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saltysouthfishingcharters@gmail.com
By Travis Galey
I have a confession to make. I don’t hate OU. Don’t get me wrong, there is no other team I want Texas to beat more than OU, but that doesn’t mean that I actually HATE them.
Granted, I used to feel that way about them, but it’s funny how marrying a Sooner will take the sting out of it a little. And maybe that hatred would be a little sharper had the Sooner family I married into not been such good people.
If Texas wins, they are always congratulatory. If OU wins, they never rub it in my face and simply say, “better luck next year.”
It’s hard to hate when you are treated with love and respect.
So OU week is always a little bit different for me.
Steve Sarkisian found out just how different this game is when he led the Longhorns through the Cotton Bowl tunnel for the first time last year.
“My first impression of the Red River Showdown is what an awesome environment for college football,” Sarkisian said. “From the moment you start pulling into the State Fair on your buses and you see both sides, that’s what it’s all about. Shoot, I’m getting goosebumps right now thinking about it.”
Sarkisian’s excitement for the game isn’t diminished by the fact that neither team is ranked in the AP top 25. Not since Mack Brown’s first season in charge have both teams been unranked when coming out of the tunnel. In fact, this is only the sixth time it has happened since 1950, which goes to show the dominance the two programs have had in college football. But the truth is, none of that matters come Saturday because it’s OU week.
“We know more than ever we’re going to get the best version of them and we need to make sure we give them the best version of us,” Sarkisian said. “They are a talented team. We need to play a very good football game to come out victorious.”
Of course, the truth is, neither team goes into Dallas with the best version of itself. OU starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel is nursing a brain injury and may or may not be ready to play.
Texas knows a thing or two about quarterback injuries as well. Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers has missed the last three and 3/4 weeks with a shoulder injury. Backup quarterback Hudson Card has filled in while playing through an ankle sprain, but there may be some hope that the worst is behind them all.
“We’re healthier than we’ve been since the start of the season,” Sarkisian said. “That’s a positive. We’ll see how the week goes.”
But when asked which quarterback will start, Sark was his usual evasive self.
“My philosophy is pretty simple, play the guy that I think gives us the best chance to be successful whether he’s the starter, the backup, hot hand or not,” Sarkisian said. “Whoever I think is gonna give us the best chance to be successful and put us in the position to win the ballgame, that’s who we’ll play.”
No matter who starts for Texas, this will be his first time taking snaps in Dallas with the north end of the stadium filled with fans wearing orange and the south end of the stadium with fans wearing crimson and cream.
“One end of the game is a home game, the other end of the field, it’s a road game,” Sarkisian said. “We need to be aware of that and how we approach it, especially offensively.”
Sarkisian says he learned from last year when he says he felt his team lost their composure while blowing a big first-half lead. The Horns will spend more time in practice this week focusing on snap counts and play calls for when they are in OU’s end of the stadium. He says he felt like the Sooner fans shook up his team’s composure while blowing a big first-half lead last year.
“I don’t think we were very mature last year,” Sarkisian said. “The crowd noise got to us a little bit. We didn’t handle it very well.”
That can’t give Longhorn fans a lot of confidence heading into this game, especially when you compare that quote to one from Tight End Ja’Tavion Sanders following the team’s loss to Texas Tech earlier this year.
“We were just letting things get in our heads,” Sanders told reporters after the loss in Lubbock. “Miscommunications, letting the fans or the crowd noise affect us on both sides of the ball.”
The team held a players-only meeting following the loss to Tech where senior running back Roschon Johnson led the charge. Whether it was that meeting, better focus or the fact that West Virginia just isn’t very good, the result was a big win for UT last week.
But now Johnson will need to make sure that the young team is aware of what this game will be like.
“We know, as the older group, the records in this game don’t matter,” Johnson said. He went on to add that it eats at him knowing he has yet to win a game against OU.
If OU fans get ANY sense that they are impacting how the Longhorns play, they will yell and scream until they are bleeding from their vocal cords. I’m obviously not a doctor so I don’t know if you can actually bleed from your vocal chords by screaming, but I’m sure they’ll test the theory on Saturday.
Card was a part of the debacle in Lubbock and will certainly never forget what the scene in Arkansas was like last season (hopefully he got counseling for PTSD after that game), so he knows what it’s like to play in front of a ravenous crowd.
Ewers has no idea what that kind of atmosphere is like when you’re the one trying to call the plays.
Probably the biggest game of Ewers’ career so far was the state high school championship when he was outdueled by Cade Klubnick at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Ewers played ok that game, completing 23 of 39 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns. Of course, he also threw two interceptions to his now teammate, Michael Taaffe, which helped propel Austin Westlake to a 52-34 win.
So can Ewers handle the type of game he could face Saturday? Who knows?
Of course, the same question could be asked of the other side.
