Oct 7, 2008 - 7:29 PM
0 shoutsBy Bob Birge PA SportsTicker Staff Writer
If it's the second weekend of October, it must be the Red River Rivalry.
Top-ranked Oklahoma (5-0) and No. 5 Texas (5-0) renew their rivalry Saturday at the Cotton Bowl, clashing for the 103rd time. And, as usual, the game has major national championship implications.
The eagerly-anticipated contest pits two of the three winningest programs in the Football Bowl Subdivision during the decade. Oklahoma is first with 95 wins and Texas third with 90 victories. The Longhorns lead the all-time series, 57-40-5.
"This is really big to us," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "It's really big to Texas. It's good for college football and it's good for the Big 12 and this part of the country that both teams are really good this year and it should be a great game."
Since 1929, the game has been played in Dallas, which is equidistant between Austin and Norman. Half the stadium is decked out in Texas' colors of burnt orange and white, and the other half in Oklahoma's crimson and cream.
"I can't really sleep at night just thinking about (the game)," Oklahoma cornerback Dominique Franks said. "I went to bed at 10 o'clock and woke up at 1:30 in the morning and looked back over my playbook."
Few games are more celebrated than this one. Traditionally, the annual battle has been played during the Texas State Fair, which only adds to the festive atmosphere.
As if the game needed anything more, the Cotton Bowl recently underwent major renovations, increasing its capacity to 92,000. Texas and Oklahoma signed an agreement last year to keep the game in Dallas - its rightful home - at least through 2015.
"I can remember going to the OU/Texas game with my dad as a kid," said Oklahoma sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford, a native of Oklahoma City. "Walking in and seeing the red and orange divided, I thought it would be a dream to play in a game like this.
"To go out and actually do it, I really can't even begin to explain this excitement and fulfillment."
Bradford played in his first Red River Rivalry game last season and threw three touchdown passes to lead the Sooners to a 28-21 victory. Oklahoma's win snapped Texas' two-game winning streak in the series.
Brown had gained a reputation for not being able to win the big games, and he did not help his cause by losing five straight to Oklahoma from 2000-04.
That ended in 2005, when the Longhorns matched their largest margin of victory in the series with a 45-12 rout in their national championship season.
"This is going to be an awesome game," said Texas junior quarterback Colt McCoy, who is 1-1 in Red River Rivalry contests. "Two top-five teams in the Cotton Bowl in a rivalry game. The atmosphere in the game is awesome. It's a fun week. I love this week every year."
Oklahoma has history on its side.
Of the seven previous times they entered this game ranked No. 1, the Sooners won on six occasions. The one exception came in 1963, when "Big Daddy" Darrell Royal coached second-ranked Texas to a 28-7 victory.
The Longhorns know they will be hard-pressed to slow down Bradford and the Sooners' high-powered offense that is averaging 49.6 points per game - the fourth-best mark in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
"(Bradford) is very efficient," Texas cornerback Ryan Palmer said. "He puts the ball on point and he does not get sacked a lot.
"We go against one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in practice. So, we've got to have a great practice against Colt and the offense. We are just going to go at it."
Bradford is fifth in the FBS in passing yards at 333 per game.
While McCoy's overall numbers aren't quite as impressive as his Oklahoma counterpart, he has been ridiculously accurate, completing 79.2 percent of his passes - the best mark in the country.
"We are aiming to go out there and change that," Sooners cornerback Brian Jackson said. "We have to contain him."
If this game turns into a quarterback duel, it could come down to the final possession, which would add another memorable chapter to an already storied rivalry.
