Oklahoma

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

Published

1 year ago

October 11, 2024

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

″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.

Source link

Related Topics:College Football Featured Wires bot

Click to comment

Oklahoma

Oklahoma adds explosive 4-star commit on offense

Published

1 hour ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Oklahoma adds explosive 4-star commit on offense appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2026 college football season is still months away from kicking off, but coaches are already hitting the College football Recruiting trail for players in the class of 2027. Oklahoma has already landed some talented players.

Now, they have added another solid player, according to Hayes Fawcett of On3.

Athlete Greydon Howell, rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals, has committed to Oklahoma. Howell is from Broken Bow, Oklahoma, and chose to go to the Sooners over Oklahoma State, Miami, Penn State, Stanford, and Arkansas. He visited Oklahoma over the weekend, attending a recruiting event.

The 4-star recruit has been a dominant force at his high school in the sports landscape. He plays football, basketball, baseball, and track. This past season, he played quarterback for his team, passing for 2,817 yards with 27 scores, while adding 1,514 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground. He is expected to play wide receiver for the Sooners.

Rivals ranks him as the 13th best athlete in the nation, and 425th overall. Still, other ranking services have him lower. 247Sports has Howell ranked as a three-star player and the 25th best athlete in the nation.

Regardless, it is another major signing for Brent Venables and the Sooners. They have 19 commitments so far, and have the number one-ranked class for 2027 according to 247Sports. They have been great at keeping in-state guys at Oklahoma. Kaeden Penny is the top player in the state for the class of 2027, and he is going to Oklahoma. Cooper Hackett is ranked third in the state and is also a future Sooner.

The Sooners open their 2026 campaign on September 5 against Utep.

Oklahoma Sooners land 4-star safety over Florida, Georgia

Oklahoma lands top tight end over Kentucky, Notre Dame

Source link

Oklahoma

OSSAA unveils Class 6A-2A basketball state tournament brackets, schedule

Published

14 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

OSSAA unveils Class 6A-2A basketball state tournament brackets, schedule

The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association has released the brackets for Classes 6A-2A state basketball tournaments which run March 10-14.

Games will be played at OG&E Coliseum, Lloyd Noble Center, Carl Albert and Yukon.

All championship game will be played at OG&E Coliseum with Class 6A, 4A boys and girls on Friday and the others on Saturday.

Action begins Tuesday with Class 4A quarterfinals at OG&E Coliseum.

Here is the full schedule.

Order book on Oklahoma HS basketball at ‘The Big House’

Class 6A Boys

Wednesday’s Games

At Lloyd Noble Center

Norman vs. Tulsa Union, 4:30 p.m.

Owasso vs. Southmoore, 6 p.m.

Putnam North vs. Piedmont, 7:30 p.m.

Mustang vs. Edmond Santa Fe, 9 p.m.

Thursday’s Games

At Carl Albert

Norman-Tulsa Union winner vs. Owasso-Southmoore winner, 5:30 p.m.

Mustang-Edmond Santa Fe winner vs. Putnam North-Piedmont winner, 7 p.m.

Friday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 6 p.m.

Class 6A Girls

Wednesday’s Games

At Lloyd Noble Center

Putnam North vs. Edmond North, 9 a.m.

Choctaw vs. Bixby, 10:30 a.m.

Mustang vs. Bartlesville, Noon

Muskogee vs. Westmoore, 1:30 p.m.

Thursday’s Games

At Carl Albert

Mustang-Bartlesville winner vs. Muskogee-Westmoore winner, 1 p.m.

Choctaw-Bixby winner vs. Putnam North-Edmond North, 2:30 p.m.

Friday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 1 p.m.

Class 5A Boys

Thursday’s Games

At Lloyd Noble Center

Tulsa Booker T. Washington vs. Carl Albert, 4:30 p.m.

Del City vs. Collinsville, 6 p.m.

Newcastle vs. Tulsa East Central, 7:30 p.m.

Tulsa Memorial vs. Midwest City, 9 p.m.

Friday’s Games

At Lloyd Noble Center

Del City-Collinsville winner vs. Tulsa Booker T. Washington-Carl Albert winner, 2 p.m.

Newcastle-Tulsa East Central winner vs. Tulsa Memorial-Midwest City winner, 5 p.m.

Saturday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 6:45 p.m.

Class 5A Girls

Thursday’s Games

At Lloyd Noble Center

Newcastle vs. Glenpool, 9 a.m.

Tulsa Booker T. Washington vs. Bishop McGuinness, 10:30 a.m.

Del City vs. Shawnee, Noon

Tulsa East Central vs. Carl Albert, 1:30 p.m.

Friday’s Games

At Lloyd Noble Center

Del City-Shawnee winner vs. Tulsa East Central-Carl Albert winner, 11 a.m.

Newcastle-Glenpool winner vs. Tulsa Booker T. Washington-Bishop McGuinness winner, 12:30 p.m.

Saturday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 1:30 p.m.

Class 4A Boys

Tuesday’s Games

At OG&E Coliseum

Blanchard vs. Cascia Hall, 4:30 p.m.

