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Oklahoma and Texas, one of college football's most storied rivalries, opens new chapter in the SEC

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Oklahoma and Texas, one of college football's most storied rivalries, opens new chapter in the SEC


NORMAN, Okla. — Perhaps the only way the Oklahoma-Texas rivalry could have become even more intense happened when both joined the powerful Southeastern Conference in July.

The series that began in 1900 immediately will rank with the best of the SEC’s older ones — Alabama vs. Georgia, the Iron Bowl between Auburn vs. Alabama, the Egg Bowl featuring Ole Miss and Mississippi State and the Florida-Georgia matchups in Jacksonville, long known as the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

First, there’s the atmosphere. The Cotton Bowl in Dallas is a neutral site virtually equal distances from the campuses in Norman, Oklahoma and Austin, Texas. The stadium is split with half Oklahoma crimson and half Texas burnt orange. The game takes place during the State Fair of Texas, creating a vibrant scene and a unique experience.

Then, there’s the history. Although Alabama and Georgia have played many high-stakes games in the past decade, even that series doesn’t measure up long term. Oklahoma and Texas have 10 AP national titles between them -– Oklahoma boasts seven and Texas has three. In each case, the winner in Dallas won the national championship.

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There’s plenty at stake this year too — Texas takes the No. 1 ranking into the game for the first time since 1984. Oklahoma. ranked No. 18, would get a huge boost from a win.

“How could you not get excited for this game?” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. “This is everything that you want to coach and play for at this level. The pageantry, the emotion, the intensity, the opportunity, all of it. You’re going to have a center stage in college football this Saturday.”

There have been stars aplenty through the years — Oklahoma has seven Heisman winners and Texas has two, with many having helped their causes in Red River Rivalry games.

Oklahoma’s Billy Sims (20) goes airborne in an effort to score from the two -yard line in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Texas, Saturday Oct.7, 1978, in Dallas. Credit: AP/Anonymous

Legendary Texas coach Darrell Royal played for Oklahoma. But the Sooners have taken much more than a coach from Texas — something Longhorn fans are quick to bring up. Many of Oklahoma’s best players have come from The Longhorn State – Heisman winners Billy Sims, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray are from there, as were star running backs Adrian Peterson, Greg Pruitt, Joe Washington and many others.

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Back in the late 1960s, Texas won big with the run-based wishbone offense. Oklahoma’s Barry Switzer borrowed it, tweaked it and ran it down Texas’ throat in the 1970s — with a heavy dose of those running backs he recruited from Texas.

The games often have been unpredictable. Last year, for example, Texas was heavily favored, but Oklahoma won on a touchdown pass from Dillon Gabriel to Nic Anderson with 15 seconds remaining. Texas bounced back and made the College Football Playoff.

In perhaps the craziest year of the rivalry, the schools played twice in 2018. Texas won in the regular season, but Oklahoma took the rematch in the Big 12 title game, propelling Murray to the Heisman.

-Texas quarterback Chris Simms (1) is hit by Oklahoma's Roy...

-Texas quarterback Chris Simms (1) is hit by Oklahoma’s Roy Williams (38) in the fourth quarter, causing Simms to throw an interception to Oklahoma’s Teddy Lehman, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2001, in Dallas. Lehman returned the interception 2 yards for a touchdown and Oklahoma won 14-3. Credit: AP/Tim Sharp

With all that in mind, here are five significant games in the rivalry.

2020: Oklahoma 53, Texas 45, 4 OT

Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Drake Stoops — son of former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops — in the fourth overtime for the game winner.

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In a game that deserved a full house, the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the crowd to 24,000 at the 93,000-seat Cotton Bowl, and the state fair was canceled for the first time since World War II.

Those who showed up witnessed a barnburner.

Texas’ Sam Ehlinger, who had four rushing touchdowns, threw two scoring passes in the final 3:28 of regulation to help the Longhorns tie the game at 31 and force overtime.

But after Stoops’ touchdown catch, Oklahoma’s Tre’ Brown intercepted Ehlinger to end the game.

2008: Texas 45, Oklahoma 35

Oklahoma was ranked No. 1, Texas was No. 5. Oklahoma twice held 11-point leads in the first half, only for Texas to rally within 21-20 by halftime, with the play of the game coming on Jordan Shipley’s momentum changing 96-yard kickoff return.

