Oklahoma
See how local Texas and Oklahoma commits fared the night before the Red River Rivalry game
Texas and Oklahoma will play for the 120th time Saturday, with UT leading the series 63-51-5.
They have played annually at the State Fair of Texas since 1929, according to The Associated Press, and when the Longhorns (5-0, 1-0) and Sooners (4-1, 1-1) meet Saturday for the first time as members of the SEC, it will be the first time in 40 years that Texas will play in the rivalry as the nation’s No. 1 team.
Both schools have recruiting classes that are among the best in the nation for the Class of 2025, with UT ranked No. 6 and OU No. 11. Each team has six commits from the Dallas area, and here is a look at how they did Friday night.
The five-star recruit, rated the third-best wide receiver in the nation, had four catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns in a 63-7 rout of North Garland. For the season, he has 30 catches for 454 yards and six touchdowns for District 9-6A leader Sachse (6-1, 5-0).
The four-star recruit, rated the ninth-best linebacker in the nation, helped hold Lancaster to 10 first-half points before Lancaster rallied for a 30-19 win. Barnes came into the game averaging 12.4 tackles per game, with 62 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and five sacks in five games.
The four-star recruit flipped his commitment from Florida State to Texas on Thursday. The 20th-ranked player in the state had six catches for 86 yards and three touchdowns in a 70-0 rout of Frisco Independence. McCutcheon has 37 catches for 518 yards and 10 touchdowns for Lovejoy (4-2, 4-0), which has won four in a row and is tied with Prosper Walnut Grove for first place in District 4-5A Division II.
The nation’s 11th-ranked team allowed just 160 total yards, including 69 yards on 32 carries on the ground, in a 66-7 win over Mansfield Lake Ridge. North Crowley (6-0, 2-0) has outscored the opposition 327-124 and is a half-game behind District 3-6A leader Crowley.
Cedar Hill had 473 yards of total offense, including 308 on the ground, in a 28-14 win over Mesquite. Cedar Hill (3-3, 2-1) is tied with back-to-back 6A Division II state champion DeSoto for third place in District 11-6A, one game behind Duncanville and Lancaster.
Lewisville (4-2, 3-0) dominated on the ground, rushing for 349 yards as it beat Flower Mound 45-17 and remained tied with Coppell for first place in District 5-6A. Fasusi, a five-star recruit, is rated the third-best offensive lineman and 13th-best overall player in the nation.
The four-star recruit, a transfer from Carl Albert (Okla.) and the No. 2-ranked quarterback in the Dallas area, accounted for 241 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-10 win over Hebron. Sperry has thrown for 1,120 yards and 13 touchdowns and run for 306 yards and a score as Guyer (4-2, 2-1) is one game behind District 5-6A co-leaders Coppell and Lewisville.
The four-star recruit had five catches for 103 yards and a touchdown in a 30-19 win against Skyline. Choice has 30 receptions for 525 yards and four touchdowns as Lancaster (3-3, 3-0) has won three in a row and is tied with back-to-back Class 6A Division I state champion Duncanville for first place in District 11-6A.
Ennis beat Greenville 52-15 after losing four of its first five games. Harris entered Friday averaging 103.6 receiving yards per game, with 30 catches for 518 yards and three touchdowns. He had also thrown a touchdown pass and run for 142 yards and two scores.
Emerson led 17-14 at halftime but lost 44-31 to Anna. Hawkins, the nation’s 47th-ranked cornerback, is the brother of Michael Hawkins Jr., who will be the first true freshman quarterback to ever start for Oklahoma against Texas on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl.
The nation’s 59th-ranked interior offensive lineman had a bye in Week 7.
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Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys play in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-0) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (6-3)
Oklahoma City; Saturday, 1 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma takes on Oklahoma State at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The Sooners are 6-3 in non-conference play. Oklahoma is 1-0 in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Cowboys are 9-0 in non-conference play. Oklahoma State ranks eighth in the Big 12 with 16.9 assists per game led by Jaylen Curry averaging 5.1.
Oklahoma averages 84.7 points, 8.3 more per game than the 76.4 Oklahoma State gives up. Oklahoma State scores 16.3 more points per game (91.3) than Oklahoma gives up to opponents (75.0).
TOP PERFORMERS: Nijel Pack is scoring 17.2 points per game with 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists for the Sooners. Tae Davis is averaging 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 53.3%.
Vyctorius Miller is averaging 15.9 points for the Cowboys. Parsa Fallah is averaging 14.6 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners 2026 Football Schedule Revealed
The Oklahoma Sooners are trying to finish the 2025 college football season with a championship run that begins with a first-round playoff matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide on Dec. 19 in Norman. After a 10-2 season, the Sooners found out during the SEC schedule reveal when they’ll play their 2026 opponents.
New to the SEC schedule this year is a nine-game conference slate. Also, Oklahoma will begin at least a four-year stretch with permanent rivals Texas, Missouri, and Ole Miss.
The Sooners open the season with nonconference matchups against UTEP, Michigan, and New Mexico. Michigan will be breaking in a new head coach after the surprising dismissal of Sherrone Moore.
Oklahoma will go on the road for their first conference game, taking on the defending SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs on Sept. 26. That marks the first time the Sooners will play in Athens for the first time in the history of the program. The Bulldogs own the only win in the series, which came in the infamous 2017 Rose Bowl. If the Sooners were to play the Dawgs in the 2025 College Football Playoff, it would come in the national championship game.
