Joel Klatt previews Red River showdown, predicts winner
By Luke Greco
Published:
Texas and No. 6 Oklahoma will meet on Oct. 11 for the annual Red River Rivalry showdown. Joel Klatt previewed the matchup this Thursday on his show and provided his winner.
Two teams trending in very different directions will clash with the chance to hoist the Golden Hat trophy. Oklahoma is undefeated and will be looking to keep that going, while Texas is still in search of its first win over another power conference program.
Oklahoma may be without its starting quarterback, John Mateer, who went down with a hand injury. Klatt highlighted how Oklahoma’s backup, Michael Hawkins Jr., has started in the Red River Rivalry before, so he won’t be surprised by the environment. However, Klatt believes that the key to this game is Oklahoma’s defense versus what has been a struggling Texas offense.
“What we have not seen at all, all season, is this Texas offense, Arch Manning, the offensive line, play well against an FBS opponent,” Klatt said. “There’s no evidence… There’s nothing to lean on that would suggest, other than the logo on their helmet and the name of their head coach, that all of a sudden they’re going to turn it around and play really well offensively.”
Klatt noted how Texas’s offensive line has struggled to protect Manning this year and that the Oklahoma defense leads the country in sacks at over 4 per game.
For all the reasons listed, Klatt is taking Oklahoma to win the Red River Rivalry against Texas.
“I think OU wins this one straight up, 20-17, in Red River in Dallas,” Klatt said. “OU gets the win, and they start trending towards a Playoff spot because that defense, I think, is that good.”
Kickoff in the game is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Oklahoma is a 1-point favorite at BetMGM.
