OU-UT Game Again Among Nation's Best

Oct. 6, 2000

By JAIME ARON
AP Sports Writer

DALLAS (AP) - For the first time since 1984, the Oklahoma-Texas game is about more than border bragging rights. A spot in the nation's top 10 once again awaits the winner of the annual Red River Shootout.

The Sooners (4-0) already are up there at No. 10 and the Longhorns (3-1) are 11th. With both teams 1-0 in Big 12 play, the winner will also get a boost in the Big 12 South race.

"We understand where we're at and what the history is," said Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, who can be blamed for only one of OU's three straight losses to UT. "We all get e-mails and letters throughout the year telling us."

Longtime college football fans remember looking forward to the second Saturday in October for this unique neutral-site battle between the biggest schools from states that share the Red River.

National champions used to come out of this game - six from 1950-75, from Bud Wilkinson's OU teams in the '50s to Darrell Royal's UT teams in the '60s to Barry Switzer's OU squads in the '70s.

Although games have remained tight - and the winner often unpredictable - the nation always hasn't been interested as both programs have struggled.

The last time both were so good at the same time was 1984, when No. 1 Texas tied No. 3 Oklahoma 15-15 on a last-second field goal. This is the first time since that both teams come into the game among the top 15.

Still, the rivalry remains unique.

Played in a stadium three hours from both campuses and always during the State Fair of Texas, half the crowd wears orange and the other half red. The excitement begins to boil when players gather in the tunnel before kickoff.

"Coach Switzer told me one time it's like two Mack trucks running into each other for 3 hours, 15 minutes," said Texas coach Mack Brown, Oklahoma's offensive coordinator in 1984. "The only difference this time is that there will be so many passes thrown, it'll be two Mack trucks running into each other for four hours."

The Sooners are in the top 10 for the first time since '95 and are coming into this game undefeated for the first time since '93. Oklahoma needs to keep momentum going because its next two games are against No. 4 Kansas State and No. 2 Nebraska.

"I thought it was going to feel pretty good to be No. 10 in the nation," said OU slotback Damien Mackey. "But now that I'm here, I want to be higher."

The Sooners first must exorcise the demons of last year's Texas game, when Oklahoma scored on its first three possessions and led 17-0 only to lose 38-28.

"We turned the ball over several times, gave them some field position and opportunities," Stoops said. "I look back - and obviously we've been through the tape several times - we had two interceptions that hit us right in the chest that we dropped, and they end up scoring on those possessions."

The Longhorns fondly remember their comeback.

"We just felt we were never out of it," defensive tackle Casey Hampton said. "You wouldn't believe how confident people were that we would come back. As a team we grew up. Everybody stayed in the game mentally."

This time, Texas is trying to keep alive national title hopes seriously dented by a loss at Stanford. The Longhorns bounced back to convincingly beat Houston and Oklahoma State, but that was just Houston and Oklahoma State.

Quarterback Major Applewhite, who had knee surgery this past offseason, has started only the Stanford game while sharing time with Chris Simms.

Applewhite, though, has been more effective and is likely to get the majority of playing time.

"We have been concerned about Major's knee, but last weekend he played a lot of plays and hung in awfully well," Brown said. "We think he's moving around better, more comfortable. Chris is going to be a great player for us, but he needs time, he needs snaps."

Texas leads the series 55-34 with five ties.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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