With everyone coming down off a corny dog-induced comma, the sugary pick-me-up did not have to come from a funnel cake. The latest edition of the Red River Rivalry was compelling and thrilling from beginning to end, much like a deep-fried Snickers bar. And just like a day at the state fair of Texas, there is a lot to digest from that Texas/Oklahoma game. But there is one other pressing question in the week six takeaways from the Big 12. Is anyone else good?
Week Six Takeaways From The Big 12
Game Of The Year: Red River Never Disappoints
Just look at the beauty of the first four possessions of this game:
- Texas interception on the second play of the game on its own 17-yard line
- Touchdown Oklahoma
- Texas interception on Oklahoma’s 13-yard line
- Blocked Sooners’ punt for Texas touchdown
That all happened in the first six minutes of the first quarter. The culmination of a 34-30 Oklahoma victory was a five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that took only one minute. With this victory, it is undeniable that Brent Venables’ first season as the Sooners’ head coach was an anomaly and not a sign of things to come. For some context on just how consistent Oklahoma is, in the last 80 years, the longest stretch Oklahoma went without winning six games was three years. That happened one time between the 1995-1997 seasons. Quarterback Dillion Gabriel might not get a statue outside of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, but Sooner fans will never forget his play in the Red River Rivalry. He accounted for a total of 398 yards of offense, two touchdowns, and zero turnovers. Gabriel had answers all game for a quality Longhorn defense.
Texas’ Season Still Under Control
When Texas beat Alabama early in the year, head coach Steve Sarkisian spoke to his team’s ability to run the ball at a point in the game when 100,000 people in Bryant Denny Stadium knew they were going to run the ball. Down 27-20 early in the fourth quarter, Texas got the ball down to the Oklahoma one-yard line with four downs to score. Everyone dressed in crimson and burnt orange standing in the Cotton Bowl knew Texas was going to run for a game-tying touchdown. Running back Jonathon Brooks, who otherwise had a stellar day with 22 carries for 129 yards and one touchdown, could not get that 130th yard as Texas gave Brooks three tries from the one-yard line.
Then on fourth down, Texas ran a tunnel screen that Oklahoma sniffed out and came up with a critical stop. It was an appropriate summary for a game that was close from the start and too many Texas mistakes (three turnovers) proved to be the difference. However, with the Alabama win in its back pocket, Texas is still in full control of making the playoffs. They do not have a ranked team remaining on their schedule and will likely be double-digit favorites against every team remaining on their schedule. The only question for Texas in the week six takeaways is how will they respond after dropping this rivalry game?
Who Is The Third Best Big 12 Team?
Will the third-best team in the Big 12 please stand up? Basic math tells me that one team has to finish third in the Big 12 when the season concludes. If the Big 12 really wants to get nuts, it can produce this as a final standing for the ages:
- Oklahoma 12-0
- Texas 11-1
- Everyone else but one team 6-6
- Houston 2-10
Wouldn’t that be something startling to look back on in these week six takeaways? Baylor appears that they are going to challenge Houston for that bottom spot after getting pushed around by Texas Tech. Joey McGuire’s team has strung back-to-back wins together but still has lots of work to really challenge for that third spot.
Kansas State looked out of sync against what we all thought was a bad Oklahoma State team last Friday. The troubling part was that the Wildcats were coming off a bye week. It was a very uncharacteristically sloppy game for a Chris Klieman coached team. Kansas has been spunky, even with a backup quarterback. So while they are 5-1, their best win is against…BYU? Meanwhile, Neal Brown is surveying the landscape and raising his hand looking for someone in the media to recognize his team. While having a closely competitive conference looks good for the long-term future, having the two best teams in the conference leave next year (and look significantly better than everyone else) must have commissioner Brett Yormark with some extra salty tastes in his mouth.
