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.
Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Sign up for our FREE HS newsletter.
Oklahoma
Beers, Verhulst Named to Preseason All-SEC Coaches Team – University of Oklahoma
On Oct. 13, a panel of media that cover the league picked Oklahoma to finish fifth and named Beers a first-team honoree.
Beers, a senior from Littleton, Colo., was named an All-SEC First Team selection last season after averaging 17.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 assists per game last season. A finalist for the 2025 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award, she led the SEC in player efficiency rating (35.9) and was the only player in the nation to average at least 31.0 points and 16.0 rebounds per 40 minutes. She was also a preseason All-SEC first-team selection by the league’s media and an AP All-America honorable mention.
Verhulst, a redshirt senior from De Soto, Kan., was an All-SEC Second Team selection last season when she averaged a career-high 14.9 points per game, shooting 42% from the field and 35% from deep. She was one of only two players nationally to average at least 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists in under 30 minutes per game.
Oklahoma was picked fourth by the coaches, trailing Texas, South Carolina and LSU, and ahead of Tennessee, who was picked fifth.
Led by fifth-year head coach Jennie Baranczyk, Oklahoma returns the second-highest percentage of scoring (60.3%) in the SEC, led by Beers (17.3 PPG), Verhulst (14.9) and Sahara Williams (10.6). The Sooners enter the season ranked sixth in the Associated Press preseason poll, their highest ranking to open a season since 2009-10. Baranczyk also added the nation’s No. 8 recruiting class, highlighted by the country’s No. 1 freshman, Aaliyah Chavez.
Fans can get an early look at the Sooners in an Oct. 29 exhibition vs. Oklahoma Christian set for 6 p.m. in Norman. Admission to the exhibition is free as no television broadcast is scheduled. Fans can listen to a radio broadcast on the Sooner Sports Radio Network and Varsity App.
Oklahoma opens the regular season Nov. 3 against Belmont at Lloyd Noble Center at 4:30 p.m. CT.
Season tickets are on sale now starting at just $99 for general admission. Single-game tickets and mini plans are also available. For more information, contact the OU Athletics Ticket Office at 405-325-2424, email outickets@ou.edu or visit SoonerSports.com/Tickets.
Courtside seats for the 2025–26 season are now available on the west sideline and south baseline near the Oklahoma bench. Fans interested in more information should contact the Sooner Club at (405) 325-8000 or soonerclub@ou.edu.
Stay connected with Oklahoma Women’s Basketball by following the Sooners on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Want to make an impact? Join the 3-Point Club and help power the program’s continued success.
MEDIA POLL
- Texas
- South Carolina
- LSU
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Ole Miss
- Kentucky
- Vanderbilt
- Alabama
- Florida
- Georgia
- Mississippi State
- Texas A&M
- Missouri
- Auburn
- Arkansas
PRESEASON ALL-SEC (COACHES)
First Team All-SEC
Flau’jae Johnson, LSU
Mikaylah Williams, LSU
Raegan Beers, Oklahoma
Joyce Edwards, South Carolina
Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina
Talaysia Cooper, Tennessee
Madison Booker, Texas*
Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
* SEC Preseason Player of the Year
Second Team All-SEC
Essence Cody, Alabama
Liv McGill, Florida
Teonni Key, Kentucky
Clara Strack, Kentucky
Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss
Payton Verhulst, Oklahoma
MiLaysia Fulwiley, South Carolina
Rori Harmon, Texas
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State on Verge of Elimination from Bowl Contention
Oklahoma State is set for more Big 12 action this weekend, but it could make the inevitable official.
On Saturday, OSU will head to Lubbock to face No. 14 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are coming off their first loss of the season but still have arguably the best team in the Big 12. As one of the frontrunners for the conference’s spot in the College Football Playoff, they shouldn’t have many issues taking care of business against an OSU team that hasn’t won a Big 12 game since 2023.
Along with being on a years-long drought in conference play, the Cowboys haven’t beaten an FBS team since September 2024. With this being the eighth game of the season, that also means OSU is down to its final hopes of making a bowl game.
Of course, the Cowboys have effectively been out of bowl contention since losing to Tulsa. While at that point there were still plenty of games left to play, that loss showed that OSU might not be ready to compete with anyone of note.
That assumption turned out to be entirely correct, as OSU hasn’t had another game within one possession since that loss to its in-state rival, which also led to the firing of Mike Gundy. While falling out of bowl contention seemed inevitable for the Pokes for much of the season, this weekend could be when it officially becomes reality.
Sitting at 1-6, the Cowboys would need to rattle off five straight wins to get to bowl eligibility. Considering they will start that journey as nearly 40-point underdogs in Lubbock this weekend, it’s safe to say that won’t happen.
While this is the reality OSU football is in at this point, it’s still a stark reminder of how quickly things can change in college football. Just two years ago, OSU won 10 games, made the Big 12 title game, which led to an appearance in the Texas Bowl, marking the Pokes’ 18th straight bowl appearance.
The last time OSU missed bowl games in consecutive seasons was 2000-01, when Bob Simmons’ final season and Les Miles’ first season at the helm both ended with losing records. Of course, Gundy missed a bowl game only twice in his 20 full seasons as the Cowboys’ head coach, but this year likely would have been his third had he gotten the opportunity to see it through.
While nothing about OSU’s outlook will change on Saturday when the Cowboys are likely eliminated from bowl contention, it is still a reminder of how far the program has fallen.
Oklahoma
Thunder receive NBA championship rings, raise title banner: Check it out
NBA teams with most pressure in 2025-26
Breaking down which NBA teams are under the most pressure to win going into the 2025-26 season.
The 2025-26 NBA season started Tuesday night in Oklahoma City as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder hosted Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.
Before tip-off, the Thunder celebrated their 2024-25 NBA championship season and raised their first title banner since the organization moved to Oklahoma City.
OKC players were greeted by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as they were introduced to the home crowd and received their championship rings.
Here’s how the players reacted to the championship rings and banner being raised:
Thunder receive championship rings, raise title banner
Here’s a detailed view of the Thunder’s new bling:
-
World3 days agoIsrael continues deadly Gaza truce breaches as US seeks to strengthen deal
-
News2 days agoVideo: Federal Agents Detain Man During New York City Raid
-
Technology3 days agoAI girlfriend apps leak millions of private chats
-
News3 days agoTrump news at a glance: president can send national guard to Portland, for now
-
Business3 days agoUnionized baristas want Olympics to drop Starbucks as its ‘official coffee partner’
-
News2 days agoBooks about race and gender to be returned to school libraries on some military bases
-
Politics3 days agoTrump admin on pace to shatter deportation record by end of first year: ‘Just the beginning’
-
Science3 days ago
Peanut allergies in children drop following advice to feed the allergen to babies, study finds