Former Texas Longhorns recall Red River Shootout
This Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas and OU will square off in the 117th Red River Shootout. Texas leads the all time series 62-49-5.
The national magnitude of the game may differ from year to year, but when focusing just on those three hours every second Saturday in October, you can’t tell the difference between playing for a National Championship and playing for pride.
Because of that intensity, the Red River Shootout has created innumerable memories for players, coaches, and fans alike. Inside Texas brings you a few of those memories from the UT player and assistant perspective.
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“This is the most brutal, toughest athletic contest I’ve ever witnessed or participated in. Toughest man wins and that’s it! No smack talk, just one brutal hit after another. State pride is on the line! Nothing like the Texas-OU war. NUFF SAID.” — Steve Massey, defensive tackle, 1979 team captain
“With Mack, we kind of went into that game tight. And Vince (Young) kind of changed that up a bit. It’s one of those games where you can’t be scared, you have to hit people in the mouth.” — Kasey Studdard, offensive lineman, starter on 2005 National Championship team
“You don’t like A&M but maybe you can handle having maybe an Aggie friend or something. But you hate OU and want to beat their a**.” — Kasey Studdard, owner of Whitfield’s BBQ in Austin
“You walk out of that tunnel into another world. Nothing else like it. Half orange and white, the other crimson and cream. I get chills thinking about it right now. We also used to love that the governors would bet on the game. The winner got bbq and beer. I remember savoring that bbq and beer like it was the best meal I ever had.” — Les Koenning, wide receiver and long-time college coach (including Texas)
“My favorite memory is coming down and walking up the tunnel with my brothers…favorite play is knocking Lendy Holmes out. Ha.” — Quan Cosby, wide receiver, #6 all-time in receptions and hero of the 2009 Fiesta Bowl over Ohio State
“My fondest memory is my pick-six vs OU in 2002. It’s bittersweet because we lost that game but every Texas player dreams of making a big play in the Texas-OU game and a pick-six is as big as they come. Ironically that momentum only lasted a few minutes and seconds in actual game time. It gave us a 14-3 lead but they returned the very next kickoff deep into our redzone and scored a TD, their only one in the first half, with 5 seconds left to snatch the momentum back. It was devastating and made my big play way less relevant in the grand scheme. The lesson is about momentum, when the other team gets it you better answer and quick.” — Rod Babers, cornerback, 2002 Thorpe Award semi-finalist, co-host on The Horn 104.9 M-F 3:00-7:00 p.m.
“Due to the timing of the game, both teams theoretically have a chance to sort through kinks and establish an identity prior. Every year, all bets are off. There’s redemption with a win and never a consolation for losing. The atmosphere matches the pressure and intensity of revealing if each team is truly what they believe they are. The timing this year couldn’t be better because they both come off wins against teams that have “owned” them. But somehow, the stakes are just this heavy each and every year.“ — Drew Kelson, linebacker, starter on the 2005 National Championship team
“It is a huge game because you know whoever wins that game is going to that national championship. It’s hard to compare the hate, but once you put on the burnt orange you know you have one enemy and they live in Norman.“ — Roy Miller, defensive tackle, one of the best players on the field in the iconic 2008 Red River Shootout who did indeed play in huge games with national championship implications
“The Red River Shootout is an atmosphere that is incredibly prolific. Coming out of the same tunnel, the split crowd colors and playing in the Cotton Bowl brings a lot of fun hostility to an already renowned tradition. No matter what has been achieved previously in the season, this game can always be a toss-up. This game always comes down to a couple of big plays. Looking forward to seeing the Golden Hat come back to Austin this season!”— Alex De La Torre, fullback, played in two improbable Texas wins over OU, including 2015 when Texas ran for 313 yards
“For sure the 2013 (Texas-OU) game was the most fun because of the win. Chris Whaley’s TD set the tone, and from then on, we knew we weren’t going to lose. The gold outline on the jerseys was dope too!” — Quandre Diggs, defensive back, twice named second-team All-Big 12, pro bowl safety with Seattle Seahawks
“My favorite Texas-OU memory was from 2018. So much hype about Kyler Murray. I made two big plays, back-to-back, in the second quarter, if I remember. I stopped Kyler on an RPO. Then blew up the counter play. Felt like it set the tone for the entire game. That’s when I took a baseball bat swing because Kyler played baseball and we got to him. It was very fitting and poetic. We had a turnover and Breckyn Hager offered the fumble to me, Lion King style. Then my favorite part was after the game. Sam (Ehlinger) walked over to Kyler to tell him ‘good game’ and all that. Murray wasn’t having it. Sam had to spit some facts at him. That game brings out so much emotion and intensity. If you win or make a few plays, people will always remember you because of this game.” — Charles Omenihu, defensive end, 2018 Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, member of the Houston Texans
“Man, nothing compares to it. It’s just different. If you’ve ever played in a rivalry game in your life you’ll never get an atmosphere like this — college, NFL, nothing compares to what Texas-OU is. It’s a rivalry between people who have known each other their whole lives who come together to battle it out with big implications because you know at the end of the day you gotta go home and if you won it’s all love, but if you lost, the pain is there for a whole year.“ — Malik Jefferson, linebacker, three year starter and 2017 Butkus Award semi-finalist, member of the Indianapolis Colts
“I loved both wins in 2015 and 2018. In the ‘15 Red River Shootout, we were all freshmen and didn’t realize the intensity of the game. I remember covering Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. I hit the tight end and he took a seat. In ‘18, after (Charles) Omenihu sacked Kyler (Murray) and did the baseball swing, we were so hyped. We were hungry. I was talking so much s***. It was like they let us out at recess.” — Kris Boyd, cornerback, 2018 first-team All-Big 12, member of the Minnesota Vikings
“Personally, the game has always been special to me and my family. I committed to Texas in high school and that was the school where I always dreamed of playing. Then I was able to work with coach Mack Brown in 2013. That 2013 game was my favorite experience. Case McCoy had the game of his life. Chris Whaley had a pick-six. Daje Johnson ran back a punt. It was a good day overall. When we had the lead late, we (Major Applewhite and Dodge) left the press box early to head to the locker room. But the OU fans were all leaving and we had to get out of the elevator and walk through a sea of crimson to get to the gate at the top of the tunnel. Major and I are sprinting, ducking and juking fans, trying to get through that crowd of Sooners. One guy took a full beer and chunked it directly at us. It landed all over Major, who just kept running, screaming and excited about the win. Then we hit the tunnel, and he jumps on my back as we jog down to the locker room. Such an amazing experience I’ll never forget.” — Riley Dodge, QB assistant/QC 2013-2014
“No matter how your team has been doing, winning this game can change the trajectory of your season. Momentum is magnified in this game because the crowd is into the game with so much passion.” — Bob Shipley, father of Jordan and Jaxon and former UT Director of High School Relations
Bobby Burton and Justin Wells contributed to this article.
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