The second weekend of October is on the horizon, and that means the Red River Rivalry will commence at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas (3:30 p.m. EDT, ABC).
This meeting was once dubbed “Red River Shootout,” which is an improper description for what Texas and Oklahoma fans will see at the State Fair of Texas. If anything, the matchup between the top-ranked Longhorns (4-0, 1-0) and the Sooners (2-2, 0-1) is trending toward a rock fight.
What makes this year’s Red River Rivalry a rock fight?
The matchup features two of college football’s greatest defensive minds: Will Muschamp and Brent Venables.
In the past, Muschamp was LSU’s defensive coordinator in Nick Saban’s tenure and the co-defensive coordinator for Georgia’s 2022 national championship team. Venables was responsible for Clemson’s national championship defenses before taking the Oklahoma head coaching job.
Additionally, neither quarterback is off to a desirable start.
Arch Manning, who was viewed as a Heisman Trophy candidate and first-round NFL draft choice before the season, was inconsistent in the Longhorns’ first two Power Four games. On the other hand, John Mateer has been downright dreadful in his last three games.
Paul Finebaum: “Mateer has been a complete bust.”
College football media personality Paul Finebaum is among those bemoaning the play of Mateer through the first month of the season. On a Wednesday edition of ESPN’s “Get Up,” Finebaum labeled Mateer as a “bust” in his prediction for the Red River Rivalry.
“I expect more ineptitude from Oklahoma,” Finebaum said. “John Mateer, who a lot of us thought was going to be a really good quarterback in July and August, has been a complete bust. There’s good news for Oklahoma fans: the new athletic director, before the season, extended Brent Venables for who knows how many more years. So Oklahoma fans, you’re stuck!”
How is Mateer playing like a bust?
The general consensus around Mateer pre-season was that a thumb injury inhibited him in 2025 and that an offseason to recover would help him spring forward in 2026.
The thumb wasn’t the problem in Oklahoma’s 17-10 loss at Michigan in Week 2. Mateer didn’t see a defender trailing his intended target on an interception that set up the Wolverines with a short field on what turned out to be the game-winning drive.
The Sooners were lethargic on offense in their 14-6 win over New Mexico the following week. After the game, Mateer made the stunning admission that he found Isaiah Sategna for a 53-yard touchdown pass because he heard fans screaming when Sategna broke open.
The 41-13 loss at Georgia featured some of the worst looking turnovers by a college quarterback in recent memory. He lost his first fumble mid-throw, and it was scooped and scored by linebacker Chris Cole on an 85-yard return. He lost the second one while Georgia defenders were dragging him toward the sideline, and Cole returned it into the red zone.
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