Red River Rematch for Longhorns, Sooners
Longtime rivals will meet in conference championship game
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Wavy blond hair cascades down from Breckyn Hager’s head, spilling over his shoulders and across his back. Every strand is a reminder of the chase.
When the son of Longhorns Hall of Honor member Britt Hager arrived at Texas three years ago, he vowed not to shear his golden locks until he had helped bring a Big 12 championship back to the Forty Acres. His close-cropped cut grew and grew as tjhe Longhorns kept falling short.
It’s not yet time for the senior defensive end to grab scissors, but it’s close. There’s just one rather difficult step remaining.
Texas fended off Kansas 24-17 on Friday afternoon to secure a spot in next weekend’s conference title game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. That night, sixth-ranked Oklahoma defeated 13th-ranked West Virginia 59-56 in one of the most outrageous offensive displays of the year.
Those outcomes set up, at least in the minds of Big 12 brass and ABC executives, the ideal battle for a conference crown: Texas (9-3, 7-2) vs. Oklahoma (11-1, 8-1) in a Red River Rematch.
Coach Tom Herman planned to gather his family to watch the Sooners and Mountaineers pummel one another for the right to face Texas. The rest of the Longhorns would find a spot to watch the fireworks, too.
Hager must have soaked it in with a broad smile.
Last week, he was reprimanded by Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and asked to issue an apology for announcing “OU has no defense” and “OU still sucks” during a postgame media availability after the Longhorns’ win over Iowa State.
West Virginia torched Oklahoma for 704 yards and eight touchdowns. One week earlier, Kansas put up 40 points and gained 524 yards against interim defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeil’s underwhelming unit. (Former defensive coordinator Mike Stoops lost his job one day after Texas lit up Oklahoma for 48 points.)
In fact, Oklahoma is the first team in the Associated Press poll era to win four straight games despite allowing 40-plus points in each. Its offense has been just that good, the ultimate counterbalance — and then some — to a historically inept defense.
Quarterback Kyler Murray threw for 364 yards, ran for 114 and was responsible for four touchdowns against West Virginia. Receiver Marquise Brown exploded for 242 yards and two touchdowns on 11 receptions. Freshman tailback Kennedy Brooks gained 182 yards and broke off a 68-yard touchdown run.
But the most inexplicable thing about Friday night’s crazy game was this: Oklahoma’s defense was equally responsible for the win.
Linebackers Caleb Kelly and Curtis Bolton turned both of quarterback Will Grier’s fumbles into touchdowns. Bolton’s 48-yard runback put Oklahoma ahead 59-49 with 10 minutes remaining. It was a monumental momentum swing by the most maligned defense in the nation. Afterward, Hager’s remarks became a topic of discussion. Oklahoma, of course, didn’t fail to see the irony after it scored 45 points and gained 532 yards against Texas earlier this season.
“Blows my mind,” Bolton said in response to Hager’s comment, per ESPN’s Jake Trotter. “We hung 50” — well, 45 — “on them, too. If anyone on their defense has anything to say, they can have fun playing Kyler next week.”
Texas and Oklahoma have never met in a Big 12 championship game. They haven’t even played outside of Dallas since a 1923 meeting in Austin. And this will be the first in-season rematch between the Big 12’s breadwinners since 1903.
For the Sooners, a College Football Playoff berth remains in play. A loss would leave the Big 12 out for the third time in five years.
Texas has no shot at getting into the CFP, but it can end Oklahoma’s streak of consecutive conference championships at three. The Longhorns won their last of three Big 12 titles in 2009, while most of this current team was still playing Pee Wee football.
For fifth-year senior tight end Andrew Beck, a relic from Charlie Strong’s first recruiting class, the path to Arlington has been winding and torturous. Same goes for nose tackle and fellow Strong recruit Chris Nelson, and the rest of the seniors who suffered through losing seasons, empty Decembers, and an ever-churning roster of assistant coaches.
“Us older guys, after everything we’ve been through, to be in this position now speaks volumes to our persistence and coaching and establishing a culture and everything,” Beck said Friday. “The pieces are falling into place right where we need them to.”
The end of the quirky pact Hager made with himself in 2015 is in sight. All that stands in the way is an ancient archrival with an eye on revenge.
In other words, it should be the perfect climax.