In the final minute of the 2010 Red River Rivalry, with the Longhorns down by eight points, Aaron Williams was set to receive an Oklahoma punt. As the Williams reached for the ball, it went through his fingers — along with the chance for Texas to win.
In 2011, Texas never had a chance. The team only scored 17 points during the two-quarterback experiment that saw sophomore Case McCoy and freshman David Ash commit five turnovers between them as the defense gave up 55 points to the Sooners.
Last year was a similar blowout as Oklahoma scored 63 points,and Texas only managed 21, 14 of those coming from McCoy after an injured Ash left the game with a wrist injury and the team was already behind by seven touchdowns.
Students who came to the University of Texas in 2010 are hard-pressed to find any memory of a successful football team at all in their four years, especially when it comes the Red River Rivalry. In the last four years, the football team has gone 5-7, 8-5 and 9-4 and started 2013 at 3-2.
In the last three matchups between Texas and Oklahoma, the Longhorns returned from Dallas having been outscored by the Sooners, 146- 66.
“Last year when Texas blocked the field goal and ran it back on the first drive I thought ‘yes, this could be the year,’” education senior Alex Johnson said. “But that obviously didn’t happen.”
Before this senior class’ 0-3 run, the Longhorns had beaten Oklahoma four out of five times between 2005 and 2009, with the last win coming after Colt McCoy infamously almost threw before leading the team to beat the Sooners, 16-13.
Johnson, who sold her Oklahoma ticket, opting to watch the game at home, said she’s always considered the Sooners as Texas’ major rival and had been excited to see the games as a student after watching Colt McCoy in 2010.
“People talk about Texas-Texas A&M as the major rivalry but for me it’s always been OU, that’s what I care about,” she said. “After 2010, making it to the national championship the year before I knew we had lost a bunch of players but I still expected to we would be good, solid.”
Despite the current skid, Texas holds a 58-41-5 winning record against its rival to the north, a mark that can be hard to believe for someone who, in four years, has yet to see the Longhorns beat the Sooners as a UT student.
“Every year it’s always a fresh start but by the time it makes it to Oklahoma there’s usually turmoil and a
meltdown,” communications senior Natasha Suri said. “Before the season I said ‘I don’t care if we lose every other game as long as we beat OU.’ You don’t want to tell your kids that Texas never beat OU while you were here, that’s awful.”
Suri said she feels the team doesn’t show the drive to manage an upset against a better team after the games so far.
“Ole Miss showed they didn’t really want it,” she said. “I don’t know if we’re that team that could be an underdog and come out and win.”
With the 3-2 start, Johnson doesn’t believe a win at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday will change the disappointing feelings associated with her college football career.
“Honestly, regardless of this weekend it’s not going to matter,” she said. “It won’t make up for everything, it doesn’t change the tempo.”
