Texas
No 6. Oklahoma vs. Texas: Sooners Wire Staff Predictions
The Red River Showdown takes college football’s center stage in just over 24 hours. The Sooners are 5-0 and 1-0 in the SEC. Texas comes into the game 3-2 and 0-1. The Longhorns are coming off a disappointing loss to the Florida Gators last Saturday. The Sooners weren’t thrilled with their performance in a 44-0 win over Kent State, but they’ve gained some momentum heading into the game after starting quarterback John Mateer was deemed probable to play on Thursday night’s availability report.
It’s a game where rationality and reason often are thrown out the window, and this figures to be a very tight football game featuring two very good defenses. Unlike last year, though, the Sooners come into this game with a much healthier offense, one playing good complementary football to support its defense.
If the Sooners have College Football Playoff aspirations, they need to come away with another win. Here’s how our staff at Sooners Wire thinks the game will go in this week’s game predictions.
Oklahoma’s Defense the Difference
A month ago, Oklahoma-Texas figured to have College Football Playoff implications. It still does, technically, considering the Longhorns are practically eliminated with a loss. Their offense simply hasn’t lived up to preseason predictions. Thing is, Oklahoma isn’t the team to go looking for a turnaround against. A low-scoring affair could be on the agenda, especially if the Sooners don’t have John Mateer in the fold. If they do, yikes. So, let’s split the difference, score-wise.
Oklahoma 24, Texas 14
Eric Bolin, Sooners Wire Contributor
Mateer not Back? Defensive Battle
This game is challenging to predict because there are so many important questions on both sides. If John Mateer starts and goes the distance for the Sooners, I feel good about Oklahoma’s chances to win (and put up more than 14 points). However, it feels like OU is trying to get Texas to believe that Mateer will play, and I can see them using that as a smokescreen, with Michael Hawkins Jr. filling in again. It feels a little soon for Mateer to be back. If it’s Hawkins under center, I feel much less confident about OU’s chances against a very good Longhorns defense. However, Oklahoma’s defense is also for real, and the ‘Horns are sputtering offensively. This one is setting up to be a low-scoring rock fight, so Oklahoma’s defense has to be on point all day. Without Mateer, it’ll probably be up to the defense to score at least once, but give me the Sooners in a close one. Arch Manning hasn’t shown much this year, but you’d hate for this to be his breakout game as a starter. I don’t think Brent Venables and the defense let that happen.
Oklahoma 14, Texas 10
Aaron Gelvin, Sooners Wire Contributor
Coming together for the Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners defense will face its biggest test of the season against the Texas Longhorns and Arch Manning. One could make the argument that Auburn’s offensive line and wide receiver play is better than Texas but the quarterback play favors the Longhorns. The Sooners will have to prevent big plays down the field and not allow Arch to escape the pocket and make plays with his legs on a regular basis. If the Sooners contain the former five-star quarterback, they’ll be in great shape.
With John Mateer’s availability for Saturday moving to probable on Thursday night, the Sooners offense gets a boost with Mateer’s experience and playmaking ability. As long as his grip holds up under duress, he’ll be the difference maker we’ve seen all season.
Oklahoma’s special teams has been a weapon this season and will continue to be in this one.
Oklahoma 27, Texas 13
John Williams, Sooners Wire Lead Writer
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.
A day off at the pool — and a little sunburn — didn’t stop the Minnesota Twins’ momentum.
Brooks Lee hit a three-run homer as Minnesota scored multiple runs in the first inning for the third consecutive game, and the Twins went on to complete a series sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 9-3 win Thursday.
Minnesota has won four games in a row and scored 25 runs in the three-games series in Texas. The two teams had a rare, mid-series day off on Wednesday with the England-Croatia World Cup game being played in Arlington.
“We’re locked in every day,” Lee told Audra Martin on the team’s broadcast. “Yesterday, taking time off, lay out by the pool, get a little burnt and then right back to it. We did a good job getting focused. I feel like we do that with rain delays, too, just lock back in and we’re doing it.”
Lee’s 12th homer capped a four-run first off Jack Leiter (3-7). Trevor Larnach made it 6-0 in the fourth with a two-run shot to straightaway center that just cleared the extended glove of leaping Alejandro Osuna. Larnach’s third hit was an RBI single in the fifth, and Ryan Kriedler hit a two-run homer in the eighth.
Joe Ryan (5-3) struck out seven but needed 97 pitches to get through five scoreless innings while allowing three singles. Leiter was done after the fourth, and has given up 17 runs while losing three starts in a row.
The Twins never trailed in the sweep that extended their winning streak to four, matching their longest this season. Their 14-5 record at Globe Life Field is the best for any American League opponent since the ballpark opened in 2020.
Wyatt Langford, Ezequiel Duran and Justin Foscue hit solo homers for the Rangers, who have lost five of six games. They are 0-15 when giving up multiple runs in the first inning.
Twins DH Josh Bell, who was born in nearby Irving and grew up in the area, had an RBI single before Lee’s homer. Bell hit a three-run homer in the first inning of the series-opening 4-2 win Monday, and had an RBI single for a 2-0 lead in the first of a 12-2 win on Tuesday.
“We’re just passing the baton each time,” Lee said of the offensive output. “Our guys are hot. They feel good and they came out swinging today. It was awesome to see. We’ve done that for a while now.”
Up next
Twins rookie left-hander Connor Prielipp (2-4, 5.26 ERA) starts Friday at Arizona. The Diamondbacks are scheduled to start right-hander Michael Soroka (8-3, 3.11).
Watch CBS News
A Texas state trooper was killed in a crash in the Panhandle, becoming the 244th Texas Department of Public Safety officer to die in the line of duty since 1823, according to the agency.
Sergio Romero, 27, died Wednesday after a semi-truck pulled in front of him as he attempted a traffic stop around 4 p.m. on U.S. 287 in Childress County, DPS said.
In a statement, Col. Freeman F. Martin praised Romero’s courage, integrity, and service.
“Today, we grieve the loss of one of our own,” Martin said. “… Our hearts break alongside his family, friends, fellow troopers, and all who loved him. We will never forget the ultimate sacrifice he made in service of his fellow Texans.”
Romero previously served with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office before joining DPS as part of Class B-2025 in Childress, the agency said.
He is survived by his wife, Francisca, and their two young sons.
Funeral arrangements are pending. The crash remains under investigation.
-
Pennsylvania58 seconds agoPennsylvania lawmakers push for data center regulations as development accelerates
-
Rhode Island6 minutes agoRhode Island Pride marks 50th year as early marcher recalls Providence’s first parade
-
South-Carolina13 minutes agoSouth Carolina family raises awareness of rare Batten disease
-
South Dakota16 minutes agoSouth Dakota man whose life sentence was commuted by Noem now implicated in his niece’s death
-
Tennessee28 minutes ago8 Biggest Winners, 4 Losers from Tennessee Titans’ Minicamp
-
Texas31 minutes agoSweep in the heart of Texas: Twins beat Rangers again
-
Utah36 minutes agoRock Canyon fire doubles in size overnight near Arizona-Utah border
-
Vermont43 minutes agoPossible tornado causes damage in small Vermont town during Thursday’s intense storms – The Boston Globe
