Oklahoma
How Oklahoma Players Prepare Newcomers for Red River Rivalry, an Experience Like No Other
Every Oklahoma player who was asked simply struggled to find the words to describe the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl.
The Sooners will travel down to Dallas to play Texas at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the usual spot in the epicenter of The State Fair of Texas. The teams will bus through a state fair crowd, rather than a college campus. One half of the stadium will be as homey as Norman, while the other is as hostile as Austin.
“Embrace it,” OU linebacker Kobie McKinzie said. “You can’t really explain that. We’ve all been there for that game. From the moment you literally drive in the fairgrounds it’s like no other game. It’s not comparable. But enjoy it at the same time. These are the moments that you’re going to remember for the rest of your life.”
The Longhorns currently sit at the top of college football, while OU is ranked 18th in the AP Poll. But even during a season in which Texas won the Big 12 title and made the final four-team College Football Playoff, the Sooners still got the best of the Longhorns thanks to a goal line stand.
“The very end, the fourth-down stop, fourth-and-inches, that was really fun,” OU defensive end Trace Ford remembers a year later. “That was one of the coolest things I got to experience, just how loud that stadium got. Just the whole atmosphere after the game, walking around. The whole experience was nothing like I’ve ever experienced before. It was really fun.”
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Last season was Ford’s first experience in the Red River Rivalry. As an Oklahoma State transfer, he has been on both sides of Bedlam. From nearby Edmond, OK, he grew up watching OU and Texas clash from the comfort of home. But still, nothing prepared him for actually being there – no other rivalry, no amount of viewing from afar.
Ford understands now, though, but many others throughout OU’s locker room do not. Maybe they also grew up watching the game on TV or played in rivalry games at their old schools, but not like this one.
The Sooners nearly overhauled their roster with transfers and freshmen for the 2024 season. Michael Hawkins Jr. will become the first true freshman to ever start at QB in the Red River Rivalry for the Sooners. On defense, Ford will be alongside eight guys on the defensive line alone projected to make their Red River debut Saturday, including Miami (OH) transfer Caiden Woullard.
“He’s been asking, and I didn’t understand the spectrum of the game until last year,” Ford said. “I watched that game growing up my whole life, and I told him the same thing. You got to experience it. It’s incredible. It’s fun, and he’s got to experience it. But you know he’s confident. He’s ready. I know he’s going to do really well this Saturday.”
Said defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings: “This’ll probably be the biggest rivalry you’ll ever play in in your life, but it is just another game, but it is a cool experience. Just soak it all in.”
On a Thursday afternoon, and even most Saturdays, there’s nothing special about the Cotton Bowl. Most of the time, it’s a dormant cement structure in the center of the quietfairgrounds. It makes for a longer walk from the Fletcher’s Corny Dog stand to Big Tex. There’s nothing special enough about the venue itself for regular tours or to even keep hosting its own bowl game. But for one Saturday every October, when the Sooners and Longhorns are visiting for the Red River Rivalry, it’s a spectacle you cannot comprehend until experienced.
“I like it, to be honest with you,” McKinizie said. “I love it. Because everybody’s right there. There’s nowhere to go, I feel like. It’s all inclusive. Everybody gets the same experience, ’cause it’s only one experience of the Red River, you know?”
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Highway Patrol seeks $25M for trooper training
Oklahoma
Three Takeaways From OKC Thunder’s Fiery Win Over Heat
The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Miami Heat Sunday night, 124-112, in Paycom Center. The Thunder used a 32-10 third-quarter run to take control of what was a close game.
This win is OKC’s third straight, improving its record to 33-7 on the season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 29 points and eight assists and Chet Holmgren added 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.
The Heat shot 53.1% from behind the arc, but still could not come out on top. Here are three takeaways from the run-filled Thunder victory:
1. Sheer Brilliance From the MVP
After a first quarter full of struggles, scoring just three points on 1-of-6 shooting, Gilgeous-Alexander used a stretch of 10 consecutive made field goals to score 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting. The reigning MVP saw double teams throughout the night, assisting on eight made shots as well.
Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 16 third-quarter points, sparking a dominant Thunder stretch of play. He was a +8 in 32 minutes.
The Canadian guard adjusted to the Heat’s heavy pressure following his early-second-quarter rest, looking comfortable scoring the rock the rest of the way. Gilgeous-Alexander now has scored 20-plus points in 109 consecutive games, approaching closer to the NBA record of 126.
2. Third Quarter Thunderstorm
A key sign of the Thunder looking to be coming out of the midseason rut, playing at a.500 level for a six-game span, is the team’s patented dominant third quarters returned against the Heat.
Oklahoma City went on a 32-10 run throughout the bulk of the third quarter to power itself to an eight-point lead at the break. The Thunder won the period by 13 points, 39-26.
Effort was contagious, with the team forcing turnovers and forcing misses at will, pushing the ball on the fast break at high speeds, replicating the Heat’s high-pace style of play. The shooting stroke came alive as well, with OKC shooting a blistering 5-for-11 (45.5%) from long range after hitting just two threes on 15 attempts in the first half.
The three-point line had not been kind to the Thunder in recent games, but it sparked a run full of top-tier offensive basketball for them tonight.
3. Jalen Williams’ Offense Is Coming Alive
Following a strong 26-point, 10-assist effort in the Thunder’s comeback win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 9, Williams tallied 18 points and four assists in 29 minutes of play against the Heat. Williams was an efficient 9-of-13 on the night, picking up two steals on defense as well.
As he continues to get back in form following two offseason wrist surgeries, continued efforts to string together efficient basketball are vital for the All-NBA forward’s performance. Williams cut and drove to the rim consistently, finding efficient looks inside.
Despite missing his only three-point attempt, Williams hit multiple midrange jumpshots, with his wrist looking more comfortable every game.
Oklahoma
Missing 12-year-old Oklahoma boy found safe
Oklahoma tornadoes, Drummond mosque investigation and other news
Catch up on everything that happened in the news this week as of Jan. 9, 2026.
Missing 12-year-old Ryan “RJ” Davis has been found safe, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Jan. 11, the OSBI said Davis was located in Chickasha.
“The OSBI appreciates all our local law enforcement partners and search groups who assisted us throughout the week,” the OSBI posted. “We will provide updates when they become available.
The boy had been missing since Jan. 2.
News9 reported Sunday afternoon that OSBI spokesman Hunter McKee said the United Cajun Navy made contact with RJ and took him back to a hotel, where authorities processed him and took him to the hospital. Authorities said RJ appears to be fine physically, according to News9
The United Cajun Navy is a nonprofit grassroots group out of Louisiana that assists in search and rescue efforts and disaster recovery.
The boy’s mother, Kimberly Kay Cole, and stepfather, George Franklin Cole Jr., were arrested earlier this week on suspicion of child abuse and as of Sunday were still listed as being in custody at the Caddo County Jail in Anadarko. It’s not yet clear whether the charges are directly related to RJ’s disappearance, but the arrests came after officers interviewed the parents and obtained evidence from search warrants.
Authorities said Thursday, Jan. 8, that they believed RJ was still alive. Prior to Sunday, he was last seen Jan. 2 near the Chickasha Quality Inn.
Searchers were targeting a vast rural area from Cement to Chickasha, which is within an hour’s drive from Oklahoma City. The search included properties associated with the family. It was unclear from the OSBI’s Facebook post where in Chickasha the boy was found.
This story was updated to add new information.
Contributing: Staff writer Dale Denwalt
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