The biggest game Dillon Gabriel has played in is probably the 2019 Gasparilla Bowl win over Marshall. He’s never seen the kind of crowd he will face Saturday … assuming he plays. Backup quarterback Davis Beville, who transferred to Norman from Pitt this summer, has thrown fewer D1 passes than Card.
Beville hardly shined when he stepped in for Gabriel against TCU last week, completing 7 of 16 pass attempts for 50 yards.
So no matter who lines up behind center for OU this week, they’ll have their work cut out for them.
“It’s our job as coaches to put guys in position for success regardless of who’s out there,” Oklahoma Offensive Coordinator Jeff Lebby told reporters Monday. “We’ve talked a bunch about that as a unit and as a staff. Regardless of who’s playing, man, our expectation is to play well and play cleaner and play better.”
Beville will get the first-team reps in practice this week while Gabriel recovers.
“It’s just getting real reps,” Lebby said. “That’s the biggest thing is real playing time and real reps. I’ll keep saying this, I was proud of him for how he took care of the ball. He had an opportunity a couple of times to let one go but didn’t feel good about it. He takes care of it, which we’re going to live on the right side of it. We’re going to be aggressive but always want to be on the right side of that. Him getting reps and the more he plays, the better he’ll be.”
How much better Beville or Gabriel can be remains to be seen.
How much better Card or Ewers can be remains to be seen.
But the UT-OU game has a way of turning players into stars. Who will step up and shine this week will likely dictate who wins the game.
But no matter who wins, just know that I’ll be saying “nice game” to the people on the other side of the stadium. Because after all, it is hard to hate when you treat others will love and respect.
TIFFANY JACKSON
I was truly sad when I read the news that Tiffany Jackson, the former UT basketball star, passed away this week.
I can’t imagine the pain that her 10-year-old son must be feeling today.
I do know the fear that comes from having a loved one battle cancer.
Jackson beat back breast cancer in 2016.
My wife beat breast cancer in 2020.
It is a very scary situation when a loved one is in a literal fight for their life. But the battle forces you to face the prospect that the worst could happen. Thankfully, Mindy overcame it and beat it.
But the news about Jackson just reinforces that while we’ve won the battle, the enemy is never far away.
So I would like to pray for Tiffany Jackson’s son, the rest of her family and friends, and everyone who has a loved one fighting the good fight. You are not alone.
Contact Austin to book your trip today!
(985) 264-5003
saltysouthfishingcharters@gmail.com
By Travis Galey
I have a confession to make. I don’t hate OU. Don’t get me wrong, there is no other team I want Texas to beat more than OU, but that doesn’t mean that I actually HATE them.
Granted, I used to feel that way about them, but it’s funny how marrying a Sooner will take the sting out of it a little. And maybe that hatred would be a little sharper had the Sooner family I married into not been such good people.
If Texas wins, they are always congratulatory. If OU wins, they never rub it in my face and simply say, “better luck next year.”
It’s hard to hate when you are treated with love and respect.
So OU week is always a little bit different for me.
Steve Sarkisian found out just how different this game is when he led the Longhorns through the Cotton Bowl tunnel for the first time last year.
“My first impression of the Red River Showdown is what an awesome environment for college football,” Sarkisian said. “From the moment you start pulling into the State Fair on your buses and you see both sides, that’s what it’s all about. Shoot, I’m getting goosebumps right now thinking about it.”
Sarkisian’s excitement for the game isn’t diminished by the fact that neither team is ranked in the AP top 25. Not since Mack Brown’s first season in charge have both teams been unranked when coming out of the tunnel. In fact, this is only the sixth time it has happened since 1950, which goes to show the dominance the two programs have had in college football. But the truth is, none of that matters come Saturday because it’s OU week.
“We know more than ever we’re going to get the best version of them and we need to make sure we give them the best version of us,” Sarkisian said. “They are a talented team. We need to play a very good football game to come out victorious.”
Of course, the truth is, neither team goes into Dallas with the best version of itself. OU starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel is nursing a brain injury and may or may not be ready to play.
Texas knows a thing or two about quarterback injuries as well. Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers has missed the last three and 3/4 weeks with a shoulder injury. Backup quarterback Hudson Card has filled in while playing through an ankle sprain, but there may be some hope that the worst is behind them all.
“We’re healthier than we’ve been since the start of the season,” Sarkisian said. “That’s a positive. We’ll see how the week goes.”
But when asked which quarterback will start, Sark was his usual evasive self.
“My philosophy is pretty simple, play the guy that I think gives us the best chance to be successful whether he’s the starter, the backup, hot hand or not,” Sarkisian said. “Whoever I think is gonna give us the best chance to be successful and put us in the position to win the ballgame, that’s who we’ll play.”
