The Red River Rivalry makes its return on Saturday, and someone all too familiar with the big game was back in Dallas on Friday gearing up for his former Texas Longhorns to continue their national title hopes.
Colt McCoy never quite reached the promised land in Austin, but he did have the upper hand in the matchup, going 3-1 in his four years, including the 45-35 victory when his Texas squad was fifth in the country, and the Oklahoma Sooners were ranked No. 1.
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Texas has won three of the last four matchups after losing 10 of the previous 13, including the 2018 Big 12 Championship Game.
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Colt McCoy of the Texas Longhorns passes during Texas’ 13-12 win over Nebraska in the Big 12 Conference championship game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 6, 2009. (Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“Just the history of this game, right in the middle between both schools, played in Dallas, played in the Cotton Bowl, that place, I mean, you just feel the sanctity of that place when you walk down the tunnel, the shared tunnel. The fans are split down the middle, it’s always played in October, it’s kind of the kickoff into your conference,” McCoy said to Digital in an interview Friday. “It’s just a really, really special game, at least the ones that I was a part of.
“And the beauty of rivalries is that you may be the best team in the country, but if you don’t strap it up and play that day or if you’re off that day, like you got problems. So, I love it. Just being back here is pretty surreal. It’s a really, really fun weekend.”
McCoy was hanging out with some fans on behalf of Fanatics, which offers official Red River Rivalry merchandise.
“I had a great time, man. Texas fans are the best, dude. They show up everywhere. It’s a whole lot of fun to engage with them. And then especially this weekend, this was the one game on your calendar every year that you circled, and you thought about, and you got nervous about all the things. This is a fun one,” McCoy said.
“Fanatics is great. Listen, it’s a wonderful brand. The gear is incredible. The fans showed out. There was like a million fans in the Texas line and nobody on the Oklahoma side. So, this is exactly what I wanted.”
Colt McCoy runs during Texas’ 16-13 win over Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on Oct. 17, 2009. (Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
McCoy admitted that it was tough to stay focused on the game before the Red River Rivalry knowing what was soon on the table.
“Generally, we didn’t play great if I can remember right,” McCoy said (he went 3-1 in games preceding the rivalry, the loss being a 41-21 upset by unranked Kansas State when they were No. 7). “But then the moment you get back in the locker room after that game, they’ve got Boomer Sooner playing and they play it all week, and by the time you get to the game, you’re just ready to punch somebody in the mouth.”
But when McCoy was a third-round pick in the NFL Draft, he had no choice but to throw the rivalry aside.
“I got to admit, I’ve had some amazing teammates that came out of Oklahoma over the years. Trent Williams for a long time, he is a phenomenal teammate. He may be the greatest left tackle ever. Still playing 17 years at an All-Pro level. It really is unbelievable. A great guy, great friend. Played with Adrian Peterson for a couple years, Tress Way, amazing punter. Kyler Murray is my boy. So, there’s unfortunately been some really good dudes come out of Oklahoma.”
But now that he’s out of the game, it’s all Texas and no Oklahoma once again, and he feels like this year’s squad has what it takes to bring home its first national title in over two decades.
Colt McCoy of the Texas Longhorns celebrates the win over Oklahoma during the Red River Rivalry at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on Oct. 17, 2009. (Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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“Listen, we’re 4-0 and number one in the country, and they hadn’t really clicked yet, right? The sky’s the limit for this team. They’re super talented. They’re well coached. They kind of have all the makings from both sides of the ball to be really special. And I certainly think that they have a lot of confidence internally, and they just got to go do it. And I really think they will,” said McCoy.
“We had a 10-year dry spell that was hard. I think right now what I’ll give you is I do think that this is arguably the most talented roster that Texas has had. Just when you look across the board, you look at the coaching staff, you look at the players, you look at just the straight talent, like man-to-man, they’re never going to go into a game and be outmatched. And that really got to give everyone on that team a lot of confidence.”
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