The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Oklahoma
Football ready for AT&T Red River Showdown
10.09.2017 | Football
The Longhorns and Sooners meet for the 112th time Saturday afternoon at The Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
Texas game notes | Oklahoma game notes
Saturday's AT&T Red River Showdown between The University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma is one of the most anticipated college football games each season. The two teams will meet for the 112th time on Saturday, with every game since 1929 being played at the Texas State Fair. Since 1937, the annual rivalry game has been played inside The Cotton Bowl.
The Matchup
• Texas enters Saturday's game with an overall record of 3-2. The Longhorns sit atop the Big 12 Conference standings at 2-0, tied only with TCU. UT is coming off a 40-34, double-overtime victory against Kansas State last week in Austin. The Longhorns also defeated Iowa State 17-7 in Ames to begin conference play.
• Oklahoma comes into the game with a 4-1 mark under first-year head coach Lincoln Riley. The Sooners are coming off a loss at home to Iowa State, 38-31. OU opened the season with wins against UTEP, Ohio State and Tulane in non-conference play, before defeating Baylor on the road, 49-41, to begin Big 12 action.
National Game Coverage
• Saturday's game will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. CT and is set to be broadcast on ESPN. Joe Tessitore will handle the play-by-play duties, while Todd Blackledge will provide analysis. Holly Rowe will report from the field.
• Longhorn Network's Texas GameDay show begins two hours prior to kickoff. Following the game, LHN will also host Texas GameDay Final for an hour postgame.
• A Texas radio broadcast with Craig Way, Roger Wallace and Quan Cosby can be heard nationally on Sirius channel 132, XM channel 199 and online channel 953.
• Westwood One will also have a national radio broadcast. Ryan Radtke and Derek Rackley will call the action.
The All-Time Series
• There is no rivalry quite like the Texas/Oklahoma series which is being played for the 112th time on Saturday.
• The series, which began in 1900, has been played in Dallas since 1912 and at the State Fair since 1929.
• Only Texas A&M (118 times) has played the Longhorns on more occasions. Since 1900, the only years Texas and Oklahoma have not played were 1918, '20, '21 and 1924-28.
• The first matchup between the two teams in 1900 ended with a 28-2 Longhorns' victory. Texas is the only Big 12 Conference team that holds an all-time series lead against the Sooners.
A Texas Win Would...
• Make Texas 4-2 overall and 3-0 in Big 12 Conference play.
• Mark the first time since 2013, and just the sixth time in 21 Big 12 seasons, that Texas has begun the conference slate 3-0.
• Increase the Longhorns' series lead to 62-45-5 overall.
• Be UT's third consecutive victory.
• Improve Texas' all-time record to 895-362-33. The 895 wins are the third-most in college football history.
• Make Tom Herman 2-0 in his career against Oklahoma and improve his career record to 26-6 (.813)
Head Coach Tom Herman
• Tom Herman is in his first season at Texas and his third season overall as a head coach. He is 25-6 in his career and 3-2 at Texas.
• He has a record of 6-1 against Top 25 opponents, 3-1 against Top 10 foes and 2-1 against teams inside the Top 5.
• Herman guided Houston to a 13-1 record and a win in the Peach Bowl during his first season. He was just the fourth head coach in NCAA history with at least 13 wins in a rookie season (Chris Petersen, George Woodruff, Walter Camp) and just the fifth to win the first 10 games of his career (Petersen, Woodruff, Camp and Larry Coker).
Red River Showdown Traditions
• Texas State Fair: The Texas-Oklahoma game is once again a part of the State Fair of Texas in 2017. After the series ended following a game in Austin in 1923, the tradition of the two schools playing at the State Fair began in 1929 in an old wooden structure called Fair Park Stadium. The new structure, also named Fair Park Stadium, but renamed the Cotton Bowl in 1936, was built in time for the 1930 matchup. The first Texas-OU game played at "The Cotton Bowl" was in 1937.
• The Battle Line: One of the unique characteristics of the great rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma is the colors. Tickets are divided equally and the stadium is split in half - burnt orange and crimson - at the 50 yard line. As the home team in 2017, the Longhorns will wear their burnt orange jerseys and occupy the west bench area (press box side).
