Texas Longhorns at Oklahoma Sooners Betting Preview
This year’s Red River Showdown looks different from what it has in the past, as for the first time in 24 years, neither the Texas Longhorns nor Oklahoma Sooners are ranked for their rivalry meeting.
OU was a top-five team at one point this season but has free fallen out of the top 25 with back-to-back losses. Texas got back on track with an 18-point win over West Virginia last week.
Oklahoma has a four-game win streak in the series, but they are facing some big concerns both at QB and on defense. On the flip side, Texas could be welcoming back their starting QB, a big reason they are -7.5 favorites for Saturday afternoon’s meeting.
Ewers Back for Texas?
Hudson Card has done a decent job as a placeholder at the QB position, but it’s time for Texas to see just what they have in Quinn Ewers, who has missed the last three games after injuring his shoulder against Alabama. Ewers is the former top prospect in the country who was 9-12 and moving the ball well before having to leave the one-point loss to the Crimson Tide.
Card was 20/30 for 277 yards with 2/1 in an OT loss to Texas Tech and was 21/27 for 303 yards with three TDs last week in a 38-20 victory over West Virginia. It’s not confirmed if Ewers is returning to face Oklahoma, but with Card, Texas still has a decent QB option – much better than Oklahoma’s, at least.
It also doesn’t really matter who is under center for the Longhorns, as they have the luxury of riding the bellcow Bijan Robinson. The Texas RB has gone over the century mark on the ground in three straight games and has nine TDs on the season already.
Rough QB Situation for Oklahoma
The Sooners will try to snap a two-game losing streak, but by all accounts, they’re going to have to do it without starting QB Dillon Gabriel, who was knocked out of last week’s loss to TCU after taking a blow to the head. Gabriel had thrown for 1,215 yards this season with 11 TDs to 0 INT.
The Sooners really were putting all their eggs into Gabriel’s health this season because there isn’t a whole lot behind him. Davis Beville came in last week to go 7/16 for 50 yards, but the junior has never started a game. Third-stringer General Booty and fourth-stringer Nick Evers have never thrown a collegiate pass.
Longhorns at Sooners Pick and Prediction
What’s unfortunate about the Gabriel injury for Oklahoma is that they were likely going to have to score a lot of points to stay in Saturday’s rivalry showdown. That’s because the OU defense got shredded the last two games, losing 41-34 to Kansas State and then 55-24 to TCU.
K-State had 275 yards on the ground in their win over the Sooners, while TCU amassed an astounding 361 on just 41 carries (8.8 ypc). It doesn’t matter who QBs for Texas because it’s just Robinson right Robinson left all day and then take home the Golden Hat.
Pick: Texas -7.5
