GAME NOTES: The 101st rendition of the Red River Rivalry takes place in Dallas this Saturday, as the 14th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners take on the seventh-ranked Texas Longhorns. Both Big 12 South Division teams have a loss on the season, but have combined for seven wins. Oklahoma comes in off a bye week, and was last in action on September 23rd when it hammered visiting Middle Tennessee, 59-0. The Sooners' lone setback of the season came in controversial fashion at No. 18 Oregon the week before, 34-33. This is the Big 12 opener for Oklahoma. As for Texas, it has won three straight since suffering a 24-7 home loss to top-ranked Ohio State. The Longhorns have throttled Rice (52-7), Iowa State (37-14) and Sam Houston State (56-3) to climb to 4-1. The long-standing series between these two traditional powers began way back in 1900, with Texas claiming a 56-39-5 advantage. Since the AP poll was established in 1936, the higher ranked team has won 42 of the 58 matchups. The Longhorns pummeled the Sooners in last year's fray, 45-12, on their way to their second Big 12 title and fourth national championship. The win snapped a five-game losing streak in the series for Texas, which has also run off 16 straight victories against Big 12 foes.

Even without former star QB Vince Young calling the shots, the Texas offense is chewing up plenty of yardage and putting up points at an alarming rate. The Longhorns are lighting up the scoreboard to the tune of 41.6 ppg (second in the conference), doing so behind 417.4 total ypg. They are one of the league's most potent running teams, averaging 205.2 ypg while scoring 13 TDs. Jamaal Charles is averaging better than six yards per carry in amassing 334 yards and three TDs. As for the UT passing attack, it is led by rookie gunslinger Colt McCoy, who has been highly efficient through the first five games, hitting the mark on a Big 12-best 71.1 percent of his pass attempts with 10 TDs against only two INTs. Wideout Limas Sweed is the team's go-to guy, having caught 19 balls for 340 yards and five scores. In last week's rout of Sam Houston State, the 'Horns piled up 419 yards of total offense, with McCoy and backup Jevan Snead combining for 300 yards and three TDs through the air. Sweed led all pass catchers in the contest with 70 receiving yards and he added to his TD total with a 42-yard scoring strike from McCoy at the end of the first half. The UT offensive line has allowed just four sacks this year, tied with Kansas State for the fewest in the Big 12.

The Texas defense stood tall against an obviously inferior opponent last week, holding the Bearkats to just 192 total yards, 87 of which came on the ground and 105 via the pass. Sam Houston State made good on just 4-of-13 third down tries, turned the ball over four times and averaged just 3.8 yards per play. Sergio Kindle led the UT stance with a game-high 11 tackles, two of which took place in the SHSU backfield. In all, the 'Horns finished with seven TFLs, but did not record a sack, leaving the team with 17 on the year (second-most in the conference). Texas is one of the Big 12's stingiest teams when it comes to allowing points, giving up just 11.0 ppg through the first five games. The Longhorns have been particularly tough against the run, surrendering a league- low 36.6 ypg and only one rushing TD. Foes have found moving the chains against the UT defense to be nearly impossible, doing so just 64 times, which ties the 'Horns with the Sooners for the top spot in the league. Tim Crowder has a team- high four sacks to his credit, just three off the league-leading pace set by Missouri's Brian Smith.

Oklahoma owns the Big 12's fourth-ranked scoring offense (38.2 ppg), doing so on the strength of 416.5 total ypg. The run (180.2 ypg) and pass (236.2 ypg) have both been equally strong, with RB Adrian Peterson sitting atop the conference with his 160.8 ypg and seven TDs, three of which came in the blowout win over Middle Tennessee two weeks ago. Paul Thompson is the Sooners' starting QB, and while his season hasn't been up to the standard of previous OU signal- callers, he is hitting a solid 62.2 percent of his passes for 930 yards with eight TDs against three INTs. He threw for a career-high three scores against the Blue Raiders. Thompson's favorite target through the first four games has been Malcolm Kelly, who has 17 receptions for 379 yards and four scores, with his yardage total ranking him second in the conference. Kelly set a new school record for receiving yards in a quarter with his 134-yard effort in the opening frame versus MTSU. The Sooners are one of the best teams in the league at converting inside the red zone, scoring on 19-of-21 chances (.905), punching in 11 TDs and settling for eight FGs. Peterson is obviously the key to the OU offensive game plan, but do not discount what Thompson can do if given the time to find guys like Kelly down field.

A lack of pressure up front has been the Sooners' Achilles' heal to this point in the season, as they have logged a league-worst five sacks. A total of six teams are already in double figures, with Missouri leading the way with 20. Another area of concern for the OU defensive coaches has to be the fact that when the opposition reaches the red zone, they score. So frequently in fact that the Sooners rank dead last in the Big 12, having stopped just 1-of-10 chances. Rufus Alexander continues to pace the club with his 36 total stops, ranking fourth in the conference coming into this week's action. Darien Williams and Zach Latimer are next in line with 30 and 28 tackles, respectively. Oklahoma is permitting an average of 17.8 ppg, with the run giving the club the most trouble as foes are churning out nearly 130 ypg, which ranks the team 11th in the league. Oklahoma allowed Middle Tennessee just 95 total yards, of which only 22 came on the ground, and came up with five turnovers.

This year's version of one of college football's most storied rivalries pits two teams pretty evenly matched. Expect a white-knuckle brawl with each trading blows throughout. The inexperience of McCoy could be a factor, but a Mack Brown-coached team rarely goes into a game unprepared.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Texas 23, Oklahoma 20