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The game produced an all-time quarterback duel as Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford passed for 387 yards and five touchdowns and Texas’ Colt McCoy passed for 287 yards and a score. Texas vaulted to No. 1 after the victory and held the spot for three weeks.

Oklahoma ended up winning in the end. Bradford won the Heisman and McCoy finished second. And the Sooners were granted the BCS national championship tiebreaker to earn a berth in the national title game.

2001: Oklahoma 14, Texas 3

This game is remembered mostly for a spectacular play by Oklahoma defensive stars Roy Williams and Teddy Lehman.

Oklahoma led 7-3 late in the fourth quarter, but Texas had a sliver of hope. After a punt, the Longhorns took possession on their 3-yard line with just over two minutes remaining. On Texas’ first play, Chris Simms dropped back into the end zone. Williams leaped into the air and hit Simms while he was throwing. Lehman caught the fluttering pass and returned it 2 yards for a touchdown. Williams would collect an interception later to help the Sooners close it out.

Oklahoma, the defending national champion, won its 18th straight game overall.

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1999: Texas 38, Oklahoma 28

The first matchup between Texas coach Mack Brown and Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops was a doozy that started with trickery.

Oklahoma offensive coordinator Mike Leach wrote up a fake play script for the start of the game and hatched an elaborate plan to have it left near the Texas bench in pregame warmups. It worked when the Longhorns found the script and, thinking they knew the Sooners’ game plan, were lining up in all the wrong places.

Josh Heupel, who would lead the Sooners to the national championship in 2000, had 181 yards passing and two touchdowns as Oklahoma raced to a 17-0 lead. Texas defensive coordinator Carl Reese eventually trashed the bogus script and the Longhorns staged their biggest rally in nearly 35 years to win.

1984: Oklahoma 15, Texas 15

Before the game, Sooners freshman linebacker Brian Bosworth — a native Oklahoman — declared: “I hate Texas, I hate (Texas coach) Freddie Akers and I hate that burnt orange color. It reminds me of people’s vomit.”

On a rainy, soggy day at the Cotton Bowl, No. 3 Oklahoma led the top-ranked Longhorns 15-10 late in the third quarter before a safety pulled Texas within three. Texas was driving for the winning touchdown when an apparent Oklahoma interception was ruled out of bounds. With 4 seconds left, Texas’ Jeff Ward kicked a game-tying field goal. Switzer chased the game officials to yell at them.

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″Oklahoma fans were mad,” Ward told the AP in 2000. “Texas fans were mad. Everybody was shouting. You felt miserable because of the rain.”

Bosworth respected Texas even less for the tie as the years went by.

“‘They came and did the unthinkable, trying to tie it up,″ Bosworth said in 2000. ″They were the No. 1 team. That was like shooting themselves in the head.’

___

AP Sports Writer Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas contributed to this report.

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What will the weather be like on Christmas Day in OKC? See 2024 Christmas forecast

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What will the weather be like on Christmas Day in OKC? See 2024 Christmas forecast


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Oklahoma City won’t have a white Christmas in 2024, but we also won’t be breaking any high temperature records.

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Here’s what you need to know about the Christmas forecast in OKC and across Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Christmas 2024 forecast

According to the National Weather Service, it will be cloudy but dry on Christmas Day in Oklahoma.

A chance of rain will increase in the late evening hours.

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Here are the forecasted highs and lows across central, western and northern Oklahoma:

  • Oklahoma City: Low of 44°F, high of 52°F
  • Enid: Low of 36°F, high of 50°F
  • Lawton: Low of 46°F, high of 57°F
  • Woodward: Low of 30°F, high of 52°F
  • Ada: Low of 46°F, high of 56°F



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Former Oklahoma State DC Bryan Nardo Expected to Join Charlotte Staff

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Former Oklahoma State DC Bryan Nardo Expected to Join Charlotte Staff


Oklahoma State’s former defensive coordinator is wasting no time finding another gig.

On Monday, Doug Samuels of FootballScoop reported that Bryan Nardo is expected to join the defensive staff at Charlotte. One of the most recent teams to jump to the FBS level, Charlotte could soon be adding a coach with Big 12 experience.

