Saturday, October 10, 2020, Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas., noon. ET
Longhorns vs. Sooners Betting Preview: Longhorns (+1.5), Sooners (-1.5)
Texas Longhorns
Quarterback Sam Ehlinger will be facing the Sooners for the fifth time and has performed rather well though the Longhorns are 1-3 in the previous meetings. He has rushed and passed for 1,362 yards against the Sooners, passing for 349 yards when they met in the 2018 Big 12 Championship Game. He has rushed for eight touchdowns against the Sooners.
Ehlinger has completed 63.2 percent of his 109 pass attempts for 924 yards in three outings this season with 14 touchdowns against a pair of interceptions. He also has netted 130 yards rushing, third best on the team behind Keontay Ingram (173) and Roschon Johnson (145).
“I’ve always been impressed with his competitiveness and toughness,” Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said if Ehlinger. “I think he’s improved as a thrower over the years and then one of the most impressive things about Sam has been his durability. We’ve had a lot of fun battles against him.”
Oklahoma
Though his late interception ended Texas’ hopes in the loss to Kansas State, Spencer Rattler has put up some impressive numbers as a freshman in his first three games. He has completed 73.5 percent of his 94 pass attempts for 977 yards and 10 touchdowns for a 325.7 yards per game average that ranks eighth in FBS statistics.
“For a guy that is just taking over the starting role he’s got a great command of the offense, can make plays with his feet, phenomenal thrower of the football,” Texas coach Tom Herman said. “Kind of a total package.”
Overall, 15 Sooners have at least one reception with Charleston Rambo leading with 13 catches. Marvin Mims and Jeremiah Hall have three touchdown receptions each. Brian Asamoah leads the defense with 18 tackles and DeShaun White has 2.5 sacks.
Longhorns vs. Sooners Betting Pick for Oct. 10, 2020
Both quarterbacks have impressive numbers but Ehlinger has the edge in one category. Since 1990, the quarterback with the most experience in the rivalry is 14-3-1 against a team with a quarterback making his first start in the Red River Showdown. The Sooners have won the last two meetings and seven of the last 10.
Longhorns at Sooners Betting Pick:
Longhorns 42, Sooners 38
Longhorns vs. Sooners Best Bet for Oct. 10, 2020
Both teams have given up lots of points (Texas 89 the last two games, Oklahoma 75 the last two after an opening shutout) and both teams have quarterbacks that can have big days. Defensive coordinators Chris Ash of Texas and Alex Grinch of Oklahoma are in for a long day.
Longhorns vs. Sooners Best Bet: OVER 72.5
–Field Level Media
