Urban Meyer is happy for Oklahoma, expects Texas ‘to be right there’ in the end

A statement was made in Dallas by Brent Venables. His team marched into the Cotton Bowl and took down Texas, a huge win for Oklahoma to jumpstart the program. The Golden Hat will be crossing the Red River and returning to Norman, something they have all been waiting for.

Urban Meyer said he was happy for Venables following the game, understanding how tough the 2022 season was. Getting a win against Texas was huge for the head coach, who needed something to give the fans faith. Beating your arch-rival surely does the job and Meyer complimented Venables for doing so.

“We saw them up close and personal at Cincinnati,” Meyer said during the latest episode of Urban’s Take with On3’s Tim May. “Obviously, the respect I have for their head coach, Venables — I think he’s a great coach. They had a really tough year last year. So, it’s great to see that.”

Part of the tough year for Venables was Oklahoma’s display in the Red River Shootout. For 365 days, all he had to hear was 49-0. Now, it’s going to be a whole lot of 34-30 talk in Oklahoma as they look to continue their momentum following the bye week.

Urban Meyer not counting Texas out

Meyer was high on Texas coming into the season, citing the quality of their roster. He even called Steve Sarkisian‘s team the best in the country at one point. One game has not changed Meyer’s views on Texas, saying he still expects them to wind up in the Big 12 Championship for a rematch against Oklahoma.

“I do believe Texas, at the end of the day, will be right there,” Meyer said. “It’s going to be Oklahoma and Texas, probably, in the Big 12 Championship. But you’re a product of what you did. So that means they’re a top-four, top-five team.

“They are knocking on the door but the amount of football that is left to be played. Just worry about whoever your next game is and fix issues.”

Texas has a bye week, a place where Meyer believes distractions can begin to pop up. Players will begin to look on their phones and see a lot of what’s going on social media — something Meyer views as damaging following a loss.

By Oct. 21, the Longhorns will be back on the field, facing off against Houston. Their journey to finish the year out with just one loss will begin, hoping to prove Meyer correct about making the Big 12 Championship game and getting revenge on Oklahoma.