OU football hopes Red River Rivalry forecast matches the 'beautiful day' from 2011 win
NORMAN — Case McCoy tried to give out orders to his offense as half of a packed crowd at the Cotton Bowl screamed.
The then-sophomore quarterback was marching Texas down the field on its opening drive of a Red River Showdown game against Oklahoma on Oct. 8, 2011. Both teams entered the contest with an unblemished record, and the anticipation for the matchup culminated in an electric atmosphere.
McCoy gathered the snap and tried to escape the collapsing pocket, but he didn't get far. He ran into a brick wall named Casey Walker, who quickly made him touch grass.
Few people were more excited about the play than OU's defensive coordinator at the time, Brent Venables, who gave an emphatic fist pump from the sideline before yelling "Let's go." Walker's sack set the tone for the Sooners, who rolled to a 55-17 win.
"We had a good team that year," Venables said on Tuesday. "We played really well that day. ... It was a beautiful day."
More: What OU football coach Brent Venables had to say about Sooners' game vs. Texas Longhorns
It was also the last time both OU and Texas were undefeated heading into a Red River game.
Until this Saturday, that is.
No. 12-ranked OU and No. 3-ranked Texas will put their 5-0 records on the line at 11 a.m. in Dallas. It'll be the latest chapter in the storied rivalry, and it's building up to be one for the ages.
"We’re excited about where we are at right now," Venables said. "It’s going to be a wonderful environment against a really talented, hot Texas team. ... We've got a great, great challenge."
The Sooners aren't just hoping to remain undefeated this weekend. They're also hoping to remove a bad taste left in their mouth from last season's meeting.
OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel didn't play due to concussion protocol, and the team endured a wire-to-wire beatdown that ended in a 49-0 loss.
But Gabriel is healthy and playing the best football of his college career. He leads the Big 12 in passing yards (1,593), passing touchdowns (15) and completion percentage (75.2%).
"Exciting," Gabriel said when asked about playing Texas. "It’s an atmosphere and environment you live for, dream of."
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OU will also look to repeat the success it had on defense against Texas back in 2011.
The group scored 21 points thanks to one pick-six and two fumbles returned for touchdowns.
This year's OU defense is just as capable of putting points on the board. It's tied for second in the nation in scoring defense (8.5 points per game).
"Try to go out and make a lot of plays," redshirt senior cornerback Woodi Washington said on Monday when asked what his goal was. "I’m just excited to see how good we really are."
So is everyone else.
OU has shown drastic improvements after going 6-7 last season. But this will be the Sooners' biggest test yet, and Venables in confident in his group.
“We need to play well this week," Venables said. "That’s the expectation. That’s what we’re working for. That’s what we’re preparing for. That’s what our guys should expect if they have a great week of work.
"We should be a confident football team going against another confident football team.”
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Texas' dynamic wide receiver duo
Texas' stacked offense is highlighted by the wide receiver duo of Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell.
Worthy is a preseason All-Big 12 honoree who already has 26 catches for 345 yards and three touchdowns to his name. Meanwhile, Mitchell is a Georgia transfer who has caught 22 passes for 321 yards and four touchdowns.
When asked how he plans to contain the Longhorns' dynamic duo, Venables chuckled and cracked a joke.
“Well, I’m still trying to figure that out," Venables said. "If you guys have any ideas let me know."
All jokes aside, the Sooners haven't faced a wide receiver duo that's as good as Worthy and Mitchell yet this season.
It'll be a test for OU's defense, which is exactly what Venables wants.
"They’re really good," Venables said. "Our guys are excited about the challenge. ... You need the challenge to see where we’re at and get exposed, and we'll know where we've got to go to work at."
More: OU football vs. Texas: TV channel, betting line, matchup breakdown for Red River Rivalry
Quick hits
Venables on how he keeps his players from getting overwhelmed by the moment: "Again at some point in time every week I talk about don’t allow your emotions to hijack you. ... You can’t just be intense and a crazy guy out there. You've got to have a focused intensity which leads to details and precision and execution."
Washington on OU's 49-0 loss to Texas last season: “Last year happened. They got on our tails pretty bad. We’re not going to use it as motivation or anything like that. We've just got to go out this year and perform well.”
Redshirt senior offensive lineman McKade Mettauer on protecting Gabriel: “It’s gonna be very important to keep Dillon clean in the pocket. I think we’ve done a good job these past couple of weeks, and you can see we’re able to get the ball out. Just giving Dillon time to go through his progressions is gonna be important for us this week."
Redshirt fifth-year wide receiver Drake Stoops on the history of OU-Texas: "It’s a very, very historic series. One of the greatest rivalries of all of college football. But the past has nothing to do with the present. We’re just focusing on this week."
Gabriel on why he was extra intense against Iowa State: "I just drank my Pedialyte in the morning. No, I'm playing."
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU vs Texas football: Sooners hope to repeat 2011 magic in Red River
