On October 13, one of the biggest SEC matchups will take place between No. 1 Texas and No. 18 Oklahoma. Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns will get on the road to face the Sooners for their 120th matchup as a 14.5-point favorite. With lots of anticipation building up ahead of the Red River Rivalry game, the release of the teams’ injury report gave Brent Venables and his team more to worry about.

As per the report by Inside Texas on X on October 11, Oklahoma’s Thursday injury report consists of nine players who are listed as out. The Sooners’ WR room suffered the most as five of them were out including their top receiver Deion Burks who led OU with 26 receptions for 201 yards. The other four include Jayden Gibson, Jalil Farooq, Nic Anderson, and Andrel Anthony. Oklahoma also lost two DB players, TE Kade McIntyre, and OL Geirean Hatchett.

Meanwhile, Texas has three RBs listed as out for the Cotton Bowl showdown, including senior transfer Velton Gardner. Junior walk-on RB Colin Page’s status remains questionable. The Longhorns might also miss punter Michael Kern and DS Tate Haver who are also questionable to play in the upcoming rivalry game. DB Derek Williams is now probable after missing three games with a hamstring injury. 

This upcoming game is important for both teams but it’s especially important for Texas who’s looking to set a winning record against Oklahoma after last season’s loss. As seen above, the Longhorns will enter this game with an upper hand but as Steve Sarkisian said, “It’s a rivalry game. Forget whatever we’re favored by or we’re not, it doesn’t matter. Records and things don’t matter in games like this.” Still, let’s also take a look at their quarterback situation. 

Red River Rivalry quarterbacks

Texas played three of their games without their starting QB Quinn Ewers who suffered an oblique strain. Arch Manning took over his position and led the Longhorns to three dominant wins from Week 3-5. But on Thursday, Steve Sarkisian announced that Ewers will be back for the starting nod in the upcoming rivalry game. He secured 691 yards and eight touchdowns for the two-and-a-half games he played this season.

As for Oklahoma, true freshman QB Michael Hawkins Jr. takes the pressure of being the main guy against Ewers after Jackson Arnold got benched after Week 4 for a poor performance against Tennessee. Hawkins only started in the last game but he secured a win against Auburn as they moved 4-1 into the season. Texas looks for another win to maintain their undefeated 5-0 record while Oklahoma seeks to win a consecutive game against the Longhorns after their last victory.