No. 1 Texas has reversed role and a reminder in Red River game against 2-loss unranked Oklahoma

DALLAS (AP) — Coach Steve Sarkisian and No. 1 Texas certainly know about going into their Red River rivalry game already with two losses, like Oklahoma has now, and what can happen next.

The Longhorns (4-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) were in that exact position last October. They had plummeted from preseason No. 1 to unranked for the game in the middle of the State Fair of Texas, then beat previously undefeated No. 6 Oklahoma .

“We were a desperate football team and found a way to win in the second half,” Sarkisian said this week. “So we know what it is.”

That is a bitter rivalry going into its 122nd game in the series that Texas leads 65-51-5. Fans in burnt orange and crimson are split at the 50-yard line inside the historic 92,100-seat Cotton Bowl Stadium, where the game will be played for the 90th year in a row on Saturday.

“It's a big game,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said. “Certainly not where we want to be as a football team right now. ... But we need to create some momentum. It’s a very real thing during this time of the year.”

Despite their different records, both teams have sputtering offenses .

The Sooners (2-2, 0-1), the preseason No. 10 with losses at No. 2 Georgia and Michigan against their only Power Four opponents, rank 120th nationally at 321 total yards per game. Quarterback John Mateer, who threw three interceptions against Texas last year, has struggled and they have only 37 points total their past three games.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning has been inconsistent and under pressure since a big fourth-quarter comeback to beat then-No. 1 Ohio State in Week 2. He was sacked six times and twice penalized for throwing a pass beyond the line of scrimmage in a 20-17 win at Tennessee two weeks ago.

Oklahoma wide receiver Parker Livingstone was a Longhorn and a Texas fan favorite last season with 29 receptions for 516 yards and six touchdowns. He was also Manning’s roommate. But offseason roster moves by Texas sent Livingstone into the transfer portal and the Lone Star native ended up across the Red River at Oklahoma. His first season with the Sooners hasn’t been very productive. He has just 6 catches for 51 yards and has yet to reach the end zone.

“It’s going to be different, obviously being roommates and best friends (last year). But I’m not going to think anything of it," Manning said. “We’re going to try to win the game, and then I’ll say “What’s up?’ to him after that.”

Oklahoma has struggled in pass protection and that’s nothing new. The Sooners gave up five sacks to the Longhorns last year and edge rusher Collin Simmons had 2½. Simmons comes into this year’s matchup on a heater. He had a school record 5½ sacks against Tennessee. The third-year player now has 28½ in his career, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Michael for sixth in the Texas record book.

Oklahoma has lost three of four to Texas since Venables, their former defensive coordinator, returned as head coach. The Sooners won 34-30 in a 2023 battle of unbeatens, but were outscored 106-9 in those other three games. They now try to avoid three consecutive Red River losses for the first time since 1997-99.

When asked this week if it’s tougher for Oklahoma to succeed when Texas is good, Venables dismissed that idea.

“I think they can go hand in hand as far as Oklahoma being successful, Texas being successful,” Venables said. “Both programs have been very fruitful simultaneously, so I don’t think one has to do with the other. One’s success is one’s demise, I don’t believe that at all.”

This is the second time in three years Texas is No. 1 facing Oklahoma.

The Longhorns won 34-3 in 2024, making them 4-0-1 in the series as the top-ranked team. The Sooners were No. 3 for the 15-15 tie in 1984.

Oklahoma was last No. 1 against Texas in 2008, a 45-35 loss to the fifth-ranked Horns. The Sooners won 44-9 in 1987, the last time one was No. 1 and the other unranked.

AP Sports Writer Jim Vertuno contributed from Austin, Texas.

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