How Texas is Preparing For Oklahoma's Offense Ahead of the Red River Rivalry

The Oklahoma Sooners’ offensive power is strengthened by their scheme, and the Longhorns need to be prepared if they want to maintain control of the Golden Hat trophy.

“Coach (Ben) Arbuckle has got a great scheme… he's a fantastic coach,” Sarkisian said. “They tax you a lot of different ways. Varying tempos, formations, trick plays, quarterback runs, shot plays…”

Heading into week 7 of college football, the Sooners remain undefeated at 5-0, and sit at No. 6 in the rankings. Initially led by Washington State transfer John Mateer, the redshirt junior underwent hand surgery following a right-hand injury in week 4 against Auburn.

Unsure about when the starter is expected to return, the anticipated recovery period was about a month, leaving open the possibility of returning for the rivalry game. Until then, sophomore quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. has been filling in the gap for the Sooners.

“We played against Hawkins last year; he’s a much-improved player,” Sarkisian said. “Like most young players, they get better over time (so) you can see his improvement for sure.”

However, when asked which quarterback the Longhorns are preparing their defense for, Sarkisian said Texas is preparing its unit to face Mateer.

“We'll plan for Mateer,” Sarkisian said. “You have to, he's a dynamic player.”

With a quarterback rating of 75.5, Mateer posts six touchdowns and 1,215 passing yards across his first four starts as a Sooner, and ranks at No. 5 in the nation in passing yards per game with 303.75. However, the fourth year proves to be double trouble, as he also records five rushing touchdowns across 190 yards.

“He's the heartbeat of that offense, for sure,” Sarkisian said. “Everything goes through him.”

While the Longhorns sit at 2-3 record in the last five Red River matchups, the last time these two forces met it resulted in a 34-3 Texas blowout over Oklahoma.

“This is a great rivalry to be part of,” Sarkisian said. “(And I’m) humbled and honored to be part of this game, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity Saturday afternoon.”

Be sure to watch the Texas-Oklahoma matchup in the Red River Showdown on Oct. 11 at 2:30 p.m. on ABC.