From specific venues to storied history, there are few college football staples like the Allstate Red River Rivalry.
From the brouhaha going on outside the State Fair of Texas to the iconic half-orange, half-red Cotton Bowl split, the annual showdown between Texas Longhorns And oklahoma sooners Always brings a memorable atmosphere.
This year, the intrigue surrounding the game is especially high, as Texas started the season as the No. 1 team in the country, but is still looking for its first win against a power conference opponent. And while sixth-ranked Oklahoma certainly doesn’t seem like the kind of opponent the Longhorns would want to face in search of that win, the availability of the Sooners quarterback john mater not sure After suffering a hand injury early in the season.
Conference affiliations may change – this year will mark the second season it will be played as an SEC contest at Oklahoma-Texas – but the iconic moments will remain prominent in Dallas. Just two years ago, nick anderson Secured a permanent place in Sooners lore with the winning touchdown catch with 15 seconds remaining.
Here are some of the other most iconic plays in the rivalry since the turn of the century.
2021: Oklahoma 55, Texas 48
Kennedy Brooks runs towards the last-second winner
The 2021 edition of the rivalry was one of games of that college football season, and with good reason.
In addition to having a remarkably high-powered game that included 1,178 yards of total offense, the stars were shining in the Cotton Bowl. texas receiver xavier worth Caught nine passes for 261 yards and two scores. Oklahoma, on the other hand, turned to its backup quarterback for a new engine – a highly touted freshman named Caleb Williams,
The late Worthy touchdown looked as if it would send the game to overtime, but the Sooners’ offense had one last score left. Williams drove Oklahoma to the edge of field goal range before Kennedy Brooks beat the Longhorns’ defense in the end zone for the winning touchdown with just seconds remaining.
2018: Texas 48, Oklahoma 45
cameron dicker late seal the deal
With eight and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter of the 2018 edition of the rivalry, Texas appeared to be in cruise control. The Longhorns’ three third-quarter touchdowns gave them a comfortable 45–24 lead.
kyler murray-Led The Sooners had other plans. Oklahoma stormed back with a 7-yard run. tray sermon To tie the game with just over two minutes remaining. But Sam Ehlinger Texas produced one final drive in response, ultimately putting the Longhorns’ hopes of victory at the feet of true freshman kicker Cameron Dicker.
Dicker, with now los angeles chargersanswered the call and kicked a 40-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining to secure the victory for Texas.
2008: Texas 45, Oklahoma 35
Jordan Shipley’s special teams shine
In a battle between top-5 foes, it was the No. 1-ranked Sooners who jumped out to an early 14–3 lead in Dallas.
Texas needed a spark, Jordan Shipley provided it. He ran 96 yards to the end zone for a momentum-changing score on the kickoff following Oklahoma’s second touchdown, the longest such return in the long history of the rivalry.
The Longhorns’ offense had fumbled twice in three drives before Shipley’s return. They would finish six of their next seven drives with points, eventually taking a 45–35 lead which would lead Texas to a major victory.
2001: Oklahoma 14, Texas 3
Roy Williams goes into Superman mode to ensure Sooners win
With just over two minutes remaining in another top-5 edition of the rivalry, the stage was set for another iconic finish.
The Longhorns, trailing 7–3, stood 97 yards short of the winning touchdown. They won’t come any closer. Texas quarterback Chris Sims took the first snap of the drive and barely got three steps on his dropback before being tackled by star Oklahoma safety Roy Williams. Williams crashes into Sims with one Superman-esque diveHis body is essentially parallel to the ground at the point of contact.
Sims’ intercepted pass fell straight into the arms of Teddy Lehman, who intercepted it and reached the end zone without being touched. The Sooners’ 14–3 lead would stand as the final score.