• UT Torchlight Parade: The annual Torchlight Parade is set for Wednesday night at the Main Mall on the UT campus. Head Coach Tom Herman and members of his team will be on hand.
• The Governor's Cup: The Governor's Cup is exchanged annually by the Governor of Texas (Greg Abbott) and the Governor of Oklahoma (Mary Fallin), following the AT&T Red River Showdown. The Tradition began when Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe donated the trophy and each year it is transported from the office of the previous year's winning Governor to Dallas. It is displayed in the Hall of State on game day and transported to the office of the winning Governor after it has received its engraving.
• The Golden Hat: To the victor goes the Golden Hat, a rotating trophy given annually to the winner of the Texas-Oklahoma game. A gold cowboy hat that is mounted on a large block of wood, it has been part of the rivalry since the State Fair of Texas donated it in 1941. When the hat first arrived, it was known as the "Bronze Hat" and was actually made out of bronze. The hat was reworked in the 1970s and came out gold, hence the name change to the "Golden Hat."
Red River Showdown Debut Games
• Texas' Tom Herman and Oklahoma's Lincoln Riley both make their head coaching debuts in the Red River Showdown Saturday.
• UT head coaches are 15-6-2 all-time in their first games against OU, including 2-0-1 when matching up against a first-year Sooner head coach.
• Saturday's matchup is the fourth time, and the first since 1947, in which both head coaches are in their first season at the school when entering the game.
First Time Starters
• Eleven Longhorns have made their first career start through the first five games of the season: RB Toneil Carter (Iowa State), OL Terrell Cuney (K-State), QB Sam Ehlinger (SJSU), TE Garrett Gray (Maryland), WR Reggie Hemphill-Mapps (K-State), WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey (Maryland), LB Gary Johnson (K-State), OL Derek Kerstetter (Iowa State), TE Kendall Moore (SJSU), OL Denzel Okafor (K-State) and RB Kyle Porter (Maryland).
First Time Players
• 21 Longhorns have made their first career appearances so far in 2017.
• Maryland: LB Marqez Bimage*, TE Cade Brewer*, LB Demarco Boyd^, DL Jamari Chisholm, DL Ta'Quon Graham*, WR Reggie Hemphill-Mapps^, OL Patrick Hudson^, LB Gary Johnson, K Joshua Rowland, DS Kaleb Smith, DB Josh Thompson* and RB Daniel Young*
• San Jose State: OL Austin Allsup, RB Toneil Carter*, QB Josh Covey, DB Jarmarquis Durst, QB Sam Ehlinger*, TE Kendall Moore and OL J.P. Urquidez^
• USC: DB Chris Brown^
• Iowa State: OL Derek Kerstetter*
• Eight true freshmen (marked *) and five redshirt freshmen (marked ^) have debuted.
Youth Is Served
• Against Kansas State, the Longhorns started eight players who are either freshmen or true sophomores.
• QB Sam Ehlinger (true freshman), WR Reggie Hemphill-Mapps (redshirt freshman), WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey (true sophomore), WR Collin Johnson (true sophomore), DB Brandon Jones (true sophomore), OL Derek Kerstetter (true freshman), OL Denzel Okafor (true sophomore) and DE Malcolm Roach (true sophomore) all picked up the start against Kansas State last week.
Getting Defensive
• Texas' defense has struggled in recent years, but the Longhorns have looked much improved in the early part of the 2017 season on that side of the ball.
• After allowing 51 points in the season opener, the Texas defense has allowed just 68 points in the last four games combined, which includes two double-overtime games. The Longhorns are allowing just 23.8 points per game this season, fourth-best in the Big 12.
• Since allowing 263 yards rushing to Maryland in the opener, the Longhorns have surrendered just 263 rushing yards over the last four games. The Texas rush defense (105.2 ypg) ranks 17th nationally and second-best in the Big 12.
• After allowing 482 total yards in the season opener, Texas' defense has improved their season average over the last four games to 354.2 yards per game. That mark is best in the Big 12.
