Texas Longhorns vs. Oklahoma Sooners: Complete Game Preview

The Red River Rivalry resumes in Dallas on Saturday, with the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners taking on the sputtering Texas Longhorns.

Crazy things have happened in this game, but seldom does it look so one-sided on the surface. Head coach Bob Stoops has the Sooners playing excellent football, having knocked off two Top 25 teams en route to a 4-0 record.

Things haven't gone as swimmingly for Charlie Strong's team. Following gut-wrenching home losses to Oklahoma State and California, the wheels came off when the Longhorns visited TCU, falling by a 50-7 margin.

Strong probably wishes that was the worst of his problems.

In the midst of that shellacking, the off-field issues are creeping up for the Horns. Freshman cornerback Kris Boyd retweeted a post from a Texas A&M fan about transferring to the Aggies, and no less during halftime with the score at 37-0. Then, on Monday, the team's seniors and freshmen engaged in a multimedia spat that brought even more unnecessary national attention.

Rudderless at 1-4, things couldn't look worse for the Longhorns heading into this one.

Date: Saturday, October 10

Time: 12 p.m. ET

Location: Cotton Bowl Stadium; Dallas, TX

TV: ABC

Line: Oklahoma -17, according to Odds Shark

When Oklahoma Has the Ball

Whatever progress Texas' defense showed against Oklahoma State evaporated last week against TCU. 

The Longhorns were torn limb from limb by the Horned Frogs. In giving up 50 points for just the seventh time in 20 years, the Horns surrendered 605 yards, with 228 coming on the ground, and failed to record a single sack on Trevone Boykin. 

As noted by 247Sports' Jeff Howe, this group has an "all-time bad" look to it through five games:

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After being bludgeoned by the Horned Frogs the Longhorns are 108th nationally in run defense (210.6 yards per game allowed), 113th in scoring defense (38.2 points per game allowed), 118th in pass yards allowed (296.6 per game) and a lowly 119th in total defense (507.2 yards per game allowed). TCU was only 5-of-13 on third downs the, but Longhorns still rank 122nd nationally in third-down defense. Trevone Boykin having a glorified 7-on-7 session shouldn't have been a surprise since Texas ranks 101st nationally in sacks (1.4 per game) and 74th in tackles for loss (5.8 per game), meaning there's no big plays being made in the backfield or even a consistent push occurring. Throw in the fact that the Longhorns are 115th nationally in red zone defense and this group is on its way to being the worst defensive (statistically) to ever set foot on the Forty Acres.

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The issues are widespread. Hassan Ridgeway, the defensive line's only playmaker, is being relentlessly double-teamed while his teammates up front contribute almost nothing. The back end is also a mess, where true freshmen appear to be the only viable option at corner.

Execution could obviously be better, but don't wait around for a savior. The upperclassmen just aren't good enough, and this side of the ball will be handed off to the freshmen sooner rather than later.

That said, the Sooners should be licking their chops. Stoops' team can trot out two exceptional running backs in Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon, who should have an easy time busting into the second level of Texas' defense.

Once the Sooners establish these two, it will be easy pickings for Baker Mayfield. The Longhorns have an embarrassing lack of reliable cover corners that can be had deep, particularly senior Duke Thomas.

Unless the Longhorns can generate a pass-rush and force some turnovers, Oklahoma is going to have no problem busting into the 40s.

Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

When Texas Has the Ball

Until Kent Perkins can get back on the field, don't expect much of a bounce-back performance from the Longhorns offense.

Texas' offense seemed to take off once Heard took the reins. He used his legs to extend and create plays out of nothing, and the increased eyes on the backfield allowed him to hit big plays down the field. The redshirt freshman had this team rolling.

Then Perkins went down, and everything has come unglued. Before Perkins suffered a knee injury in the third quarter of the Oklahoma State game, the Longhorns were averaging 8.1 yards per play with Heard at the helm. Since then, that number has plummeted to 3.4 yards.

