TEXAS VS. OKLAHOMA
Quarterbacks take center stage as Texas-Oklahoma rivalry heats up in Cotton Bowl
Oct 9, 2024, 11:30 am
Texas QB Quinn Ewers is on track to return from injury. Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images.
Few regular season matchups put as much pressure on a quarterback as the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry.
The emotions of a century-old border clash, the pregame crowds at the State Fair of Texas and the four hours of constant crowd noise inside the Cotton Bowl — not to mention playing the game itself — are conditions that will test any quarterback.
Top-ranked Texas (5-0, 1-0 SEC) and No. 18 Oklahoma (4-1, 1-1) head into that swirling environment Saturday with vastly different experience, skill sets and question marks around the most important position on the field.
Oklahoma will start Michael Hawkins Jr., who will have to deal with the emotions as the first true freshman starting quarterback for the Sooners in the history of a rivalry that dates back to 1900.
“I've got faith,” in Hawkins, Sooners coach Brent Venables said this week.
Texas will likely start Quinn Ewers, who has missed the last two and a half games with an abdomen strain. Ewers has missed time in each of the last three seasons, and the latest injury came on a non-contact pass play when he strained a muscle.
Both teams had last week off, giving them extra time to get both quarterbacks ready.
“If anybody benefited from the time off, it was probably (Ewers),” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said.
The newcomer
Hawkins replaced Jackson Arnold late in the first half of Oklahoma's loss to Tennessee and provided enough of a spark to earn the starting job the following week at Auburn. His debut as a starter was a success — the Sooners rallied in the fourth quarter to pull out a win over the Tigers and claim the program's first Southeastern Conference road win.
Hawkins' biggest play was a 48-yard touchdown run in the first quarter that conjured memories of Kyler Murray with its burst of speed. And it got Texas' attention.
“His first touchdown was a pass where he tucked it and took off and ran,” Sarkisian said. “When he pulls it, it's not to get four or five or six yards. He went for 50.”
Oklahoma quarterbacks have won four Heisman Trophies since 2003. As a freshman, Hawkins has a chance to get on the radar for that kind of honor down the road.
For now, Hawkins has to stay in the moment and take it one game at a time before that can happen.
“Play the calls. Don’t overcomplicate things and don’t try to win the game in the first quarter,” Venables said. “But he’s a playmaker, so you don’t want to handcuff him either. But don’t let the emotions hijack what it takes to execute — the precision, the timing, the patience, the progression — all of those things that a quarterback has to have.”
The veteran
On the experience chart, Texas has the clear advantage.
Ewers is a third-year starter and has held up well in the Cotton Bowl pressure cooker in his two previous appearances in this rivalry.
He led Texas to the Big 12 championship and the College Football Playoff last season. He also rallied Texas to a lead over the Sooners in the final two minutes last season before Oklahoma scoring the winning touchdown with 15 seconds left.
Ewers has arguably played his best in Texas' biggest games, including a 49-0 romp over Oklahoma in 2022, a win at Alabama in 2023 and a victory at Michigan this year.
Ewers opted not to turn pro after last season and was among the early contenders for the Heisman after the Longhorns' big win at Michigan.
But he has proven to be fragile. Shoulder and sternum injuries knocked Ewers out of part or all of four games in 2022, and three more last season. He has not played since the first half against UTSA on Sept. 14.
Ewers returning against Oklahoma is similar to 2022 when he missed the three games before the Oklahoma matchup, then blitzed the Sooners with four touchdown passes.
Ewers has not met with the media since his injury against UTSA, but if he goes down again Saturday, Texas has a big-time backup.
Second-year freshman Arch Manning has started the last two games. He has passed for nine touchdowns and run for three more this season. His second career start was Texas' first win in the SEC.
Manning is the grandson of NFL Hall of Famer Archie Manning and the nephew of Super Bowl winners Peyton and Eli. Even if he doesn't have deep roots in the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry, he'll certainly have help to succeed in a big moment.
“I have no hesitation of Arch going into the game” if needed, Sarkisian said. “We're fortunate to have two quality players at the quarterback position that we have confidence in, and their teammates have confidence in them.”
