Defense could be the difference in the Red River Rivalry game

It’s Red River Rivalry week for Texas and No. 6 Oklahoma football, and this year’s matchup seems like a coin flip between the SEC rivals.

Both the Sooners and the Longhorns’ offenses have some serious questions to answer heading into Saturday’s contest, and it feels like whoever’s defense shows up will be the team that comes out on top. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how these two programs match up on the defensive end.

Oklahoma Sooners

Quarterback Arch Manning will have to look out for a Sooner’s defense that looks like the best in the SEC so far this season. Oklahoma tops the conference in total yards, passing yards and points allowed per game, and ranks second in rushing yards allowed per game.

“Fantastic defensive team,” Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said of Oklahoma. “You can go down the line about how great they’re playing on defense right now, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

The Sooners have three players with 3-plus sacks and 4-plus tackles-for-loss on the season thus far and will soon face a struggling Texas offensive line. The Florida Gators, whom Texas faced this past Saturday, have nine total sacks on the season, six of which came against quarterback Arch Manning and the Longhorns.

“They’re very active up front, very athletic group,” Sarkisian said. “I think they lead the SEC in about everything.”

With some of the best pass rushers in the SEC on the roster, Manning may find himself having a long day under center if the Longhorns can’t account for the Sooners up front. Oklahoma’s secondary will also be on alert, with Manning having thrown at least one pick in all but one game so far this season. Turnovers, though, have not been Oklahoma’s specialty, forcing only two so far this season.

Texas Longhorns

Texas’s defense entered the season with the expectation to be one of the best in the nation, and until its matchup against Florida, the team had lived up to that expectation. Before Florida, the Longhorns’ defense allowed an average of 7.8 points per game. Then, last Saturday, the team allowed quarterback DJ Lagway and the Gators to dominate offensively and take a 29-21 win.

“I think Florida scored on the first three of the four drives they had,” Sarkisian said on the Florida loss. “They really controlled the ball.”

Despite the loss and the uncharacteristically ineffective defense, Texas still ranks third in total yards and rushing yards allowed per game in the SEC and sits behind Oklahoma at No. 2 in points allowed per game with 12.

While the defensive line may be the strength of the Sooners, the linebacker unit and secondary are the strengths of the Longhorns. Through five games, Texas has forced nine turnovers, five interceptions and four fumble recoveries, and is likely facing backup quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. for the Sooners.

Starting quarterback John Mateer suffered a hand injury and has been sidelined recently, and though he is pushing for a return Saturday, it seems unlikely. No matter who is starting, Texas will prepare for every scenario.

“We’ll plan for Mateer, you have to, he’s a dynamic player, he’s the heartbeat of that offense for sure,” Sarkisian said. “We played against Hawkins last year; he’s [a] much-improved player, like most young players, they get better over time, you can see his improvement for sure.”

If Hawkins does start, it will be his second straight in the Red River game. Last season, Hawkins completed 19 of 30 pass attempts for 148 yards, zero touchdowns and was sacked six times facing Texas.