Kirk Herbstreit Sounds Alarm for $10M SEC Coach Before High-Pressure Cotton Bowl Test: “Everything on the Line”

The Red River Rivalry has always carried intense pressure, but this year’s showdown comes with even more intensity. The Longhorns are at the top, and the Sooners are struggling to stay afloat, a complete reversal from 2025 when a 3-2 Texas met a 5-0 Oklahoma. With the game drawing closer, Kirk Herbstreit has raised the stakes for the matchup with a hype video around Collin Simmons.

“There’s nothing quite like the atmosphere in Dallas for the @Allstate Red River Rivalry. The Cotton Bowl. Split down the middle. Everything on the line. Colin Simmons and Texas are ready,” Herbstreit captioned a video on X.

The video featured Texas’ Collin Simmons, who is coming into the Week 6 game against the Sooners two weeks after his five-sack performance at Knoxville. It’s also interesting that the Herbstreit video stars a defensive player from a team led by Arch Manning. It only shows how the Texas defense has been the real star of the team so far.

“Texas doesn’t just circle this week on the calendar—they build toward it all year. The speed, the pressure, the spotlight in Dallas. Colin Simmons knows exactly what’s coming. The Longhorns aren’t just showing up to win the Red River Rivalry. They’re coming to own it,” Herbstreit said in the video.

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While both teams would like a win here, a loss can end Oklahoma’s hopes of making it into the playoffs. Brent Venables entered the 2026 campaign with much hype. John Mateer was back to full fitness, and all the focus was on how the offense would finally figure itself out.

That hasn’t happened yet. In fact, the Oklahoma offense seems to have regressed from last year. After starting the campaign with a 51-0 win over 51-0, the Sooners lost to Michigan (10-17). Even their win against New Mexico was unconvincing, as the offense could put only 14 points on the board. That trend continued in the 13-41 loss to Georgia.

While Mateer hasn’t played well so far, the main issue with the offense is similar to last year. Oklahoma doesn’t have a run game. As a result, they are forced to rely on their QB’s legs, and when a defense contains him, the entire thing falls apart.

Texas already did that ‘contain’ job against Tennessee, when the Longhorns made life hell for Faizon Brandon. The Vols QB was sacked 10 times and looked uncomfortable throughout the game.

For Venables, another issue is that his team conceded 41 to the Bulldogs on a day when Gunner Stockton threw for just 171 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. It wasn’t like Georgia’s run game was a threat. The Bulldogs registered 129 rushing yards.

On the other hand, Texas is coming into the Red River Rivalry showdown with a 4-0 record and the No. 1 rank in the country. However, Steve Sarkisian’s team is yet to get going on offense, aside from the 4th quarter against Ohio State. Even in the win against Tennessee, Arch Manning struggled, and the Longhorns didn’t have a passing game.

At the same time, the Texas defense has been the real star of the team, led by Colling Simmons, who recorded five sacks against the Vols. Even after seeing OU struggle, Steve Sarkisian knows that he can’t take the Sooners lightly.

“The team that runs the ball, the team that converts their downs, the team that wins a turnover battle, and the team that can pressure the quarterback generally come out on top. It generally comes back to the things that are important to football, right?” Sarkisian said.

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