Dean Blevins: Are The Numbers Really Important In OU-Texas?

In a series where Oklahoma has dominated the past quarter-century, the 2024 Sooners will arrive at the Cotton Bowl as rare two-touchdown underdogs.

We’re hearing a lot of fans suggesting we “throw out all the records and rankings.”

That’s fine, but the problem is that after nearly half a season of play, the numbers are stunningly lopsided in favor of Texas. Every important statistic, besides takeaways, favors Texas by a lot.

In a 16-team Southeastern Conference, OU is last in rushing (129 yards per game) and last in passing (169). That is hard for any team to achieve, but for Oklahoma, where offensive football has reigned supreme for most of the years going back to Bud Wilkinson, it’s particularly troubling.

To be fair, Offensive Coordinator Seth Littrell doesn’t exactly line up a Trent Williams offensive line, or a group of receivers like Lamb, Broyles, and Shephard, along with two young quarterbacks who have had to work for every good moment they can find.

Just as you can draw up a play in the dirt that will succeed with stars scattered across the offensive lineup, the best play designers and callers would struggle with OU’s depleted lineup.

But there’s no rest for the weary, and the third-ranked Texas defense couldn’t care less about all these facts. They expect to contain athletic true freshman quarterback Mike Hawkins, bottle up an unproductive run game, and face a receiver group whose best player would rank no better than sixth on a healthy OU depth chart.

A case can be made that this fast and physical OU defense will contain Texas, keeping them in the game. But this game is not normal offensively, and more three-and-out offensive possessions will eventually sap the energy from the defense and lead to a feeling of humiliation.

While we’re making cases about what could be, Oklahoma’s special teams can also have a big day. However, at this rate, it won’t mean diddly squat.

It’s incumbent upon Littrell and his offense to take advantage of the bye week. This should help heal some of their world-record injured players, allowing time to scheme and come up with a handful of creative plays that have either not been run or have mostly failed through five games.

For the second straight season, I said before the season started that Texas is good enough to win a national title. They are that good.

When you throw in gadget plays that Steve Sarkisian historically comes up with, you have an offense that can challenge even the best defenses.

To win, OU will have to be at its best, and Texas needs to play like it did last year when they lost the turnover battle 3-0 and were sloppy from start to finish.

However, as I reported after the SEC Media Days, three star Texas players told me that Sark and the team have often discussed making up for last year’s performance. So, catching the Horns unenthused for a second straight year is highly unlikely.

In the end, this is a rivalry like none other. It wouldn’t be the biggest upset in OU history, and if it were to happen, it would be the best booster shot this team could have as it heads into the remaining deep waters of the SEC.