense has been the strength, and the offense has become hit or miss. Even I said a few weeks ago that it’s strange to say that and never did I think I’d ever speak those words when referring to them. They’ve still held their own in such a competitive conference. This Saturday afternoon, they will meet up with Texas in their annual showdown.
Texas X-Factor: Isaiah Bond– The transfer from Alabama and he’s fit in just fine in Austin. If you don’t pay attention or circle in on Isaiah, he will breeze by your secondary and he’s in the end zone for six. Watching him closely, he’s all over the field making catches whether he’s out wide on the perimeter or in the slot, he’s getting the football and will make something happen with it. Isaiah is consistent, makes all the catches imaginable and he’s physical with the football in his hands as he attempts to get extra yards. This is one of the better receivers you don’t hear much about in our sport.
Oklahoma X-Factor: Michael Hawkins– In this game, you sometimes have to turn to another player which is why the saying is so true. Next Man Up! Brent has turned to Michael to replace Jackson Arnold at Quarterback and in their last game against the Auburn Tigers, he navigated the go-ahead drive which would lead them to victory. This is that dual-threat Quarterback who attacked the Auburn defense to the tune of 14 carries and 69 yards. This could work very well in the Sooners’ favor. Dillon Gabriel was the same threat and look how he attacked the Longhorns’ defense last season.
Final Thoughts: I first previewed this matchup in 2018. One thing about being able to break down the college game is to have the opportunity to talk about some of the rivalries that make our game so great and by far, this has become one of my favorite matchups to preview. It’s still “Red River”, but in the SEC this time! Quinn Ewers is expected to return to the field for the Longhorns on Saturday. The game last year was epic and I’m expecting the same type of contest this year. This Sooners defense will have to be at its peak in this game facing one of the Quarterbacks in the country and one of the elite offensive attacks as well. Texas has also been stout on the defensive side of the football. I’ll be watching this Oklahoma defensive front against the Texas Offensive Line. Oklahoma is one of the more defensive teams in the nation, but being too aggressive at times can bite you and that’s where Texas will capitalize offensively. Also, the Sooners must attack with the running game and mix in the option play due to Texas struggling to set the edge. If I’m the Longhorns, I’m testing the communication and chemistry of this Sooners secondary which has dealt with some injuries and depth issues throughout the year. I’d be running a lot of pre-snap motions and I’d be testing their communications and see how they’re giving off concepts, then attack with receivers such as Bond. The ball is going to fly in this game all day long. I like the Longhorns in this game to get their revenge.
Prediction: Texas 40, Oklahoma 21
