Texas is gearing up for another Red River Rivalry, with a struggling Oklahoma team looming. Despite those struggles, this game takes on the energy of many rivalries: throw out the record books. Multiple struggling teams have come in and beat National Championship favorites in the Cotton Bowl. Oklahoma comes in with nothing to lose, looking to knock off the top team in the country.
For Texas to avoid that fate, here are the four boxes they need to check:
Don’t Hurt Yourself
On paper, Texas should win this game rather comfortably. One of the ways Oklahoma can pull the upset is if Texas hurts themselves. Avoiding turnovers, penalties and missed opportunities is a must for the Longhorns. Given Oklahoma’s offensive struggles, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to sustain lengthy drives vs. the Texas defense. Giving them short fields with turnovers, penalties or special teams miscues are a path for the Sooner offense to find the endzone.
Staying On Schedule
The Texas offense has been much better on third down this season, converting 50% of their opportunities. However, they’ve put themselves in 3rd and long situations far too often, particularly vs. Tennessee and Ohio State. They need to run the ball effectively on first and second down, setting themselves up for 3rd and shorts. If that happens, the Texas offense could find some rhythm against this stout defense.
Start Fast
There is an interesting variable in this game that was at play last season as well. Every Sooner fan walking into the Cotton Bowl Saturday will believe they can win but are very angry with the season results thus far. Jumping out to a 10-14 point lead would crush that Sooner belief quickly. The last two seasons, we’ve seen the Oklahoma side of the Cotton Bowl clear out in the 4th quarter. If Texas jumps on Oklahoma early, you could see those seats empty even earlier.
Keep Mateer At Home
Mateer’s rushing ability is one of the paths towards an Oklahoma upset. He’s capable of creating off-schedule and converting massive 3rd downs with his legs. The Texas pass rush will have to be careful to not give him escape routes. If they do, he can take advantage and one big play could change this game. If Texas forces the Oklahoma signal caller to beat them from the pocket, he hasn’t proven he’s up to that task.
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Texas needs to avoid self-inflicted wounds to get Red River win