• The Longhorns rank ninth nationally in third-down defense, first nationally in fourth-down defense and first nationally in defensive TDs scored.
• Over the last four games, Texas' defense is allowing 17.0 points per game, 322.3 total yards per game and just 65.8 rushing yards per game.
Rushing Defense Is Stout
• Texas' rush defense has been stout in each of the past four games, allowing just 65.8 yards per game.
• Prior to the game against K-State, the Longhorns had held three straight opponents under 100 yards rushing.
• That stretch marked the first time since the first three games of the 2010 season that a UT defense has accomplished that feat.
• The 10 rushing yards allowed vs. Iowa State were the eighth-fewest by a Longhorn defense in the last 10 seasons and the fewest since 2011 against Kansas.
Getting Off The Field
• The Texas defense has been successful at getting the opponents' offense off the field this season and limiting their opportunities to score points.
• The Longhorns are allowing opponents to convert just 16-of-64 attempts on third down and are perfect on seven fourth-down attempts faced.
• The Texas defense is averaging 4.6 three-and-outs per game, as 23-of-67 (.343) opponent drives have ended without a first down.
• This has been quite a turnaround from 2016, when the Longhorns allowed opponents to convert 72-of-189 (.381) attempts on third down and 8-of-17 (.471) on fourth downs.
• Texas' 2017 defense ranks first in the Big 12 and ninth nationally in third-down defense, while they lead the country in fourth-down defense.
UT's Non-Offensive Touchdowns
• Texas already has five non-offensive touchdowns in 2017 after scoring zero in 2016.
• The Longhorns had three in the season-opener against Maryland and have had one each against San Jose State and Southern California.
• Holton Hill has three of them and now has four career non-offensive touchdowns. This season, he has interception returns of 45 (SJSU) and 31 yards (Maryland). He also returned a blocked field goal 65 yards for a score against Maryland.
• Reggie Hemphill-Mapps has one, returning a punt 91 yards to the house against Maryland.
• DeShon Elliott returned an interception 38 yards to the end zone on the road against USC.
• The season opener against Maryland marked the first time since Oct. 10, 2009, that UT had scored three non-offensive TDs in a game.
• The five non-offensive TDs in 2017 are the most in a season since the 2009 team that played for a National Championship had 11.
Points Off Turnovers
• Through five games, Texas' defense has allowed opponents to score just seven points off nine UT turnovers, while the Texas offense has converted nine turnovers into 38 points.
• Last season, opponents scored 68 points off 23 Texas turnovers, including 41 points off seven UT turnovers in the first five games. Conversely, the UT offense scored just 41 points off 20 opponent turnovers all season.
What A Difference A Year Makes
• Through five games in 2017, Texas has already come up with nine turnovers (eight interceptions, one fumble recovery). Last season through five games, the UT defense had just five turnovers.
Turning Up The Heat
• After totaling just two sacks and five tackles for loss in the first two weeks of the season, the Longhorns' defense has totaled 10 sacks and 21 tackles for loss in the last three games.
• Texas totaled three sacks and nine tackles for loss at USC, while totaling four sacks at ISU. Against K-State, UT had three sacks and eight tackles for loss.
Pedigree For Success
• Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando is in his third season under Tom Herman and his 13th straight season as a defensive coordinator. He has found success at each of his four previous stops as the DC: UConn (2005-10), FIU (2011-12), Utah State (2013-14) and Houston (2015-16).
• Like in seasons past, Orlando is proving once again the ability to put together one of the nation's toughest defenses. The Longhorns have been prolific at disrupting the quarterback and forcing turnovers, including turning those into points so far in 2017.
• In his first season at UH, his defense led the nation with 35 takeaways, while finishing eighth nationally in rushing defense (108.9 ypg) and 20th in scoring defense (20.7 ppg). Last season, Orlando's defense finished 13th in total defense and fourth in rush defense. They were also third nationally with five defensive touchdowns and allowed just 23.5 ppg.
