The annual rivalry is played at the historic Cotton Bowl during the State Fair of Texas.
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“I grew up watching the Red River game, so it will be pretty special going into the Cotton Bowl and playing them”, Mayfield said during Monday’s news conference in Norman, Okla. “My first one was a year ago, standing on the sidelines”. This year, Army and Air Force cadets will join the Navy and Marine students in completing the traditional run.
“The Texas thing’s a little bit different for me”, Mayfield said.
As Norvell prepares to return to Dallas for his eighth-straight Red River rivalry game, he’s trying to navigate a tumultuous situation in Austin. Freshman running back DeMarco Murray showed his speed on a 64-yard touchdown scamper in the third quarter to put the Sooners up by seven at 21-14. With the Sooners holding on to a slim 7-3 advantage and just over two minutes remaining in the game, a punt exchange backed up Texas to its own 2-yard line. Oklahoma’s defense is allowing 22.3 points per game this season, so Texas should be able to muster up enough on offense to cover the spread and make for another entertaining game between these two hated rivals.
-CB Jordan Thomas was one of Oklahoma’s players of the week last week against West Virginia, a game after being suspended for a violation of team rules. Head coach Charlie Strong and his staff have signed just eight players, and the class ranks outside the top 50, according to 247sports. That lopsided loss led to the demotion of Shawn Watson and the promotion of former Sooner coach Jay Norvell to offensive play caller.
But it was Jackson and James Allen, stuffed at the goal line in the ’94 loss to Texas, who propelled OU to the improbable overtime win as a 22-point underdog.
If OU wins, Governor Abbott has selected to send a shipment of Railhead BBQ from Fort Worth to City Rescue Mission, a non-profit partnering with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, in Oklahoma City.
The two teams came into this game ranked No. 2 (Oklahoma) and No. 3 (Texas) in the country. You go beat Oklahoma, go and play spoiler for the rest of the season. That season, the Sooners and Longhorns were No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Texas will look to use both rushers against Oklahoma. In the fourth quarter, though, everything turned in OU’s favor.
Like Mayfield, Mayes is from Lake Travis, Texas, just outside of Austin. A remarkable turnaround for the Sooners in a game that started out looking like a potential Texas rout.
While Texas will be in the game early, Oklahoma will be too much for the Longhorns to beat. It was Bob Stoops’ second season as the Sooners’ head coach. On the ground, D’onta Foreman rushed for 112 yards in 18 attempts while Johnhattan Gray added 55 yards in 15 attempts. Two games later, with a 31-14 victory over then-No.
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He’s also made the most of that opportunity, Mayfield’s most defining trait heading into Saturday’s matchup between Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0 in Big 12) and Texas (1-4, 0-2) in the Cotton Bowl (11 a.m., WFAA.Ch. 8).
