With all the hype about the poor performance of Texas quarterback Arch Manning leading up to the Red River Rivalry with Oklahoma it turned out that the stage may have been too big for OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer. With Mateer returning to the gridiron 17-days after having a thumb surgery and throwing three interceptions, two before halftime, it may have been too soon. It appeared that the 92,100 disruptive fans in the Cotton Bowl might have been bigger than what Arbuckle and Mateer are used to. After all, it is one of the biggest rivalry games in college football.
Needless to say the time management of head coach Brent Venables and Arbuckle is worth criticizing, that’s a fact. The choice to pull Mateer at halftime is questionable. After all, he had not been practicing 100% and the Sooners failed to establish any kind of running game.
The bottom line was that Texas coach Steve Sarkisian made incredible halftime adjustments and out coached Venables for the third time. In addition Manning proved he could make great passes and run the football. That’s something to think about.
1-2-3 break.