Nardo spent the past two seasons in Stillwater as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator. While his first season wasn’t necessarily the most impressive, it seemed his adjustments and overall scheme were key in OSU’s ascension to a 10-win season and Big 12 Championship appearance.

However, everything fell apart for Nardo in year 2. With the Cowboys ranking among the bottom 10 in the FBS in most statistical categories, OSU’s defense was the main issue in the team’s winless Big 12 campaign.

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However, not all of the blame for OSU’s three-win season can be placed on Nardo. OSU’s offense also struggled mightily throughout the season, but the injuries piling up for the OSU defense sealed Nardo’s fate.

With future NFL players Collin Oliver and Nick Martin not playing a snap after September, the Cowboys were without their anchors and other injuries piled up from there. With a myriad of backups and players not playing in their natural positions, Nardo had no true opportunities to run his desired scheme. Still, OSU’s horrendous rankings and results on the field were still too much to overlook as the team overhauled virtually its entire staff this offseason.

With Nardo heading east, the Cowboys hired Todd Grantham as his replacement shortly after the position opened. Nardo is also not the first former OSU defensive coordinator to head to Charlotte.

After being let go following the 2017 season, Glenn Spencer went to Charlotte and was its defensive coordinator for the 2018 season.

Want to join the discussion? Like Oklahoma State Cowboys on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

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Navy Midshipmen Keys to Beating Oklahoma Sooners in Armed Forces Bowl

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Navy Midshipmen Keys to Beating Oklahoma Sooners in Armed Forces Bowl


The Armed Forces Bowl is the Navy Midshipmen’s kind of bowl game. As they prepare to take on the Oklahoma Sooners, they are familiar with the surroundings at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

Kickoff on Friday is at noon eastern on ESPN.

This is Navy’s (9-3) third appearance in the Armed Forces Bowl, as they beat Middle Tennessee in 2013 and then played a highly-dramatic affair with Louisiana Tech in 2016, which Navy lost 48-45.

At stake for the Midshipmen is their first 10-win season under second-year coach Brian Newberry and their sixth 10-win season in program history. Also with the win the Midshipmen can double their win total from a season ago in Newberry’s debut.

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All in all, it would be the capper for a successful second year under their former defensive coordinator.

Oklahoma (6-6) is coming off a sluggish debut in the SEC, where at times the Sooners struggled to score points but scored a huge elite season win over Alabama, a victory that likely kept the Crimson Tide out of the College Football Playoff.

Third-year coach Brent Venables is also dealing with losing players to the transfer portal and two potential defensive stars who may not play in the game as they prepare for the NFL.

How does Navy win? Here are three keys to watch.  

Wanna see a simple cause-and-effect relationship?

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In Navy’s nine wins, the Midshipmen have outscored teams 104-7 in points off turnovers. The only team to score any points off a Navy turnover in those nine games? Incredibly, it was Bucknell in the season opener.

In the Midshipmen’s three losses, Navy has been outscored 48-0 in points off turnovers.

Navy needs to avoid turnovers, avoid giving up points when it turns the ball over. It also needs to force turnovers and score points off those turnovers.

Yes, that’s rather simple. But the Midshipmen are polar opposite teams in this category, which means that first turnover of the game, whoever commits it, could be telling.

It’s not as if Navy is going to become a different team than it was against Army West Point, and certainly quarterback Blake Hovarth’s ability to throw the ball as a differentiator. But, the Midshipmen just need to be who they are.

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Navy is averaging 249.3 rushing yards per game, the seventh-best average in FBS and the program’s best since 2019.

Navy hasn’t played Oklahoma in decades comma but Army played the Sooners recently in Norman. Back in 2018, OU needed overtime to beat Army, 28-21. Oklahoma doesn’t see option teams at all during the season. That’s an edge for Navy.

Oklahoma has had some turnover at quarterback since the end of the regular season. Starter Jackson Arnold transferred to Auburn and another quarterback is in the portal.

The Sooners expect to start Michael Hawkins Jr. behind center, who actually began the season as the starting quarterback. So Navy’s defensive staff will need to break down some tape from earlier in the season.

He has 536 passing yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He’s a solid runner. But he was benched for fumbling the ball multiple times against South Carolina. Ball protection is key against Navy, which does a good job of creating turnovers. Pressure on Hawkins will be a difference-maker in the game.

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