Texas LB Colin Simmons on Oklahoma: ‘We’re Going To Dominate Them’

AUSTIN — Texas Longhorns freshman linebacker Colin Simmons has supreme confidence headed into his first-ever appearance in the Red River Rivalry on Oct. 12.

When speaking to the media following Saturday’s 35-13 win, Simmons might have ruffled a few feathers when previewing the matchup with Oklahoma by predicting that Texas will “dominate” the Sooners in Dallas.

“They got a good squad this year,” Simmons said. “A lot of people on their team that I know. I feel like we’re going to dominate them. But at the end of the day, we just got to trust in our coaching.”

Comments like this are what the rivalry is all about, though it’s probably something Simmons might get lectured about behind closed doors by the Texas media relations team.

But at the end of the day, he said it with his chest and will have now to back up the talk if the Longhorns want to avoid a second straight loss to their arch rival.

Simmons certainly has plenty of reason to feel confident after putting together the best game of his young college career in Saturday’s SEC opener against Mississippi State. While putting his quick speed off the edge on display, he finished with a career-high seven total tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. He’s now the team’s sack leader with four this season.

The Sooners haven’t looked as elite as years past to begin SEC play. Oklahoma rallied for a 27-21 win over Auburn on Saturday with freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. getting the start in place of the benched Jackson Arnold.

It’s possible Simmons sees an advantage for the defense against a young and inexperienced quarterback, but anything can happen in this rivalry. Hawkins Jr. will be hoping to secure a career-defining moment on a big stage, and the Longhorns will need to prevent any magic from happening in order to take home the Golden Hat this time around.

Texas and Oklahoma will kick off from the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 2:30 p.m. CT.