Joel Klatt thinks Oklahoma should be nervous entering Red River Showdown

FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt believes Oklahoma fans should be worried heading into the annual Red River Showdown against Texas. The Sooners suffered an embarrassing 49-0 loss in last year’s version of the rivalry, and Klatt doesn’t like their chances to get on the right side of things this season.

He laid out his reasoning on The Joel Klatt Show on Wednesday, saying while there are some things he likes about the Sooners, there’s also some drawbacks. Klatt began by pointing out OU’s depth at receiver, but also noted he has concerns about quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

“If I’m an OU fan, I’m really nervous, in particular to face this Texas team,” he said. “…Those receivers on the outside are an elite core of wide receivers. Nic Anderson now being healthy, he’s fantastic. Andrel Anthony, I’ve seen him since he was a freshman at Michigan. I love what he presents on the outside. He is a fantastic player. Jalil Farooq. Their size and speed and playmaking ability outside is really, really good. It’s elite.

“Part of the low ceiling is that’s not Dillon Gabriel’s strength. Dillon Gabriel holds them back a little bit. His strengths are just not suited for exactly the way Oklahoma is built on the offensive side.”

Gabriel missed last year’s contest against the Longhorns due to injury, so one would think having him this year would be a positive. Klatt’s concerns about the quarterback are a bit puzzling, as he currently leads the Big 12 in total passing yards (1,593), touchdowns (15) and QBR (89.4). He also ranks second in the conference in yards per attempt (10.1), so getting the ball downfield hasn’t exactly been an issue.

The only caveat is the level of competition he has faced. Four of the five teams the Sooners have beaten this year played at the Group of Five level a year ago, and the other, Iowa State, has a 2-3 record and lost to Ohio.

Texas is clearly the most talented team Oklahoma has seen to this point, and Klatt also believes the Longhorns could cause trouble for the Sooners up front. The Longhorns put a ton of pressure on Jalen Milroe in a 34-24 win against Alabama in Week 2, recording five sacks and forcing two interceptions.

Gabriel hasn’t seen that sort of pass rush so far this year, so how he reacts will be a big key.

“I don’t know what (the Sooners) are up front on the offensive line, which is a dangerous place to be against a Texas team that owned Alabama at the line of scrimmage, in particular in that game with a couple of sacks in the fourth quarter,” Klatt said. “So they better buckle up because Texas is physical. They’re balanced. That’s why I’m nervous for OU.

“…This is a team that beat Oklahoma 49-0 last year. Handed it to ’em. I understand Dillon Gabriel wasn’t on the field, but he doesn’t make up 49 points and the version of Texas that you’re about to see in the Cotton Bowl is better than what you saw last year.”

Either way, there’s a lot of hype for the matchup as both Oklahoma and Texas enter the rivalry game undefeated for the first time since 2011. The Sooners will look to prove Klatt wrong when they kick off against the Longhorns at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday in Dallas.