North Rock Creek vs. Fort Gibson, 6 p.m.

Catoosa vs. Mount St. Mary, 7:30 p.m.

Douglass vs. Bethany, 9 p.m.

Thursday’s Games

At Yukon High School

Douglass-Bethany winner vs. Catoosa-Mount St. Mary winner, 1 p.m.

North Rock Creek-Fort Gibson winner vs. Blanchard-Cascia Hall winner, 3 p.m.

Friday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 2:45 p.m.

Class 4A Girls

Tuesday’s Games

At OG&E Coliseum

McLoud vs. Harrah, 9 a.m.

Lincoln Christian vs. Kingfisher, 10:30 a.m.

Weatherford vs. Locust Grove, Noon

Douglass vs. Broken Bow, 1:30 p.m.

Thursday’s Games

At Yukon High School

Lincoln Christian-Kingfisher winner vs. McLoud-Harrah winner, 6 p.m.

Douglass-Broken Bow winner vs. Weatherford-Locust Grove, 8 p.m.

Friday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 7:45 p.m.

Class 3A Boys

Wednesday’s Games

At OG&E Coliseum

Kingston vs. Wyandotte, 4:30 p.m.

Millwood vs. Community Christian, 6 p.m.

Eufaula vs. Roland, 7:30 p.m.

Heritage Hall vs. Rejoice Christian, 9 p.m.

Friday’s Games

At Lloyd Noble Center

Millwood-Community winner vs. Kingston-Wyandotte winner, 6:30 p.m.

Heritage Hall-Rejoice Christian winner vs. Eufaula-Roland, 8 p.m.

Saturday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 5 p.m.

Class 3A Girls

Wednesday’s Games

At OG&E Coliseum

Washington vs. Metro Christian, 9 a.m.

Spiro vs. Alva/Freedom, 10:30 a.m.

Anadarko vs. Adair, Noon

Sequoyah Tahlequah vs. Millwood, 1:30 p.m.

Friday’s Games

At OG&E Coliseum

Washington-Metro Christian winner vs. Spiro-Alva winner, 10 a.m.

Sequoyah Tahlequah-Millwood winner vs. Anadarko-Adair winner, 11:30 a.m.

Saturday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 10 a.m.

Class 2A Boys

Thursday’s Games

At OG&E Coliseum

Dale vs. Vanoss, 4:30 p.m.

Oklahoma Christian Academy vs. Latta, 6 p.m.

Fairland vs. Riverside, 7:30 p.m.

Hartshorne vs. Wewoka, 9 p.m.

Friday’s Games

At Yukon High School

Dale-Vanoss winner vs. OCA-Latta winner, 3 p.m.

Hartshorne-Wewoka winner vs. Fairland-Riverside winner, 5 p.m.

Saturday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 8:30 p.m.

Class 2A Girls

Thursday’s Games

At OG&E Coliseum

Howe vs. Riverside, 9 a.m.

Hartshorne vs. Fairview, 10:30 a.m.

Vanoss vs. Dale, Noon

Latta vs. Merritt, 1:30 p.m.

Friday’s Games

At Yukon High School

Howe-Riverside winner vs. Hartshorne-Fairview winner, 10 a.m.

Vanoss-Dale winner vs. Latta-Merritt winner, Noon

Saturday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 11:45 a.m.

Source link

Oklahoma

Nigel Pack, Xzayvier Brown combine for 44 points, lead Oklahoma past Texas in overtime

Published

1 day ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Nigel Pack, Xzayvier Brown combine for 44 points, lead Oklahoma past Texas in overtime

AUSTIN — Nijel Pack scored 23 points, Xzayvier Brown added 21 points, and Oklahoma beat Texas 88-85 in overtime in the final regular season game of the season for the two Southeastern Conference sides.

Pack was 7 of 14 from the field and 3 of 7 behind the arc. He scored nine points during a 14-2 second-half run that turned a tie game into a 12-point lead for the Sooners (17-14, 7-11) with fewer than seven minutes remaining. Brown was 8-of-18 shooting with four steals and led with 12 in the first half. Tae Davis added 14 points and nine rebounds.

The Longhorns (18-13, 9-9) held a 40-36 lead at halftime. They were led by Jordan Pope’s 30 points on an inefficient 8-of-25 shooting but was 7 of 18 from behind the arc. Dailyn Swain added 18 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Tramon Mark had 17 points. Matas Vokietaitis had 14 points and six rebounds.

The Sooners led by six with 36 seconds to go in regulation, but fouled Mark twice, including on a 3-point attempt that followed a turnover. Mark made all five free throws to make it a one-point game with 15 seconds left.

A pair of free throws from Davis put the Sooners up three. But Brown fouled Pope on a 3-point attempt, and Pope made all three free throws to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Pope had five in overtime and Mark three for the Longhorns, but Derrion Reid’s five points for the Sooners, including a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, put the game out of reach.

Texas lost four of their final five games to finish as the No. 10 seed in the SEC tournament.