Key Lawrence/Billy Bowman
Last week, Iowa State — yeah, the Cyclones — took advantage of Oklahoma’s overaggressiveness at the safety position to burn the Sooner defense for two long touchdowns. OU leads the nation in interceptions, so maybe at some point players start to feel a sense of entitlement — like the other team is just going to throw the football to them. That happened on both plays last week, as Key Lawrence and Billy Bowman were going for INTs rather than playing their man and it backfired big-time. Quinn Ewers, with just one pick against him this year, probably isn’t going to throw them the ball. So Lawrence and Bowman — and Peyton Bowen and Reggie Pearson, for that matter — need to stay disciplined in their coverage over the middle. That’s where tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders has thrived in his career (including two TDs in last year’s game), it’s where wideout Xavier Worthy burned the Sooners for 261 receiving yards two years ago, and it’s where senior receiver Jordan Whittington produced most of his 97 yards in last year’s 49-0 blowout. The Oklahoma safeties have been much, much better this year — but Saturday against a really good Texas aerial assault, they’re going to have to play like it.
— John Hoover
Nic Anderson
Hitting home runs over the top to Andrel Anthony, Jalil Farooq or Brenen Thompson will all be welcome developments for Oklahoma’s offense on Saturday. But Texas boasts the best defense the Sooners have faced to date, and at some point OU will have to move the ball methodically down the field to pull the victory over the Longhorns. While no running back has found any rhythm on the ground, Nic Anderson has proven time and time again to be able to not only run past opposing defenses, but through arm tackles at the second level to pop off big plays. There’s already been one coming out party staged by a member of the Anderson family in the Cotton Bowl, and a strong performance from Nic Anderson on Saturday could tilt the contest in Oklahoma’s favor.
— Ryan Chapman
Gentry Williams
Texas wide receivers Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy have both had phenomenal starts to the 2023 season, with each player already well over 300 receiving yards and seven total touchdown catches between the two. Gentry Williams, who played but did not start in his first career Red River Rivalry game in 2022, will be tasked with covering one of the Longhorns' two standout wide receivers. If Williams is able to contain Worthy or Mitchell, it would be a huge boost for the Sooners' defense. Coming off of an impressive performance against Iowa State, Williams could be the key to slowing down Quinn Ewers and the Texas offense.
— Randall Sweet
Brenen Thompson
Thompson was finally healthy and active last week, and his presence was felt immediately. Dillon Gabriel underestimated his speed and under-threw a deep ball, but Thompson’s adjustment and contested catch proved he’s more than just a speedster on the outside. The Sooners will need to connect on deep throws to knock off the Longhorns, and big plays on both sides could be the difference in the final score. Not to mention, this is a big game for someone like Thompson. After one season in Austin, he made the unheard of transfer to Oklahoma and will now face his former team on Saturday — a team that just so happens to be OU’s biggest historic rival. His game changing speed could give OU the edge in a close one.
— Ross Lovelace
Austin Stogner
Stogner, a senior tight end who transferred to South Carolina and then transferred back after one season, hasn't been used much so far. A five-game starter, he has four catches for 37 yards. Perhaps offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby has been saving him for the Texas game. With all the attention Oklahoma's deep passing game has been getting, it might be a good time to unleash Stogner on shorter routes across the middle and in the red zone. I'm riding with Stogner, even though he didn't pay off last week for a certain AllSooners colleague who picked him to have a breakout game against Iowa State. Now's the time, this is the game to add the Stogner package to the OU game plan. Give the Longhorns' D something else to think about.
—Tim Willert
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