After the trip to Georgia, Oklahoma will have its only bye week of the season before facing the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Showdown on Oct. 10 in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The Sooners will return home to play the Kentucky Wildcats on Oct. 17. Kentucky will have a first-time head coach in Will Stein, leading the Wildcats to Norman for the first time since 1980.
Then, Oklahoma will go to Starkville to take on former offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby and the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Oct. 24 before closing the month welcoming another former assistant in Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks on Oct. 31.
Then begins the month that will decide the Sooners’ College Football Playoff fates. They’ll open November with a road trip to the Swamp to take on the Florida Gators on Nov. 7. The last time the Sooners took on the Gators, Oklahoma earned a 55-20 win in the 2020 Alamo Bowl.
The Sooners will then return home on Nov. 14 to take on the Ole Miss Rebels in Norman for the second year in a row. Oklahoma lost a heartbreaker to the Rebels at the end of October, but that gave way to a magical November run that catapulted the Sooners into the College Football Playoff.
After the Rebels come to town, the Sooners will welcome the Texas A&M Aggies on Nov. 21. Texas A&M hasn’t been to Norman since a 41-25 win by Oklahoma. Landry Jones threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns, and Blake Bell ran for two scores out of the Belldozer package.
The Sooners will then close the season on the road against the Missouri Tigers. The former Big 8 and Big 12 foes have split their two contests as members of the SEC, each team winning at home. Oklahoma owns a decisive 68-25-5 record over the Tigers dating back to 1902.
There will be big expectations for the Sooners coming off of a 10-2 season and a College Football Playoff berth. They’ll bring back a lot of talent from this year’s roster, but 2026 will provide new challenges.
Oklahoma Sooners 2026 Schedule
- Sept. 5 vs. UT-El Paso Miners in Norman, Okla.
- Sept. 12 at Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Sept. 19 vs. New Mexico Lobos in Norman, Okla.
- Sept. 26 at Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, Georgia
- Oct. 3 BYE WEEK
- Oct. 10 vs. Texas Longhorns in Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas
- Oct. 17 vs. Kentucky Wildcats in Norman, Okla.
- Oct. 24 at Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss.
- Oct. 31 vs. South Carolina Gamecocks in Norman, Okla.
- Nov. 7 at Florida Gators in Gainesville, Fla.
- Nov. 14 vs. Ole Miss Rebels in Norman, Okla.
- Nov. 21 vs. Texas A&M Aggies in Norman, Okla.
- Nov. 28 at Missouri Tigers in Columbia, Missouri
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s Tate Sandell on CFP, Groza Award: ‘This Is What Eighth-Grade Me Dreamed Of’
NORMAN — To say that Oklahoma’s Tate Sandell has become a legitimate weapon for the College Football Playoff-bound Sooners would be putting it lightly.
The Sooners’ dynamite placekicker has already wrapped up First Team All-SEC honors and Special Teams Player of the Year in the conference.
Now, Sandell hopes to check a few more boxes off his wish list as early as Friday.
“It’s what me in eighth grade dreamed of in high school,” Sandell said on Wednesday when asked about the season he’s had. “These are all things you think about when you’re lying in bed, like, this is really happening. This is something that you work for, and it’s just such a blessing.”
Sandell is 23-of-24 on field goals this season — hitting 23 in a row since he missed his first kick of the season against Michigan. Not only is this consistency a school record at OU, but it’s a single-season record in the SEC as well.
Sandell has had a busy week already. He’s been jetting around the country doing community events for the Lou Groza Award — the coveted trophy that goes the the nation’s best kicker every season. He will find out Friday night if he will take the award home during the Home Depot College Football Awards show (ESPN, 6 p.m.).
Should Sandell win, he will become the first Sooner kicker to win the award.
More Oklahoma Football
“That’d be great, but it’s not in my hands,” Sandell said. “That’s not what I set out to win this season; it’s just to win games and make kicks, and that’s just a byproduct of our work. If that happens, that’s great.”
Sandell is up for the award against Hawaii kicker Kansei Matsuzawa and Georgia Tech’s Aidan Birr. Each kicker has their résumé that demands respect, yet it appears that Sandell is the favorite to win.
The University of Texas-San Antonio transfer did it in big moments in ballyhooed environments. Sandell’s four field goals, where he made three 50-plus yarders — 55, 51 and 55 — was a Neyland Stadium record So was the distance. Oklahoma’s “Red November” run, in large part, was aided by Sandell’s big leg.
“My swing is my swing,” Sandell said. “I’m not going to try to be somebody I’m not or swing like I’m not. I’m not going to swing out of my shoes. I’m going to give myself the best opportunity to make the kick as possible, and if it goes in, great. If it’s not, then it is what it is.”
“Another guy that’s a team guy, hasn’t flinched,” said head coach Brent Venables. “He’s been Boomer Sooner since the moment he signed his contract. And then he’s been just a stud when it comes to leading and just being a really good teammate.”
Humble he may be, but the Groza Award would be a cherry on top for any college kicker. Still, Sandell’s main focus is on Oklahoma’s rematch with Alabama on Dec. 19.
And yet, Oklahoma’s placekicker is not short on confidence — in himself, or his team.
“For us, it’s not about who we play,” Sandell said. “If we play our brand of football, we can compete with anybody in the country.”
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