• Orlando's defense found particular success against last season's Heisman Trophy finalists: Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook as well as Heisman winner Louisville's Lamar Jackson.
• Last season in a 33-23 win over Oklahoma, Orlando's defense held the Sooners to 393 yards, including just 70 on the ground. They forced two turnovers and sacked Mayfield five times.
Elliott Continues To Shine
• Safety DeShon Elliott, a junior from Rockwall, Texas, entered the game against Kansas State having won the Big 12 Conference's Defensive Player of the Week Award in back-to-back games.
• For his efforts at Iowa State, Elliott was also named the Jim Thorpe Award National Player of the Week.
• Against K-State, Elliott totaled six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one-half sack and an interception.
• Elliott enters this week's AT&T Red River Showdown fifth on the team with 24 tackles. He leads the team with five interceptions, has three pass breakups, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Elliott An Interception Machine
• DeShon Elliott had an interception for the third straight game on Saturday against Kansas State, and he has now totaled five in the last three games.
• His five interceptions lead not only the Big 12 Conference, but also the country.
• Elliott is the first UT player dating back to 1947 to record back-to-back games with two interceptions, as he did so against both USC and Iowa State.
• He is just the ninth UT player in the last 60 seasons to register two multi-interception games in a season.
• Since 1947, Elliott joins Chris Carter (1993-96) as the only two players with three multi-interception games in their careers. Elliott also had two interceptions against Kansas in 2015.
• Elliott is the first player since Earl Thomas in 2009 with an interception in three straight games. Thomas had an interception in four straight games during that season, totaling five picks in those games.
Jones Delivers Against K-State
• Sophomore safety Brandon Jones set a new career high with 11 tackles in Saturday night's win over Kansas State. His previous career high was seven tackles against USC earlier this season.
• In the double-overtime win against the Wildcats, Jones had nine solo takedowns and a tackle for loss.
• A native of Nacogdoches, Jones is second on the team with 31 tackles (26 solo). He has one tackle for loss and one quarterback hurry.
Top Of The Hill
• Junior cornerback Holton Hill continues to impress early on in the 2017 season. He is fourth on the team with 25 tackles and also has two interceptions and three pass breakups.
• He had arguably the best game of his career against Maryland, becoming the first FBS player in the last 10 seasons to record a pick-six and a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown in the same game.
• He has two interceptions returned for a touchdown this season. The first was 31 yards against Maryland in the season opener, while he returned one 45 yards against SJSU.
• He also has a blocked field goal return for a touchdown this season, as he returned one 65 yards to the house against Maryland. That marked UT's first blocked FG return for a touchdown since 2002.
• He is just the second player in school history (Brandon Foster, 2007) to score three non-offensive touchdowns in the same season, and the only player in school history to have three in a two-game span.
Did You Know?
• Holton Hill became just the third player in school history to return an interception for a touchdown in back-to-back games. He joins Greg Brown (2000) and Alan Lowry (1971).
• Prior to Hill, the program had last returned an INT for a TD in back-to-back games in 2007.
Hughes A Veteran Presence
• Senior linebacker Naashon Hughes has played in 42 career games and made 31 career starts for the Longhorns, including every game so far this season.
• Saturday against Kansas State, Hughes totaled six tackles and a sack.
• So far this season, Hughes has 22 tackles (17 solo) to go along with three tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass breakups and one quarterback hurry.
• He is tied for the team lead with his two sacks.
Jefferson Ready To Lead The Defense
• Junior linebacker Malik Jefferson was a highly touted recruit out of high school and has made 23 career starts to date.
• Jefferson leads the Longhorns with 43 tackles on the season, including 29 solo tackles. He also has been a quarterback menace, with five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hurries.
• Against Kansas State, Jefferson had 10 tackles, two tackles for loss and one-half sack.
• Against ISU, Jefferson finished with six tackles and also had a key fourth-down sack to get the Longhorns' defense off the field.
• As a freshman, Jefferson was named a freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News and USA Today. He made 61 tackles and seven TFL in 2015.
• Last season, Jefferson totaled 62 tackles, 8.5 TFL and 5.5 sacks to earn second-team All-Big 12 recognition from the Associated Press.
