Brent Venables Embraces Red River Rivalry Despite Struggles Against Texas

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables has found victories hard to come by against Texas since taking the reins of the Sooners, yet his admiration for the Red River Rivalry remains unwavering. During his appearance on the SEC's teleconference on Wednesday, Venables described the matchup as a special week on the calendar.

"Always a great week playing Texas," Venables remarked. "A lot of excitement and energy, certainly in our building and with both fan bases. A lot is always at stake, and tremendous pride."

Since becoming Oklahoma's head coach in 2022, Venables has guided the Sooners to a 1-3 record against the Longhorns. His previous stint as an assistant in Norman from 1999 to 2011 saw Oklahoma go 8-5 in the series.

The two programs have squared off on the second Saturday of October at the Cotton Bowl every year since 1929. The Red River Rivalry stands as one of the few annual rivalry games played at a neutral site, adding to its distinctive character. Venables considers the tradition sacred.

"The only one I've experienced is having it in Dallas," Venables said. "I think there's a lot of pageantry and history there in the Cotton Bowl. I wouldn't want to change it for anything."

The Cotton Bowl sits on the grounds of the Texas State Fair in Dallas, giving fans of both teams a chance to soak in the fair's festivities before and after the game. Inside the stadium, the crowd is split nearly 50-50, as Dallas is roughly a three-hour drive from each campus.

Texas holds a 65-51-5 advantage in the all-time series. From 2010 to 2021, Oklahoma dominated with a 10-3 mark, but the Longhorns have since seized control, winning the last two meetings by a combined 48 points, including a 23-6 victory last year.

Despite Venables' difficulties against Oklahoma's archrival, he would not want the Red River Rivalry to ever shift to a home-and-home format, even if it meant his team would gain a home-field advantage every other year.

"I love everything about it – the passion, the energy, the intensity, the crowd being 50-50," Venables said. "I think it's fantastic."

Oklahoma enters this year's contest as an 8.5-point underdog with a 2-2 record. The Sooners are coming off a bye week following a 41-13 loss to No. 2 Georgia on Sept. 26.

Given Oklahoma's 2026 struggles and the program's 1-3 mark against Texas under Venables, national expectations favor the top-ranked Longhorns to secure their 66th win in the series. Yet Venables knows that anything can happen at the Cotton Bowl, and that possibility fuels his excitement for this year's meeting.

"Just looking forward to getting our team ready here this week to go down and again face a really good Texas team ranked number one in the country and a great opportunity for us," Venables said.

Carson Field has worked full-time in the sports media industry since 2020 in Colorado, Texas and Wyoming as well as nationally, and he has earned degrees from Arizona State University and Texas A&M University. When he isn't covering the Sooners, he's likely golfing, fishing or doing something else outdoors. Twitter: https://x.com/carsondfield Follow carsondfield.