In the least surprising news of the 2021 football season, the Red River Showdown will be the same time as always.
For the third straight game, the Texas Longhorns will kick off against the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners at 11 a.m. Central on ABC in the Red River Showdown at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on Oct. 9, the conference announced on Monday.
Last year, a furious comeback for the Longhorns fell short in the fourth overtime, 53-45, marking the third straight loss in the rivalry game. Texas leads the all-time series 62-49-5 heading into the 117th all-time meeting between the two programs. The series began in 1900 with the yearly matchup played in Dallas since 1912 and at the State Fair since 1929 — this is the 94th time Texas and Oklahoma have faced off at a neutral site in Dallas.
Oklahoma enters the game at 4-0, but hasn’t met expectations, scoring only three points in the second half against Tulane as the Green Wave to threaten the Sooners late in a 40-35 game. Against Nebraska, Oklahoma once again had to hold off a late attempted comeback, holding on for a 23-16 win. And last weekend against West Virginia, Oklahoma needed six points in the fourth quarter to edge the Mountaineers, 16-13.
So the Sooners may be vulnerable, especially as the offense has underachieved, but with the Longhorns only 1-3 in the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley since he took over and 1-4 overall, Texas has to prove they can take advantage of the opportunity.