Jalen Hurts Isn't Nervous About Oklahoma vs. Texas: 'I Played in the Iron Bowl'

As Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts prepares for his first Red River Showdown, he expects to be just fine in the spotlight thanks to prior experiences. 

"I played in the Iron Bowl," Hurts said on Saturday, according to Kelly Hines of Tulsa World. "I've played in big games before. I think I'll be all right."   

Hurts spent three years playing for the most accomplished college football program of the last decade: Alabama. And he proved to be more than capable of handling himself right from the start.

He started for the Crimson Tide as a true freshman, winning the first 14 games of his career and being named the SEC Freshman of the Year and the SEC Offensive Player of the Year. He led Alabama to victories over archrival Auburn in the Iron Bowl, Florida in the SEC title game and Washington in the College Football Playoff semifinal before falling to Clemson in the national championship game.

As a sophomore, Hurts went 12-1 en route to an appearance in the CFP final. He was replaced at halftime of the national championship game by Tua Tagovailoa, who rallied the Crimson Tide to an overtime victory over Georgia.

Of note, Hurts replaced an injured Tagovailoa in the 2018 SEC title game and helped Alabama win the conference championship over Georgia, once again wrapping up a spot in the playoff.

During his tenure in Tuscaloosa, Hurts appeared in a number of high-profile games:

• Iron Bowl (three times)
• SEC Championship Game (two)
• College Football Playoffs semifinals and finals (six total)

Hurts did not play meaningful minutes during his 2018 Iron Bowl or 2019 CFP appearances, but regardless, he has no shortage of experience in pressure-packed showdowns. And with all due respect to the Red River Showdown, a national title is not literally up for grabs next weekend—but bragging rights certainly are.

Texas and Oklahoma split their two meetings last season, with the Sooners coming out on top in the 2018 Big 12 title game. The Sooners enter next weekend at 5-0 while the Longhorns (4-1) have already suffered a defeat this year.