Latest News and Notes for the OU-Texas game

Please scroll down for all of the weeks news surrounding the Red River Rivalry Keating makes annual wager (Oklahoma City-AP) -- Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating

Tuesday, October 3rd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Please scroll down for all of the weeks news surrounding the Red River Rivalry

Keating makes annual wager

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating wants Texas Governor George W. Bush to be defeated -- but not in the presidential race.

He wants his state's university to beat its Bush territory rival in Saturday's Longhorn-Sooner football match.

But Keating has proposed a barbecue dinner as a friendly wager between the two Republican chief executives.

Bush holds an advantage over Keating on past wagers on the game.

The Oklahoma-Texas battle will be at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

UT-OU game again among nation's best

(Dallas-AP) -- The Texas-Oklahoma game is about more than border bragging rights for the first time since 1984.

A spot in the nation's Top Ten once again awaits the winner of the annual Red River Shootout.

The Sooners already are up there at Number Ten and the Longhorns are 11th. With both teams 1-and-oh in Big 12 play, the winner also gets a boost in the Big 12 South race.

Longtime college football fans remember looking forward to the second Saturday in October for this unique neutral-site battle between the biggest schools from states that share the Red River.

National champions used to come out of the game. There were six from 1950 to 1975.

Texas leads the series 55-to-34 with five ties.

Injured Sooners could return

(Norman-AP) -- Oklahoma football coach Mike Stoops says several injured Sooners could be back in action this week.

Linebacker Rocky Calmus will wear a small cast to protect the thumb he injured in the Kansas game, but is to play against Texas. Defensive end Marcus Chretian returned to practice Monday and should be available. Chretian has missed several weeks after knee surgery.

Defensive tackle Bary Holleyman is also expected to be available. Holleyman has missed three games after suffering a concussion.

Stoops said linebacker Brandon Moore will not play. Moore may miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury.

Stoops says he's not concerned about Texas starting quarterback

(Norman-AP) -- Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops says he doesn't see why it matters whether Texas starts Major Applewhite or Chris Simms at quarterback Saturday.

He says the team runs the same offense regardless of who plays.

Texas coach Mack Brown still won't say who he plans to start Saturday, but Stoops knows who Oklahoma's starter is.

That's Josh Heupel (HYE'-pul), who is averaging 311 yards per game in leading the Sooners to a 4-0 start, their best since 1993.

Texas has won its last three games against Oklahoma, including a 38-28 victory last year. In that game, Oklahoma jumped out to a 17-point lead in the first quarter only to see Applewhite rally the Longhorns back. Stoops says Oklahoma has matured a lot since then and is a much better football team.

OU out to prove meddle in three straight games against ranked teams

(Norman-AP) -- Sure, Oklahoma is 4-0. But how big a challenge were those first few games anyway? Do the Sooners really deserve to be ranked in the Top Ten?

O-U will answer those questions and many more this month as it faces three ranked teams in its next three games.

The Sooners face Texas this Saturday, followed by next week's game against Number Four Kansas State. Late this month, they host Number Two Nebraska.

At stake is the reputation of the O-U program. With a few wins, the team will gain undeniable credibility as one of the nation's elite programs. With a few losses, the Sooners will be shown as pretenders to the throne with a long way to go before regaining past glory.

O-U receiver Damian Mackey says the team knows what's at stake -- and they aren't scared. He says it's the kind of schedule he dreams about.

History shows rankings matter when O-U meets Texas

(Norman-AP) -- Oklahoma leapfrogged Texas in The Associated Press poll this week, going from Number 14 to Number Ten. Texas is ranked Number Eleven.

But does that matter? History shows it does.

When ranked higher, Texas is seven-two-and-one against O-U. When O-U has the higher ranking, O-U is eight-four-and-two.

However, when both teams are ranked in the Top 15, Texas holds a slight advantage with a nine-eight-and-one series lead.