Saturday’s Red River showdown may come down to one blunt question for Oklahoma: can the Sooners run the ball well enough to survive Texas?
That has not been OU’s calling card this season. The Sooners are averaging just 99.0 rushing yards per game, which ranks 131st in the FBS. But the Cotton Bowl has a way of turning this game into a tug-of-war, and the team that controls the ground game usually controls the result.
That trend has been clear for a long time. Since 2000, the team with more rushing yards is 24-2 in the rivalry, with both teams matching 124 yards in 2006. Even after the game shifted from the Cotton Bowl to AT&T Stadium for the Big 12 Championship, the formula held.
Oklahoma will need a different version of its offense to change that script. Texas is no juggernaut on the ground either, even with Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown in the backfield. The Longhorns rank 88th in rushing at 147.2 yards per game.
The Sooners’ best edge may come on the other side of the ball. Brent Venables’ defense will have to make Texas earn every yard, and OU’s run defense has been solid enough to give the offense a chance. Oklahoma ranks 42nd against the run, a better number than it posted last season.
That said, Texas has been strong at slowing opposing rushing attacks. The Longhorns are 26th nationally in run defense, allowing only 99.2 yards per game.
For Oklahoma, the bigger problem is that none of its rushing options has really taken off yet. There’s reason to think that could start to change. Sophomore Tory Blaylock should be closer to 100% this week, and Xavier Robinson has shown before that he can recover from slow starts, though those early issues have usually been tied to injury.
Lloyd Avanat and Jonathan Hatton Jr. are also set for their first Red River Rivalry appearances, and the Cotton Bowl has produced plenty of first-time heroes before.
Still, the pressure sits squarely on John Mateer. He has to protect the football, find open receivers, and help keep the chains moving against Texas. Just as important, his legs need to become a weapon again.
That was part of the formula when Oklahoma beat Texas in 2023, when Dillon Gabriel ripped off 113 rushing yards in a surprise performance. Mateer was a productive runner a year ago, but as his overall game has dipped, so has his confidence as a ball carrier.
With the rest of the ground game still searching for answers, a big day from Mateer may be Oklahoma’s clearest path to winning the rushing battle on Saturday.
In Other News...
Oklahomas Early Losses Are Raising An Even Bigger 2026 Fear
The early part of Oklahomas 2026 season already looked shaky, and it has only gotten harder to frame those losses in a flattering way. The Sooners lone notable win was a shutout of UTEP, but that result has lost some shine as the Miners have continued to struggle and have been beaten by wide margins on average.
More troubling for Oklahoma is what the rest of the schedule is saying about those defeats to Michigan, Georgia and New Mexico. As those teams have shown their own flaws since facing the Sooners, the concern around Norman is not just about a rough start, but about what those games might be revealing about Oklahomas level of competitiveness this fall. [Read more 🡒]
Ben Arbuckle May Need A Drastic OU Offensive Rethink
Josh Heupel showed against Auburn that an in-game reset can change the feel of an offense in a hurry. Tennessee moved away from freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, turned to sophomore George MacIntyre to steady the operation and leaned heavily on DeSean Bishop as the running game took over. It was the kind of practical adjustment that can make a staff look decisive in real time, especially when the original plan is not producing much rhythm.
For Oklahoma, that kind of flexibility is the conversation point around Ben Arbuckle. John Mateers struggles have left the Sooners searching for a cleaner path on offense, and the Tennessee example is a reminder that a coordinator sometimes has to be willing to reshape the plan instead of waiting for it to click on its own. Whether Arbuckle goes that far is the unanswered question, but the pressure to find something more workable is only growing. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma Just Got A Crucial Kentucky Road Test Locked In
Oklahomas October schedule now has a little more clarity, with the SEC setting the Sooners road trip to Kentucky for Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m. on the SEC Network. Its a notable addition for a program still adjusting to its new league slate, and it gives fans an early look at where one of the conference road swings will land in the middle of the fall.
Kentucky is hardly a familiar opponent for Oklahoma, either. The schools have met only three times before, in 1951, 1980 and 1982, and this trip is part of a series that will continue down the line, with the Sooners scheduled to visit Lexington again in the 2028 season. [Read more 🡒]