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The Astros and the Yankees in the Bronx this weekend. Fun! And important. Both teams have been in results ruts for a while. The Astros have gone 9-16 over their last 25 games while the Yankees’ funk is longer extending, producing a 19-29 mess over their last 48 games. Despite the Seattle Mariners closing in, the Astros still lead the American League West. The Yankees’ hopes of again winning the AL East are fading toward the point of no return. They have tumbled six and a half games behind the Toronto Blue Jays and also lag three games behind the rampaging Boston Red Sox. Hence, the Yankees are under clearly more pressure than are the Astros this weekend. The pitching matchups in the first two games strongly favor the Astros. Friday night it’s Hunter Brown opposite rookie Cam Schlittler who makes his fifth big league appearance. Saturday afternoon it’s Framber Valdez versus Luis Gil, who was the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year, but missed the first four months of this season with a lat injury. Gil made his 2025 debut Sunday, and was terrible. The Astros’ quality rotation depth beyond Brown and Valdez is non-existent at this point. Their Sunday starter will be a lesser starter than the Yankees’ Max Fried. Of course, in one game you never know.
The Astros have thoroughly owned the Yankees in their most meaningful meetings over the last decade. In 2015 the ousted the Yankees in a one-game Wild Card matchup. Then came the real soul-crushers with the Astros vanquishing the Yanks in the 2017, 2019, and 2022 American League Championship Series, with it getting easier for the Astros as time went on. The 2017 series went the maximum seven games, 2019 took six, 2022 was a four-game Astros’ sweep. The regular season has been a different matter. The Yankees have beaten the Astros in 11 of 14 games over the last two years. Last season the Yankees walloped the Astros six wins to one. They only play six times this regular season: the three in New York this weekend then three at Daikin Park in early September.
Here comes the Judge
While the Astros (and their fans) endure a seemingly never-ending wait for Yordan Alvarez’s return to the lineup, the Yankees have Aaron Judge back after a 10-day stint on the injured list. Judge carries the burden of soft career postseason stats (though he has 16 home runs in just 58 postseason games and his career playoffs OPS is just 21 points lower than Alex Bregman’s), but this is a legendary player. Judge’s career OPS stands at a whopping 1.024. That number will drop during the decline years remaining in his career, but here’s the list of all time Major Leaguers higher than 1.024: Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Barry Bonds, and Jimmie Foxx. Those are arguably the four greatest offensive players in MLB history, plus Foxx who probably rates in the top 20. If he holds up the rest of the season, Judge is a cinch for his third AL Most Valuable Player Award in four years.
Turn back the clock
Should they choose to check it out, the Astros can watch the Yankees’ Old-Timers' Game Saturday. Though most of the greatest of Yankee legends have died, there will still be a fabulous cast of alumni who soak up cheers during introductions, with many of them then taking part in a two or three inning game. The Yankees are by far the most storied franchise in MLB. The Astros have plenty of history and beloved players over multiple generations to copy the concept, and have their own Old-Timers' Day at Daikin Park. Would it not be a blast to see Roger Clemens pitch to Craig Biggio? Roy Oswalt to Lance Berkman? As I said during our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast this week, I wouldn’t bet against 78 (as of Friday)-year-old Jose Cruz squaring up a ball for a line drive. Make Astros’ Old Timers’ Day happen in 2026 Jim Crane!
Angry birds
The best team in the American League is Toronto, best for now anyway. The Blue Jays have been the best over the last two months-plus. The Jays woke up May 29 at 27-28. Since then they are 41-20. Over that time frame the Astros have the third-best record in the AL behind the Jays and Red Sox. A notable part of Toronto’s success the past month is Joey Loperfido. He didn’t make the Jays’ big league squad coming out of spring training, and wasn’t called up until July 6. Over 72 at bats since getting back to “The Show” Loperfido is batting .389 with a .978 OPS. Reminder that Loperfido hit .372 over his first 43 at bats with the Astros. Full credit to Joey for a magnificent month. Still, there is no reason for the Astros to be wracked with regret for having included Loperfido in last season’s trade for Yusei Kikuchi.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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