• This summer he has been named a preseason All-American by Sporting News, preseason All-Big 12 and is on the watch lists for the Bednarik Award, the Nagurski Trophy and the Butkus Award.
Built Ford Tough
• Nose tackle Poona Ford (Hilton Head, S.C.) continues to be a menace in the middle of the Longhorns' defense early on in his senior season.
• He has emerged as not only one of the Longhorns' leaders, but also one of their best defensive players.
• Despite playing on the interior defensive line, Ford finished fourth among UT defenders with his 54 tackles a year ago.
• He added 5.5 tackles for loss, four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and two blocked extra points.
• He was named second-team All-Big 12 by ESPN.com and was also tabbed honorable mention All-Big 12 by the league's coaches.
• This season he has been named preseason All-Big 12 and is also on the Senior Bowl watch list.
• He started the 2017 season with three tackles against Maryland. He also blocked a field goal which Holton Hill returned 65 yards for a touchdown.
• The blocked FG was Ford's third career blocked kick. He also blocked two extra points a season ago.
• Ford has led the charge in the middle of the Texas defense, as the Longhorns are allowing just 65.8 rushing yards per game over the last four games.
• Ford has totaled 11 tackles on the season, but has also generated double-digit knockbacks through five games.
Ehlinger's Got Game
• True freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger made his first career start for the Longhorns in a 56-0 win against San Jose State in week two and is now 2-1 in three starts on the season.
• Ehlinger became the fourth true freshman to start at quarterback for the Longhorns since 1980 and just the 10th in school history.
• In combination with Shane Buechele last season, the 2016-17 seasons mark just the second stretch in school history in which a true freshman has started at QB for UT in consecutive seasons. The 'Horns started a true freshman at the position in at least one game from 1976-79 also.
• Ehlinger was 15-of-27 for 222 yards and a touchdown in his debut. He also rushed for 48 yards and guided the Texas offense to 623 total yards.
• He became just the third true freshman in school history, joining Buechele (2016) and Rick McIvor (1979), to pass for at least 200 yards in a game.
• In guiding Texas to double-overtime on the road at No. 4/4 USC, Ehlinger finished 21-of-40 passing for 298 yards and two touchdowns. The 298 yards were the second-most ever by a true freshman at UT.
• Against Kansas State, Ehlinger passed for 380 yards and rushed for 107 in a double-overtime victory. His 380 yards were the 10th-most in school history and the most ever by a true freshman quarterback. His 107 rushing yards were the second-most ever by a UT true freshman QB (Mark McBath, 1976).
• Ehlinger became just the third quarterback in Texas Football history with 300 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in a game joining Colt McCoy (2009) and Jerrod Heard (2015).
• Ehlinger has now passed for 200 yards in all three games and has gone over 300 yards once.
• He has thrown at least one touchdown pass in all three starts and has two multi-TD games.
Buechele Passing By The Numbers
• Sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele started his 14th career game at Iowa State. Coming off an injury, Buechele finished an efficient 19-of-26 (.731) for 171 yards and a touchdown.
• In his first start of the season against Maryland, he was 34-of-52 for 375 yards and two touchdowns. He set new career highs for passing yards, completions and attempts in that game.
• His 375 yards passing were 10th-most in school history for a single game and the second-most by a sophomore (Chris Simms, 383).
• A native of Arlington, Texas, Buechele has now passed for 200 yards in 11-of-14 games and has two career 300-yard games. His 11 200-yard games are tied for seventh-most in school history.
• In just 14 games, Buechele has passed for 3,504 yards, good for 11th-most for a career in school history.
• Buechele has thrown a touchdown pass in 13-of-14 games and now has eight career multi-passing touchdown games.
• He has been named to the watch lists for both the Maxwell Award and Davey O'Brien Award this offseason.
Johnson An Offensive Threat
• After totaling 24 catches for 264 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman, wide receiver Collin Johnson is off to a quick start as a sophomore.
• The San Jose, Calif. native has 25 catches for a team-high 485 receiving yards.
