Texas HC Steve Sarkisian, Oklahoma’s Brent Venables take turns praising each other's teams in Red River rivalry buildup

Gone are the days when Texas-Oklahoma was a real trash-talking rivalry.

Take Barry Switzer, for example. The legendary OU coach once wore a “Beat Texas” trucker hat on the Cotton Bowl sideline and told an interview he was “happier than a pig eating s---” after beating the Longhorns.

It simply wasn’t Texas coach Mack Brown’s style to talk trash about OU even after snapping the five-game losing streak to Bob Stoops. Charlie Strong and Tom Herman didn’t last long enough in Austin, although both had at least one big win against the Sooners.

Current Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and OU’s Brent Venables both took turns complimenting each other’s teams during their press conferences. If anyone is looking for bulletin board material, you won’t be getting it from the head coach this week.

Venables did wear a n eyebrow-raising T-shirt with his linebacker Danny Stutsman last season. But that was long after OU’s victory was captured, and they were back north of the Red River. Anyone clutching their pearls over that needs to relax.

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“You give (Venables) two weeks, they’re going to have a really good defensive plan, and their guys will be dialed in and that’s when it comes down to execution, that’s when it comes down to some in-game adjustments to adjust to whatever they’re doing.

“But knowing that, I think one of the things coming out of really the last couple years is, you know, what’s on tape might not necessarily be what we’re going to get. So we’ve got to do a great job in-game of adjusting, especially early on, to whatever they present to us.”

Sarkisian is 1-2 against OU in his three-plus seasons with the Horns.

Venables has faced Texas 15 times as a member of the OU’s coaching staff. Stoops’ longtime defensive coordinator went 8-5 as an assistant and now 1-1 as the Sooners’ head coach.

“How could you not get excited for this game?,” Venables told reporters on Tuesday. “This is everything that you want to coach and play for at this level. The pageantry, the emotion, the intensity, the opportunity. You know you’re going to have center stage in college football Saturday.”

Venables said the Longhorns have “no weaknesses on paper… or on tape.”

“We’re going to play a great Texas team, playing incredibly well,” Venables said. “They’ve won 19 of their last 22 games. Coach Sarkisian and their staff have done a really nice job. Really good team, it’s a veteran team. I think 20-21 of their top 22 guys on offense and defense are juniors and seniors.”

Venables noted that Texas’ offensive line is chalk full of experienced players. Four of five starters returned from last season.

“They’ve got really good players at every position but the way they’re playing up front, the cohesion, the chemistry, the physicality that they’re playing with, they kind of lead the way from an offensive standpoint.”