Sooners' 123rd-Ranked Offense Meets Texas' No. 20 Defense in Red River Rivalry

Oklahoma brings the nation's 123rd-ranked offense to the Cotton Bowl on Saturday after home fans booed the unit and John Mateer turned it over three times at Georgia.

Oklahoma and Texas renew the Red River Rivalry on Saturday at the Cotton Bowl, the annual meeting that divides the stadium between the two fan bases. Oklahoma arrives four games into the 2026 season with one of the least productive offenses in major-college football. Texas counters with a defense ranked among the top 20 teams in the country.

The Sooners sit 123rd in total offense. Entering this past weekend, that ranking placed them below Sacramento State, Akron and UAB on the national list. Ben Arbuckle oversees the offense, and through four games the unit has drawn audible frustration from the Oklahoma crowd.

Texas has been the opposite on that side of the ball. The Longhorns rank 20th in total defense, and opponents have managed only four offensive touchdowns against them this season. The matchup pairs Oklahoma's low-ranked attack with a top-20 defensive unit.

Oklahoma's most recent home game, a visit from New Mexico, showed how the crowd has responded. Lloyd Avant opened the game with a run up the middle that gained one yard, and John Mateer's carry to the right on the second play netted the same. Boos could be heard after that second play, and when Mateer threw an interception on the next snap, they grew loud. Not every fan in the stadium joined in, but the disapproval increased as the afternoon went on.

In a later game at Georgia, Mateer committed three turnovers across a 14-snap stretch: two fumbles and an interception. The performance came on the road, away from the home fans who had booed against New Mexico. On one of the fumbles, Mateer was set to throw toward the end zone from the Georgia 2-yard line, but the ball came out of his hand before the pass, and the Bulldogs recovered and returned it for a touchdown.

How Oklahoma's supporters treat their own offense on Saturday is an open question surrounding the renewal. The Cotton Bowl crowd splits 50-50, with the two fan bases and their colors filling equal shares of the building. Booing the other side is a fixture of the rivalry, covering everything from pregame warmups to band performances, player introductions and hype videos.

Booing the Oklahoma sideline is far less common in the series, and the closest precedent came five years ago. Spencer Rattler reached that game amid boos and chants from Sooners fans who wanted Caleb Williams to replace him at quarterback. There were few obvious boos inside the Cotton Bowl before Rattler was replaced, and after Williams took over, Oklahoma completed the largest comeback in rivalry history.

Whether the pattern of recent weeks — early boos at home, giveaways on the road — follows the Sooners into a stadium shared with Texas is among the points of interest when the teams kick off Saturday afternoon.