• Johnson had a monster game against No. 4/4 USC in week three, catching seven passes for 191 yards. His 191 yards were the fourth-most in school history, the second-most by a Big 12 Conference player in 2017 and the 14th-most nationally to date.
• His season got off to a strong start against Maryland, catching seven passes for 125 yards and a touchdown.
• Johnson now has two career 100-yard games, both of which came in the first three games of the 2017 season.
Hemphill-Mapps Breaking Out
• Redshirt freshman Reggie Hemphill-Mapps made his first career start in Saturday's game against Kansas State, and he made it count catching 12 passes for 121 yards.
• The 12 receptions were tied for fourth-most in school history and the most ever among UT freshmen. They were a career-high for the Manvel, Texas native.
• His 121 receiving yards were tied for the ninth-most ever by a UT freshman and marked just the 16th 100-yard receiving game by a Longhorn freshman in school history.
• Hemphill-Mapps is now tied for the team lead with 25 receptions and is second on the team with 261 receiving yards.
Porter Punches It In
• Sophomore running back Kyle Porter registered his first career multi-touchdown game in Saturday's win against Kansas State.
• The Katy, Texas native had just seven carries, but converted two of them into touchdowns.
• His three rushing touchdowns are the second-most on the team.
Connor Williams Suffers Injury
• Junior All-American left tackle Connor Williams sustained an injury in the Longhorns' game against USC.
• He suffered a sprain of his MCL and PCL and also a meniscus tear. There is no timetable for his return at this point.
• Williams had started 26 of a possible 27 contests to date in his career, including 13 consecutive, before the injury.
• Last season, Williams was a consensus first-team All-American, just the fourth sophomore in UT history to receive first-team All-America honors (Hub Bechtol, 1944; Russell Erxleben, 1976 and Earl Thomas, 2009) and second sophomore (Thomas) to earn consensus honors.
• Throughout the offseason, Williams was recognized as a preseason All-American by the Associated Press, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, College Football News and Athlon Sports.
• Additionally, Williams was named to the watch lists for the Maxwell Award, Outland Trophy, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and was also named preseason All-Big 12.
Offensive Line Steps Up
• With three players making either their first or second career start on the offensive line Saturday against Kansas State, the Longhorns came together and did not allow a sack all game long.
• It marked the fourth time in the last two seasons, including the second time this season, that Texas has not allowed a sack in a game.
Warren Moving Up The Charts
• Chris Warren III surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards in the win over San Jose State. He has rushed for 1,106 yards (42nd UT history) on 182 carries with 11 career rushing touchdowns.
• Despite playing in just three-and-a-half games a season ago, Warren ran for 366 yards and three touchdowns on 62 total attempts.
• As a freshman, Warren ran for 470 yards and four touchdowns.
• Against Texas Tech (2015), he rushed for a UT freshman-record 276 yards and four touchdowns.
• Warren has five career 100-yard games.
Dickson A Ray Guy Award Candidate
• Junior punter Michael Dickson, a native of Sydney, Australia, entered the 2017 season as one of the nation's top returning punters. Last season, he was named a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, the first Longhorn to ever earn that distincition.
• Dickson, who was named Big 12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Year, set a school record with an average of 47.4 yards per punt.
• Prior to the 2017 season, Dickson was named a preseason All-American by Athlon Sports, preseason All-Big 12 and a member of the Ray Guy Award watch list.
• Dickson has punted 22 times for an average of 46.7 yards per punt. He has a long of 67 yards with nine punts of more than 50 yards and seven downed inside the 20.
• For his efforts against Iowa State, where he punted seven times with a net average of 46.2 yards, Dickson was named the Ray Guy Award National Punter of the Week.
Longhorns Win In Overtime
• Saturday's game marked Texas' sixth-ever overtime game and just the second played at DKR.
• UT is now 3-3 in overtime games, including a 2-1 record in double-overtime contests.
• Prior to the 2016 season, UT had played just two overtime games in its history. But, Texas has now played two OT games in back-to-back seasons. Both OT games in 2017 have gone into double overtime.
