The 2005 Oklahoma vs. Texas football game, played October 8, 2005, was the 100th meeting between the University of Oklahoma and The University of Texas at Austin in a college football game. The annual game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners is called the Red River Shootout. It is considered by college football coaches to be one of the three greatest rivalry games in college football, and Fox Sports says the rivalry includes some of the most unusual traditions in the sport. The game often has conference or national title significance (as this game did) and the series is unusual in that it is played at a neutral site instead of the home teams' stadium.
The 2005 Texas Longhorn football team (variously "Texas" or "UT" or the "Horns") was coached by head football coach Mack Brown and led on the field by quarterback Vince Young. The 2005 Oklahoma Sooners football team (variously "Oklahoma" or "OU") was coached by Bob Stoops with Rhett Bomar at quarterback. This was the fourth game of the 2005 season for both teams. Texas came into the game with a 4–0 record and a No.2 ranking. Oklahoma was 2–2 and unranked. Both teams were 1–0 in conference play. Since the two teams are both in the South Division of the Big 12 Conference, winning this game would be an important step towards winning the Division and possibly the Conference. For Texas, a loss would likely eliminate hope of them playing in the BCS National Championship Game.
Prior to the game, UT was favored by 14 points. They took an early 7-point lead and led for the rest of the game. Although the score was close for the first quarter, Texas eventually won the game by 33 points, tying the biggest margin of victory for the Longhorns (a 40–7 victory in 1941) in the 100-game history of the rivalry. For Mack Brown, beating Oklahoma for the first time in five years allowed him to "get the monkey off his back" and shed his reputation as a coach incapable of winning the most important games.
The stadium attendance was 75,452 people, and the game was televised over most of the United States on ABC. Texas' win kept them near the front of the national championship picture. They ultimately finished the season unbeaten, snaring the Big 12 Conference and NCAA championships. Oklahoma finished the season with eight wins and four losses and ranked No. 22 in the nation.
Read more about 2005 Oklahoma Vs. Texas Football Game: The Red River Shootout, Prior To The Game, First Quarter, Second Quarter, Third Quarter, Fourth Quarter, Analysis, After The Game, Notes and References
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