The Texas-Oklahoma annual game has seen bizarre finishes and legendary performances that make it essential viewing and betting
The Texas-Oklahoma game goes back before the first World War. Before the Super Bowl, the College Football Playoff, the Snoop Dogg Bowl or the Pop-Tarts Bowl, or even the existence of the NFL or the NCAA.
It kicked off in 1900, before Oklahoma was even recognized as a state.
Both teams have never needed statehood, a championship on the line or a crazy bowl game to produce something worth remembering though.
The Red River is the natural dividing line between Texas and Oklahoma. The Red River Rivalry didn’t need much prompting. Border “wars”, real ones or on the football field, just naturally tend to produce intensity that you don’t get from places or schools that are farther apart. It’s that whole familiarity breeds contempt thing.
Some crazy games between the universities have happened in the past 125 years, with the next version on tap in just a few days (check out the latest Texas-Oklahoma odds here). And some of them really stand out.
1958: Royal Changes the Direction
Before Darrell Royal became a major name associated with Texas football, he had to beat the program where he actually played quarterback. Nothing like a “traitor” to stir up a rivalry.
Oklahoma entered the 1958 matchup with six straight W’s against the Longhorns, and they’d won nine of the previous 10. Royal was just in his second season at Texas as head coach and he was facing the second-ranked Sooners with a No. 16 Longhorns team that was a weaker underdog in everyone’s rankings.
Bobby Lackey was the Longhorns’ QB and he ended up doing more than just QB’ing. The Texas quarterback was down 14-8 late in the fourth quarter and ended up throwing a seven-yard touchdown pass to Bob Bryant.
Back then, players regularly stepped up in other roles. They weren’t the one-role specialists that you see today. Lackey also kicked for Texas, and he had to handle the extra point himself.
His kick supplied the winning margin in a major 15-14 upset. (Lackey also tossed the Longhorns’ only interception earlier in the game, giving him a hand in the game on offense, defense and special teams).
The game broke some kind of mental hold the Sooners had on Texas. Royal had ended Oklahoma’s winning streak in the series. He went on to coach for 20 more seasons, never had a losing one, won three national championships, and his name is now on the stadium in Austin. All in part because his QB turned into a kicker.
1984: The Interception That Wasn’t
The 1984 edition of the Red River Rivalry produced an argument that will still get fans going today.
Both teams were loaded with talent. No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Oklahoma met in the rain on October 13. Texas built a 10-0 lead, but Oklahoma fought back behind two third-quarter touchdowns from Steve Sewell. Late in the game, the Sooners led 15-12.
Then came the play. It still defines the game, maybe even the 80s decade when it comes to the rivalry. Texas QB Todd Dodge threw toward the end zone. Oklahoma’s Andre Johnson tipped the pass, and defensive back Keith Stanberry secured (so we think) an interception before going out of bounds. Oklahoma was in position to finish the game. QB kneels down, fans rush the field, you know the formula.
Hang on. The officials ruled the pass incomplete. Remember, this was decades before replay. It was such a bad call that the refs admitted they missed it two days later. You might still catch replays of Sooners’ coach Barry Switzer going ballistic too, where he almost chokes himself getting tangled up in his headset gear.
Texas sent out Jeff Ward to kick a 32-yard field goal as time expired. The final score was 15-15. That was only the fifth tie in the 125 years of the game, and the last one we’ve seen till now.
2001: Superman Ends the Debate
The 2001 game was almost the opposite of a shootout. Both teams were again powerhouses in the NCAA. Fifth-ranked Oklahoma and third-ranked Texas spent the afternoon in a defensive battle, with the Sooners holding a 7-3 lead late in the fourth quarter. Texas still had a chance, but they were backed up near their own goal line.
Oklahoma safety Roy Williams made sure that chance lasted one play.
On a blitz called “Slamdogs,” Williams launched himself over Texas running back Brett Robin and reached quarterback Chris Simms right as Simms began throwing the football. The ball ended up floating to Sooners linebacker Teddy Lehman, who took it into the end zone for the easiest pick six you’ll ever see. Oklahoma’s extra point made it 14-3 with 2:01 remaining.
The “Superman Play” nickname stuck quickly. Williams really did stretch out in midair, clearing the blocker and arriving at the exact moment Simms was most vulnerable.
Williams wasn’t finished though. And he’s probably still causing Longhorns fans nightmares. On Texas’ next possession, he intercepted Simms himself and shut down any hope of a Texas comeback miracle.
Williams finished that season with the Jim Thorpe Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy. He ironically ended becoming a Texas legend by getting drafted by the Dallas Cowboys at #8 overall and getting selected to five Pro Bowls.
2008: Winning Wasn’t Enough
Texas did everything necessary to beat Oklahoma on October 11, 2008. The problem was that beating Oklahoma eventually proved insufficient to settle the championship argument.
The fifth-ranked Longhorns defeated the No. 1 Sooners 45-35 in a game that repeatedly changed direction. Oklahoma jumped ahead 14-3 before Jordan Shipley’s 96-yard kickoff return touchdown pulled Texas back into contention. At the time, the teams’ combined 80 points set a rivalry scoring record.
Colt McCoy gave Texas the steady hand it needed. He completed 28 of 35 passes for 277 yards, throwing one touchdown without an interception. The Longhorns took control in the fourth quarter rather than relying on one desperate final play.
Then the season complicated everything.
Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech finished with identical 7-1 conference records. Texas had beaten Oklahoma, Oklahoma had beaten Texas Tech, and Texas Tech had beaten Texas. With the head-to-head results forming a circle, the Big 12’s tiebreaking process eventually reached the BCS standings. Oklahoma received the South Division’s championship-game berth.
That is what makes 2008 unusually wild. The controversy developed after the game, not during it. Texas owned a clear victory on a neutral field, yet Oklahoma advanced.
For Longhorns fans, the scoreboard seemed like the strongest possible evidence. The system had a different answer.
2021: A Freshman Steals the Show
The 2021 Red River Rivalry delivered the most chaos that people will easily still remember.
Texas scored 28 first-quarter points and led Oklahoma 38-20 at halftime. The Sooners went down by 21 in the third quarter and starting quarterback Spencer Rattler was yanked for freshman Caleb Williams.
Spoiler: Oklahoma ended up winning 55-48, completing the biggest comeback in the rivalry’s history. Williams threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns while adding 88 rushing yards and another score. He ripped off a 66-yard TD on his first drive.
Remember Kennedy Brooks? The Sooners’ running back hasn’t had much of a career since, but he ended this epic game, then locked at 48-48, with a direct snap TD run of 33 yards with only three seconds left.
The combined 103 points make it the highest-scoring game through the rivalry’s entire existence.