When it comes to Texas rivalries, several come to mind. Texas A&M, Baylor and Arkansas bring a decent level of competition to the playing field. However, few compare to the hunger that comes with the Red River Rivalry.
Although Texas is making the move to the Southeastern Conference, fans of the historic beef between Texas and Oklahoma don’t have to fear — Oklahoma is following Texas straight into the heat of the new conference. Despite the competition being strong, both will have to deal with the challenges newcomers to a conference face.
Oklahoma historically has mixed results against SEC teams. The football team holds seven total national titles, and only in one of those games did they face an SEC team at the end of the season, which ended in a loss. OU is entering the conference with 110 total wins against SEC teams, with 67 of those victories being solely from beating Missouri. Only one win against an SEC team took place within the last five years, against Florida in 2020.
As for the Sooners’ current team, plenty of familiar faces are returning to the roster, as well as fresh ones making an appearance.
Rising redshirt sophomore running back Gavin Sawchuk is making a return. After being down for much of the first half of the 2023 season due to a hamstring injury, Sawchuk fought his way into the lead rushing spot with 744 total yards, 6.2 yards per carry and nine touchdowns. His experience with the Sooners will be something for the Longhorn rushing defense to lock in on.
Oklahoma’s previous receiving yards leader, Drake Stoops, was drafted to the Los Angeles Rams, forcing OU to find his replacement.
Returning receiver and rising redshirt sophomore Nic Anderson will keep the Longhorns’ hands full after enjoying his breakout season last year, highlighted by his game-winning catch against Texas at the Cotton Bowl. His 2023 stats feature 798 yards, 38 receptions and 10 touchdowns.
Returning for the 2024 season, rising senior Danny Stutsman is a high-level threat to Texas’ run game, and shutting him out will mean shutting down OU’s defense. Last season, Stutsman led OU’s tackle game with 104 tackles, 16 for loss and three sacks.
After last year’s lead quarterback, senior Dillon Gabriel moved on to the Oregon Ducks, the mantle passed down to rising sophomore Jackson Arnold, a former 2023 five-star recruit. Arnold passed for 563 yards in the 2023 season with a completion rate of 63.8%, throwing four touchdowns and three interceptions.
Other than Sawchuk, the running back room at OU has made several changes, with rising fifth-year Tawee Walker transferring to Wisconsin, rising redshirt fifth-year Marcus Major heading to Minnesota and rising sophomore Daylan Smothers making the move to NC State.
Purdue transfer and rising redshirt junior Deion Burks has been slated to fill his starting spot. With 629 season yards, 47 receptions and seven touchdowns at Purdue, 5’9 Burks will need to find his place at Oklahoma before he becomes a threat against Texas’ receiving defense.
As for recruiting, the Sooners recently made a surprising announcement about partnering with former Philadelphia Eagles vice president and executive Jake Rosenburg to restructure recruitment and engagement and add multiple new recruiting positions.
That recruiting machine seems to be effective, with OU garnering an assortment of impressive recruits. Most notable are 2024 five-star defensive lineman David Stone, 2024 four-star running back Taylor Tatum and 2024 four-star center back Jeremiah Newcombe. Oklahoma’s 2024 recruiting class is currently ranked at No. 8, compared to Texas’ No. 14.
With an impressive handful of quality recruits, several top returners and a revamped recruiting program, the possibility for OU to have a winning season is high.
If Texas can find the weaknesses in the returning line, stop Sawchuk’s run game and gain the picks off of Arnold, the tides of the Red River Rivalry can turn in the Longhorns’ favor.
Either way, fans of both teams will enjoy the return of the showdown in Dallas’ Cotton Bowl on Oct. 12 at 2:30 p.m.
