Oklahoma’s message at SEC Media Days was supposed to be simple: keep things calm, keep things measured, and don’t hand Texas any extra bulletin-board material. But sophomore defensive lineman Taylor Wein may have gone a little too far in the other direction.
When asked about the “urgency” surrounding the Red River Rivalry this season, Wein brushed it off.
“It’s not a sense of urgency; they are just one of the games we play this [year]," Wein said. "They're no different than any other opponent.
They are very, very talented; they are very, very well coached. That's what we look forward to... we look forward to our next opportunity, and we look for competition."
That answer landed awkwardly because the recent results in this matchup have been brutal for Oklahoma. Over the last two Red River Rivalry games, the Sooners have not scored a touchdown at all, and they’ve managed only nine total points across those two meetings with Texas.
By the time Wein made those comments on Monday, July 20, it had been 1,017 days since Oklahoma last found the end zone against the Longhorns. The last time the Sooners scored in the rivalry, Wein was not even on the depth chart yet.
That’s the backdrop for Brent Venables heading into this season’s trip to Dallas. The Sooners have gone 1-3 against Texas since Venables took over in Norman, and the pressure only grows when a rivalry starts tilting the same way year after year.
In 2022, Venables’ first season, Texas rolled to a 49-0 win over Oklahoma. The Sooners’ only victory in the series under Venables came in 2023, when they edged the Longhorns 34-30.
Steve Sarkisian, meanwhile, has gone 3-2 against Oklahoma since arriving on the 40 Acres in 2021.
Wein may have been trying to downplay the stakes, and maybe that was the script he was given at SEC Media Days. But with Oklahoma’s recent track record in the rivalry, acting like Texas is just another game doesn’t exactly match the reality of what’s happened on the field.
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Steve Sarkisian Weighs In As Texas Waits On Cole Hutson Twist
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Hutsons argument is centered on the NCAAs bylaw and the way it affects his eligibility, scholarship chances and NIL earning potential. Texas also has a practical reason to pay attention, with the SECs scholarship increase creating room that did not exist before. If the legal fight lands in Hutsons favor, the Longhorns would suddenly have to sort out where he fits in a crowded interior line picture, even as the bigger question remains unresolved for now. [Read more 🡒]