AUSTIN – Steve Sarkisian wants to run the ball well against Oklahoma.
Check that. The fifth-year Texas head coach KNOWS he has to run the ball well versus the Sooners’ dominant defense.
He doesn’t really need to check the history books to realize that.
After all, the Longhorns have beaten the crimson and cream three of the last four years in large part by running the ball.
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Last year, Texas didn’t score on the ground but ran for a decent 136 yards in the Cotton Bowl. OU had a paltry 48 yards rushing. Texas won, 23-6.
The year before, Texas had 177 yards rushing and two touchdowns, one on a 43-yard run by Quintrevion Wisner. The Sooners? They totaled 89 yards. Texas won, 34-3.
In 2022, the burnt orange dominated in this game, running for 296 yards. Some guy named Bijan Robinson stepped off 130 yards and scored twice. OU managed 156 yards rushing but didn’t score. The scoreboard showed Texas 59, Other guys 0.
Three games. Three Longhorn wins. Three ground attacks ranging from respectable to outstanding. Those are just the most recent examples.
If you want to go back, consider that nine of the last 10 winners in this series out-rushed the loser with Texas the lone exception in 2018 when it was outgained on the ground by OU and still won. Further confirmation shows the best rushing team has claimed victory in 18 of the last 20 meetings.
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This year figures to be no different because the team that runs the ball the best will keep its defense fresher, will own the time of possession and won’t subject its quarterback to a relentless pass rush. And keeping Arch Manning upright and with time to find his receivers is critical to Texas’ chances of leaving the Cotton Bowl undefeated.
“We’re always trying to run the ball. And this game obviously carries that weight,” Sarkisian said Thursday. “We know the value of running the football, and so then we’ve got to find a way to do it.”
He did get some good news as Hollywood Smothers, part of the Longhorns’ impressive backfield tandem, was pronounced healthy for Saturday’s 2:45 p.m. game after suiting up for the Tennessee game but never seeing the field. Smothers and Raleek Brown have gained 394 yards between them, but the Texas running attack ranks only a pedestrian 88th nationally. OU’s even worse, ranked 131st out of 136 teams.
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Against Tennessee two weeks ago, the Longhorns netted just 61 yards after the lost yardage from the six sacks of Manning are figured in. Repeat that Saturday, and the touchdown-underdog Sooners could emerge with the upset of the year and salvage their season.
It’s imperative that the offensive line show up in a big way. That’s been a major shortcoming in the team’s first four games even though a mock NFL draft by The Athletic this week listed Texas tackles Trevor Goosby and Melvin Siani as a pair of first-round picks next spring.
Throw in three other high-profile prospects in edge rusher Colin Simmons, wide receiver Cam Coleman and Manning among the first nine projected selections, according to Sports Illustrated, and the Longhorns should have a decided manpower advantage.
That said, the OU defense is beyond stout. It’s ranked fifth in the country and allows just 16 points a game. Sarkisian has more than a little respect for the Sooners’ interior defensive linemen in David Stone and Jayden Jackson.
“They’re elite. Those two guys, Jayden and David, are fantastic players,” Sarkisian said. “We recruited both of them, and they play at a high level. They’re active and physical. And with Coach (Brent) Venables’ scheme, they’ve got a lot of defense, and those guys move around and are in different spots a lot, so you don’t know where they’ll be on every play.”
Stone is also ranked high as a certain first-rounder on those NFL draft lists.
But Sarkisian also singled out linebackers Kip Lewis and Owen Heinecke as difference-makers on the OU defense. He pointed out the Sooners have allowed as much as 300 total yards in just one game this fall, that coming against Georgia, which had 303 but scored 17 points off OU’s four turnovers.
“We’d be remiss not to talk about Kip Lewis and Owen Heinecke, the corners and the safeties. These guys are good,” he said, adding that the Bulldogs benefited because they ran back a fumble for a 90-yard score and started another possession inside the OU 10. “Georgia had only six carries that went five yards or more in the game. This is a very good defensive front and a very good defense. It’s very challenging, and we’ve definitely got our work cut out for us.”
The return of Smothers should pay dividends immediately because he’s an electric back and elite pass-receiver.
“He runs hard, and he’s a vertical runner,” Sarkisian said. “He runs through arm tackles, he hits holes and so there is a change of pace. I don’t think he and Raleek run the same style. He’s been sorely missed.”
Texas would be wise to use its outside zone plays to get on the perimeter because Smothers, Brown and even freshman Derrek Cooper can do some damage in daylight. Cooper has missed time with an ankle injury, and Smothers sat out Tennessee.
“Ideally, we have all three of those guys ready to go,” Sarkisian said. “But I’m very comfortable if we have two. But I don’t know if any of them are going to be 100% the rest of the way. I mean, they play running back.”
It’s hardly the only factor in this rivalry game, which can turn on a dime. And Texas got a boost Thursday when it landed four-star running back Micah Rhodes, a former Oklahoma commit, to headline the Longhorns’ 2028 recruiting class. The 5-9, 180-pound junior from Klein Oak is ranked the eighth best running back in the nation, according to 247Sports, and the 135th ranked national prospect.
But Sarkisian dismisses the betting line and sure doesn’t expect to see a flawed Sooners team on the other sideline.
“They’re a very talented team, and they’ve got good coaches,” he said. “Sometimes things just do’t go your way. Hopefully, they don’t figure it out Saturday either, and hopefully we can cause a little more chaos for them. But I know we’re going to get their best shot.”
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This article originally published at How can Texas beat OU for a third year in a row? It all starts on the ground for Longhorns.