College football

Texas feels it's time to end Sooner reign

No. 2 Longhorns (4-0) have been tested. Unranked OU (2-2) has had its problems.

By BOB HARIG
Published October 6, 2005

The conversation might have been more about consoling than it was counseling, but nonetheless, Texas coach Mack Brown figured it could not hurt to have a little chat with Bobby Bowden.

The Florida State coach knows all about being on the wrong end of a streak against a big rival. For all of his success in posting the most wins in college football history, Bowden has suffered his share of defeats to Florida and Miami. The Hurricanes had won six in a row over the Seminoles before this season.

Not that there was really much Bowden could say.

"It is fun to look around and see other people having the same problem, and they don't have the answer either," Brown said. "I think what happens in sports is there's so much talk and so much buildup. The fact is the team that plays the best on Saturday will win the game."

Simple enough.

But Brown is expected to have the answer this time when the Longhorns take on nemesis Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

In the annual Red River Shootout, Texas keeps firing blanks. The Longhorns have lost five straight to their border rival. Texas fans are understandably restless.

Two years ago, it was a 65-13 beating. Last year, it was a 12-0 defeat in which OU freshman tailback Adrian Peterson rushed for 228 yards.

Most agree that the two programs should win their share in the series, that they both stockpile loads of talent, with victories to follow. But in this game, which will be played for the 100th time Saturday, it has been anything but equal as of late. Brown, who coached for 10 years at North Carolina, won his first two against the Sooners in 1998-99 before losing the last five.

This year is supposed to be different. The Longhorns (4-0) are ranked second in the country and are considered legitimate national title contenders. They have not lost a game since their defeat by Oklahoma a year ago, knocked off Michigan in the Rose Bowl and defeated Ohio State earlier this season in Columbus.

Oklahoma, meanwhile, is unranked at 2-2, having lost its opener at home to Texas Christian - which then lost to SMU.

"I think the feeling is better going in because our game is better," Brown said this week during a conference call. "We have an 11-game winning streak. We won at the Rose Bowl and the Horseshoe (Ohio Stadium), and we're playing really well right now. So I don't think it's about OU and it's not about the expectations as much as we feel good about our team. We're enjoying playing right now. It's fun to be second in the country. This will be a great challenge for us."

The Longhorns are led by quarterback Vince Young, freshman tailback Jamaal Charles and a defense loaded with veteran players who are all too aware of the shortcomings against Oklahoma.

The Sooners, who also lost to UCLA, are coming off a 43-21 victory over Kansas State. Texas defeated Missouri 51-20. And it didn't take long for the questions to start about the Sooners.

"With this team, we have been in pressure situations," said tight end David Thomas, discounting the notion that there might be some sort of psychological block when it comes to Oklahoma. "We have come from behind and played in some big games. If they do jump up on us, we'll take the good with the bad and move on to the next play."

The series began in 1900, but before last year, Texas had not lost five straight to Oklahoma since 1971-1975.

So is this the year?

The way things have gone, the Texas faithful won't believe it until they see it.

"We've got a veteran staff, we've won 11 straight games since this game last year, we've been in trouble in the Rose Bowl, been in trouble in the Horseshoe," Brown said. "And we overcame all that adversity. Vince has been our quarterback in those 11 straight. This is the 100th game between the two schools, one the kids will remember their whole life. They (the Sooners) started slow, but they've fixed it. This is about this team, this week. A bunch of these kids haven't even played in some of those (Oklahoma) games."

Yeah, but they've heard all about them.

[Last modified October 6, 2005, 01:14:18]