No matter who starts for Texas, this will be his first time taking snaps in Dallas with the north end of the stadium filled with fans wearing orange and the south end of the stadium with fans wearing crimson and cream.
“One end of the game is a home game, the other end of the field, it’s a road game,” Sarkisian said. “We need to be aware of that and how we approach it, especially offensively.”
Sarkisian says he learned from last year when he says he felt his team lost their composure while blowing a big first-half lead. The Horns will spend more time in practice this week focusing on snap counts and play calls for when they are in OU’s end of the stadium. He says he felt like the Sooner fans shook up his team’s composure while blowing a big first-half lead last year.
“I don’t think we were very mature last year,” Sarkisian said. “The crowd noise got to us a little bit. We didn’t handle it very well.”
That can’t give Longhorn fans a lot of confidence heading into this game, especially when you compare that quote to one from Tight End Ja’Tavion Sanders following the team’s loss to Texas Tech earlier this year.
“We were just letting things get in our heads,” Sanders told reporters after the loss in Lubbock. “Miscommunications, letting the fans or the crowd noise affect us on both sides of the ball.”
The team held a players-only meeting following the loss to Tech where senior running back Roschon Johnson led the charge. Whether it was that meeting, better focus or the fact that West Virginia just isn’t very good, the result was a big win for UT last week.
But now Johnson will need to make sure that the young team is aware of what this game will be like.
“We know, as the older group, the records in this game don’t matter,” Johnson said. He went on to add that it eats at him knowing he has yet to win a game against OU.
If OU fans get ANY sense that they are impacting how the Longhorns play, they will yell and scream until they are bleeding from their vocal cords. I’m obviously not a doctor so I don’t know if you can actually bleed from your vocal chords by screaming, but I’m sure they’ll test the theory on Saturday.
Card was a part of the debacle in Lubbock and will certainly never forget what the scene in Arkansas was like last season (hopefully he got counseling for PTSD after that game), so he knows what it’s like to play in front of a ravenous crowd.
Ewers has no idea what that kind of atmosphere is like when you’re the one trying to call the plays.
Probably the biggest game of Ewers’ career so far was the state high school championship when he was outdueled by Cade Klubnick at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Ewers played ok that game, completing 23 of 39 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns. Of course, he also threw two interceptions to his now teammate, Michael Taaffe, which helped propel Austin Westlake to a 52-34 win.
So can Ewers handle the type of game he could face Saturday? Who knows?
Of course, the same question could be asked of the other side.
The biggest game Dillon Gabriel has played in is probably the 2019 Gasparilla Bowl win over Marshall. He’s never seen the kind of crowd he will face Saturday … assuming he plays. Backup quarterback Davis Beville, who transferred to Norman from Pitt this summer, has thrown fewer D1 passes than Card.
Beville hardly shined when he stepped in for Gabriel against TCU last week, completing 7 of 16 pass attempts for 50 yards.
So no matter who lines up behind center for OU this week, they’ll have their work cut out for them.
“It’s our job as coaches to put guys in position for success regardless of who’s out there,” Oklahoma Offensive Coordinator Jeff Lebby told reporters Monday. “We’ve talked a bunch about that as a unit and as a staff. Regardless of who’s playing, man, our expectation is to play well and play cleaner and play better.”
Beville will get the first-team reps in practice this week while Gabriel recovers.
“It’s just getting real reps,” Lebby said. “That’s the biggest thing is real playing time and real reps. I’ll keep saying this, I was proud of him for how he took care of the ball. He had an opportunity a couple of times to let one go but didn’t feel good about it. He takes care of it, which we’re going to live on the right side of it. We’re going to be aggressive but always want to be on the right side of that. Him getting reps and the more he plays, the better he’ll be.”
How much better Beville or Gabriel can be remains to be seen.
How much better Card or Ewers can be remains to be seen.
But the UT-OU game has a way of turning players into stars. Who will step up and shine this week will likely dictate who wins the game.
But no matter who wins, just know that I’ll be saying “nice game” to the people on the other side of the stadium. Because after all, it is hard to hate when you treat others will love and respect.
TIFFANY JACKSON
I was truly sad when I read the news that Tiffany Jackson, the former UT basketball star, passed away this week.
I can’t imagine the pain that her 10-year-old son must be feeling today.
I do know the fear that comes from having a loved one battle cancer.
Jackson beat back breast cancer in 2016.
My wife beat breast cancer in 2020.
It is a very scary situation when a loved one is in a literal fight for their life. But the battle forces you to face the prospect that the worst could happen. Thankfully, Mindy overcame it and beat it.
But the news about Jackson just reinforces that while we’ve won the battle, the enemy is never far away.
So I would like to pray for Tiffany Jackson’s son, the rest of her family and friends, and everyone who has a loved one fighting the good fight. You are not alone.
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