Texas-Oklahoma is as much about Red River Rivalry’s past as its present

As much as coaches try to focus on the here and now, the Red River Showdown is always connected to its past.

At Texas (3-2, 1-1 Big 12), coach Steve Sarkisian has preached to his players about focusing just solely on Oklahoma (3-2, 0-2) in Saturday’s game at the Cotton Bowl. It’s Coaching 101, but ignores human nature.

The last time Texas beat Oklahoma was in 2018 when Sam Ehlinger outdueled Kyler Murray. Since then, the Sooners have won four straight head-to-head meetings including the Big 12 championship game.

Whole classes of Texas players are waiting for their moment.

“I haven’t won that game since I’ve been here,” running back Roschon Johnson said this week, “so it’s definitely something that needs to change.”

Defensive back Anthony Cook is one of the few remaining Texas players who enjoyed a personal moment with the Golden Hat after a Red River Showdown win.

“It’s just an amazing feeling,” Cook said. “That’s what we want. Maybe a little bit more this game than others.”

Texas could get a boost from the return of starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, who has been sidelined since the first quarter of the Alabama game in Week 2 with a collarbone sprain. Citing sources, ESPN reported this week that Ewers would move back into the starting job ahead of Hudson Card. Sarkisian said each were as healthy as they’ve been in a month.

“Quinn is a very even-keel guy and isn’t overly emotional,” Sarkisian said. “I give him a lot of credit throughout this process of staying engaged. We’ve been pushing him for the last month, and in that aspect of it, it has been good for him because he’s made really good progress, not only for his health but schematically as well.”

Even if he was a stranger to the series until last season, Sarkisian understands that the Red River Showdown is far different than any game on the schedule. A year ago, Texas blew a 28-7 first-quarter lead and lost 55-48.

The timing may never be better for a breakthrough win and reduce scrutiny of Texas’ record away from Royal-Memorial Stadium.

“This rivalry, this game and what it all stands for in the way these two teams have played in this game for decades, we know more than ever we’re going to get the best version of them,” Sarkisian said. “We need to make sure that they get the best version of us.”

If Texas is looking to correct everything that’s transpired in the past few years, the Sooners are using the recent past as an inspiration. OU has lost two straight games under new coach Brent Venables and hasn’t lost three in a row since 1998 — the last year neither Texas nor Oklahoma was ranked when they met.

“There’s a lot of outside noise,” said receiver Marvin Mims, who had five catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns against Texas last year. “I wouldn’t call it pressure. Honestly, like us inside these walls we don’t care. We know who we are. We know what we can do. And we’re just worried about ourselves.

“We’re not worried about what everybody else is saying about us.”

Just two years ago, Oklahoma started 0-2 in the Big 12 and then survived Texas 53-45 in four overtimes to turn its season around. The Sooners would go on to win another Big 12 title and roll over Florida in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

Of course, that was a team coached by Lincoln Riley and probably blessed with better talent than the current roster.

Now, first-year coach Brent Venables is feeling the kind of spotlight generated by a blue blood falling short of expectations — and only a win or two or three will dim it.

In losses to Kansas State and TCU, Oklahoma has allowed 96 points and 636 yards rushing. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel is nursing a concussion sustained on a jarring hit against TCU and his status is uncertain for the game.

Venables wasn’t around for the Sooners’ rebound in 2020. Instead, he’s drawing on how Clemson turned things around in 2021, his final season as defensive coordinator.

“That team made a decision to get better and not allow themselves to be influenced by the outside noise, only be influenced by a straining to do everything you can to improve every day,” Venables said. “One practice, one meeting at a time. That’s literally how you do it. And not allow seeds of doubt or seeds of division to come into the locker room.”

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