Behind Enemy Lines – Oklahoma Nuggets + Red River Shootouts Facts… Back to the 60s

2025 Red River Facts

1. One year ago, we were heading into Oklahoma week with Texas having just sailed through Mississippi State 35-13 and the Sooners allowing a program-record 9 sacks against South Carolina, in a 26-point blowout loss. Now, just one year later, the roles feel reversed… Texas just gave up 6 sacks to Florida in what felt like. a 26-point blowout loss, and Oklahoma, well, Oklahoma played Kent State.
   • My Question: Will Texas allow Oklahoma to sack them 9 times in 2025? Tying the Longhorns’ record from 2019 RR and the 2009 B12 Title Game
2. It’s still incredibly early in the 2027 Recruiting Cycle, obviously. But Oklahoma is currently 3rd according to ON3 after gaining commitments from Two Consensus Top 30 Overall Offensive Tackles.
   • My Thoughts: Must be nice. Wouldn’t know the feeling.
3. Oklahoma (7.2) and Texas (12.0) are 1st and 2nd in the SEC in scoring defense in 2025.
   • My Thoughts: I’m not sure if either team scores a traditional offensive touchdown in this game. The last two weeks, I’ve nailed the opposing team’s total points scored, and this week I don’t think I’m going to predict either team to score 10 points. My brain is telling me to look back to 1960s, Texas won the Red River Shootout three different times while scoring just 9 points… 1951, 1962, and 1967.
4. Texas has the 4th-graded defense in College Football, according to PFF. Giving up 79 yards per game. Oklahoma is graded25th, giving up 74 yards per game.
   • Thought: Texas surprisingly has the 33rd Graded Run Blocking unit in the Power Four, 20 spots higher than Oklahoma. Both teams stink
5. Oklahoma is tied for 1st in the Power Four with 21 defensive sacks. (9 vs. Auburn, 5 vs. Kent State, 4 vs. Temple, 2 vs. Illinois State, and 1 vs. Michigan)
   • Note: Texas was one of the best teams in the sport before the Florida game, allowing just 3 total sacks. Florida added 6 to that total.
6. Oklahoma has the No. 1 3rd-down Defense in College Football, allowing just a 17.3% conversion rate. (Auburn converted 3, Kent State converted 2)
   • Note: Texas is the 116th-ranked team in College Football at converting 3rd downs, converting at a 34% clip. The only worse Power Four teams are (Auburn, Stanford, Oklahoma State, North Carolina, Kansas, West Virginia, and Arizona State)
7. Both Texas (Manning) and Oklahoma (Mateer) Quarterbacks have 43 carries and 5 rushing touchdowns this season.
   • Note: Neither has a proper running back averaging more than 4.5 yards per carry.
8. Tate Sandell is responsible for (57%) or 16 of the 48 total points scored by the Sooners against Power-Four Opponents (Auburn and Michigan)
   • Oklahoma is converting at a 100% rate (20 for 20) in the Red Zone… one of just 4 Power Four teams.
   • Texas is 109th at 77% (17 for 22)
9. Michael Fasusi (74.3) will enter the Red River Shootout as the No. 2 Graded Run Blocking Offensive Lineman in the game, behind just Trevor Goosby (81.0)
   • ya.
10. Texas has lost 17 of the last 26 Red River Shootouts (2000). And the Longhorns haven’t won the “Decade” since the 1990s (7-2-1)
    • Saturday, Texas will have the chance to tie the 2020s head-to-head at 3 to 3, and will have won 3 of the last 4.
    • A Win in Dallas moves Steve Sarkisian to 3-2 against Oklahoma and 3-1 against Brent Venables.

Oklahoma (4 days until)

• QUARTERBACK – John Mateer Update..
  • OU coach Brent Venables provided no real update on quarterback John Mateer on Monday.
    • Mateer did not play on Saturday versus Kent State, after undergoing hand surgery during the bye week. On Monday night, Venables was asked on his coach’s show about Mateer’s availability for the Texas game this week.
    • “I don’t know when John Mateer will be back,” Venables said. “Really not even anything to talk about. He’s on a progression through however long it takes those injuries to heal.”
    • “I’m assuming (Mateer) can’t,” Venables said on Saturday. “Again, (Hawkins) has experienced playing in there last year, and really my mindset is no different than it was going into today. Again, we need to play well in the areas that we can control, taking care of the ball, making layups when they’re there, not trying to do too much. We’ve got the sum of all of our parts as a football team to complement one another. But I feel great about Mike.”
• ​VENABLES HOT SEAT Update..
  • Question from Subscriber: “Is Brent Venables off the hot seat yet? What’s Oklahoma’s record at the end of the year if they beat Texas Saturday? If they beat Texas on Saturday, give me the ceiling and the floor for this team this season? This is assuming Mateer is healthy the rest of the way.”
    • Answer: “No, he’s not. The expectation was to go 5-0. The seat would have only gotten warmer if they had lost one of those early games. The real test is the next seven games. That said, he has set himself up in a great spot to avoid being on the hot seat. But if they lose five games over the next seven weeks, than we will have to have the talk. “
      • If they beat Texas on Saturday, their record is probably 9-3 or 10-2. I still think there are some incredibly tough games left on this schedule that they are bound to lose two or three games. But if they win, I think they’re going to end up making the playoff. 
      • If they win, the ceiling is winning the SEC and having a top-four seed in the playoff. The floor is 8-4 and playing in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Nebraska. 
• TOP FRESHMAN – Michael Fasusi, LT and Tory Blaylock, RB
  • Blaylock rushed for 78 yards on 15 carries against Kent State and leads the Sooners in rushing.
  • Fasusi is the highest graded OL on the roster, per PFF.
• INJURY UPDATE – Javonnie Gibson, WR – (Broke Leg in April)
  • He leaned on his coaches and teammates heavily early in the rehab process, and quarterback John Mateer was there to step in and help Gibson.
    • “My first week, John took me to his house (and) spent time with me,” Gibson said. “That was a big, important thing to me. I ain’t never had nobody do that. … He cooked for me, got my medicine and stuff like that. Made sure I was straight mentally and physically, too.” 
  • Gibson played 23 snaps against.

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