Texas Football: 3 reasons the Longhorns will upset OU

3) Why Texas football upsets OU: Healthier defense

When Texas faced Oklahoma in a critical Red River Rivalry game last season, they did so with a laundry list of injuries. The defensive side of the ball was especially hard hit. And with the improved health of the secondary and defensive line this year, the Longhorns should be better off in stopping Oklahoma.

Last year, defensive backs like cornerback Jalen Green, safety BJ Foster, and safety Caden Sterns were all banged up or missing in Red River. This time around, at least those three (along with most of the other key players in the secondary) are healthy and ready to go. Or at least they’re healthy enough to play as we know it now.

The defense definitely provided mixed results so far this season. It wasn’t necessarily the defense’s fault in the loss to TCU. But they could’ve played better at key times in both the loss to TCU and the win over Texas Tech. Texas is still allowing more than 370 yards per game and more than 30 points.

It doesn’t look as bad as it did last year, but a big key in Red River will be generating turnovers. Since Rattler struggled with turnovers greatly in the last two games, that could be a way for the Texas defense to gain an edge here. Texas is averaging more than 1.5 turnovers forced per game. They generated four interceptions in the first two games of this season alone.