Cotton Bowl - Dallas, TX
Kickoff: Saturday, Noon ET
Line: Oklahoma -14, Total: 47

No. 11 Oklahoma is looking to bounce back from a tough road loss when it faces struggling Texas on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

The Sooners lost in Fort Worth last Saturday, falling 37-33 to TCU. Oklahoma will also look for some revenge against the Longhorns, as Texas pulled off the 36-20 upset last season. In that game, Texas controlled the line of scrimmage, outrushing the Sooners 255 to 130. They also held the ball for more than 35 minutes. Longhorns RBs Johnathan Gray and Malcolm Brown both rushed for at least 120 yards in that matchup, and will need to duplicate those performances for Texas to win on Saturday. If the Sooners can continue to play like they have on offense, they should be in great shape to get the win. Oklahoma is 11-3 ATS over the past two seasons when they score 28+ points, with one of those losses coming against TCU last week. For Texas, it has been a struggle, especially on the offensive end. Last week, the Longhorns were able to only get seven points while committing three turnovers, but they are 36-20 ATS after a game with a turnover margin of minus-2 or worse since 1992. Texas has not won two consecutive games in this series since 2008 and 2009. The Longhorns could be without WR Daje Johnson (hamstring), but the Sooners are not expecting the trio of RB Keith Ford (fibula), DT Charles Walker (undisclosed) and DE Matt Dimon (elbow) to play this week.

Can Oklahoma cover the large spread in the Red River Showdown? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014 regular season and bowl season. Both StatFox Brian (3-1 ATS) and StatFox Dave (4-2 ATS) are coming off strong Week 6 showings.

Oklahoma enters this game ranked 14th in the nation in scoring (42.4 PPG), 34th in passing (279.6 YPG) and 36th in rushing (208.6 YPG). While those numbers look good, sophomore QB Trevor Knight (1,374 pass yards, 5 TD, 5 INT) has not resembled the quarterback that dominated Alabama in last season’s Sugar Bowl, and at times has even regressed. He is completing only 54 percent of his attempts this season, which is disappointing because he has a lot of one-on-one matchups on the outside. The rushing attack of the Sooners has been solid, despite an injury to RB Keith Ford (34 carries, 194 rushing yards and 5 TD). Freshman RB Samaje Perine (91 carries, 506 yards, 5.6 YPC, 8 TD) has filled in nicely, even providing the Sooners more power. At wide receiver, Sterling Shepard (30 catches, 651 yards, 3 TD) is one of the most dynamic players in the country. Last week, he had seven catches for 215 yards in the loss to TCU. With the ground game of the Sooners being so effective, teams are not going to be able to double-team Shepard. The Longhorns are going to load the box and force Knight to throw the ball, so he will have to take advantage and connect with Shepard on the deep throw. The defense currently ranks 32nd in the nation in scoring defense (20.6 PPG). LB Dominique Alexander (38 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 QBH) is the leader on a fast unit that is looking to bounce back after giving up 469 total yards (318 passing) to TCU. Despite last week's showing, the Sooners have a great secondary, as CBs Zack Sanchez (17 tackles, 4 PD, 4 INT) and Julian Wilson (19 tackles, 8 PD, 1 INT) are two of the best defensive backs in the conference, and will be left in one-on-one situations as the Longhorns have not been able to throw the deep ball on a consistent basis.

The offense has struggled this season, as the unit ranks 97th in rushing (134.4 YPG), 104th in passing (184.8 YPG) and 117th in the scoring (18.4 PPG). Over the past four games, Texas has averaged only 13.5 PPG. The Longhorns lost QB David Ash early this year due to concussion injuries, and sophomore QB Tyrone Swoopes (734 pass yards, 5 TD, 3 INT) has slowly started to make some strides. The 6-foot-4, 243-pound sophomore is a great athlete who can get outside the pocket and make tough throws. For him, he just needs to continue to get playing time, but for now, he needs more help from the rushing game. The duo of RBs Malcolm Brown (65 carries, 246 yards, 2 TD) and Johnathan Gray (62 carries, 301 yards, 1 TD) are just not getting the job done due largely to the offensive line having to deal with injuries and suspensions. WR John Harris (26 catches, 370 yards, 4 TD) is a talented player who uses his big frame to catch the ball in the middle of the field. WR Jaxon Shipley (29 catches, 245 yards) is a nice complementary receiver, but does not provide a lot of playmaking abilities. The Longhorns defense has been solid, as the unit ranks 21st in the country in scoring defense (19.2 PPG). LBs Jordan Hicks (69 tackles, 6 TFL and 2 INT) and Steve Edmond (65 tackles, 7 TFL, 3.5 sacks) are one of the best tackling duos in the country. DE Malcolm Brown (33 tackles, 9 TFL, 3.5 sacks) at times can be nearly impossible to block, and has the opportunity to wreak havoc on the Sooners. CB Quandre Diggs (23 tackles, 2 INT) is the heart and soul of this team. He is the defensive leader that is getting his teammates motivated, and his matchup against Shepard is one to keep an eye on.