It's almost unfathomable that an offense could be so dependent on one offensive lineman, but that's been the case. His replacements have been a disaster, effectively taking any deep throws out of the playbook while Heard constantly runs for his life. 

That said, it's almost a given that Eric Striker is going to try to tee off on whoever plays that right side. Even if Perkins plays, he's going to be limited by that knee, which spells bad news for his ability to deal with Striker's quickness. The reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week has a great chance to repeat.

And Striker's just the beginning of Texas' worries.

A week after getting a scare from Tulsa, the Sooners pinned their ears back against a strong West Virginia team. The return of cornerback Jordan Thomas sparked this group, which saw nine different players record a tackle for loss against the Mountaineers.

This is a veteran group that starts only two players that have been in the program for less than two years. The Sooners hold a clear advantage on both sides of the ball.

Key Player for the Sooners: QB Baker Mayfield

One thing Texas has been good at this season is forcing turnovers. It's up to Mayfield to keep that from being a problem in Dallas.

Surprisingly, the Longhorns rank No. 16 in the nation with a plus-five turnover margin, according to cfbstats.com. Texas has forced five fumbles and picked off five passes on the year, returning one of each for a touchdown to keep things close against Oklahoma State.

To his credit, Mayfield has tightened up after throwing two first-half interceptions against Tennessee. However, he does have a history of throwing it to the other team, tossing at least one pick in his final six appearances for Texas Tech.

In this matchup, Mayfield simply has to be patient and trust his protection. As noted above, the Horns do not get after the quarterback like they have in years past. They're also giving up 8.6 yards per pass (according to cfbstats.com), so the plays are going to be there.

As long as Mayfield plays this one smart, the talent around him should take care of the rest.

Key Player for the Longhorns: RB D'Onta Foreman

If anything positive came out of that beatdown at TCU, it's D'Onta Foreman's emergence at running back.

With senior Johnathan Gray limping to 3.8 yards per carry on the year, Foreman seized control of the backfield against TCU. The sophomore showed both toughness between the tackles and explosiveness to the edge, powering his way to 144 yards on 18 carries. 

In this year's Red River Shootout, the Longhorns have to lean on their big back. The Sooners have allowed three 100-yard rushes on the year, and Texas' offensive line has been much better run-blocking than pass-protecting.

More so than that, Foreman can take pressure off of Heard. Teams have been locked in on the redshirt freshman since his breakout against Cal, and a consistent running mate would slow down that rush.

Between that and giving the defense a breather, a big game from Foreman looks like Texas' best shot at staying in this one.

Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

Prediction: Oklahoma 48, Texas 28

Texas' saving grace before the TCU game was its ability to compete with two quality teams in Cal and Oklahoma State. That went out the window against TCU, along with seemingly everything else.

Freshmen are tweeting about transferring. Seniors are calling out freshmen in front of the media. Said freshmen are snarking back on social media. This is a mess if you've ever seen one.

Texas' loss has exposed the Horns on and off the field. There's a clear rift between Strong's young talent and the seniors, who refuse to take responsibility for what has been happening this season. We'll see how it plays out, but this team is coming apart at exactly the wrong time.

On the other side of the ball, the Sooners have got it going on both sides of the ball. With a full complement of weapons, Mayfield looks like an All-Big 12 candidate, and the defense turned the corner against West Virginia.

Some Longhorns fans might look back to the 2013 Red River Shootout. That Longhorns team looked as average as could be, then went up to Dallas and stomped the Sooners by a 36-20 margin.

However, that team also had some real talent on defense. Jackson Jeffcoat, Cedric Reed, Chris Whaley and Malcom Brown were all at the top of their games on a defensive line that controlled the line of scrimmage. This year's team can only hope for Ridgeway to break through double- and triple-teams.

Maybe Texas comes together and defies the odds. Maybe the Sooners simply overlook the Horns. 

But right now, Stoops' team looks superior in every way. 

Unless otherwise noted, all stats and information courtesy of TexasSports.com and SoonerSports.com.