The Red River Rivalry is here, and the unranked Texas Longhorns aren't expected to do particularly well against the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners, despite the Horns being favored by 1.5 points.
The biggest problem? Texas can't protect its starting quarterback: Arch Manning.
Manning, who finally stepped into the QB1 role after sitting behind Quinn Ewers for two years, has been pressured over and over again. Against the Florida Gators last weekend, Manning was sacked six times in the Longhorns' loss.
The struggles on the offensive line are going to be a problem against a dominant Oklahoma defensive line, which pulled off nine sacks against the Auburn Tigers just a few weeks ago.
During ESPN's College GameDay, college football analyst and former collegiate wide receiver Desmond Howard shared his hesitations around the Longhorns' offensive line, saying that the young linemen wouldn't be able to hold up against Oklahoma.
Texas Longhorns young offensive linemen
Redshirt sophomore left tackle Trevor Goosby, redshirt sophomore left guard Connor Stroh, senior center Cole Hutson, senior right guard DJ Campbell, and sophomore right tackle Brandon Baker make up the young Longhorn offensive line.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian had to replace four out of five starting offensive linemen from last season, Campbell being the only returning starter from last season.
For some reason, despite needing to rebuild his O-Line, Sarkisian didn't tap into the transfer portal to find more experienced linemen. In comparison, teams like No. 20 Vanderbilt Commodores brought in seven transfer portal linemen, and three have earned starting roles.
Simply put, the inexperienced offensive line protecting a relatively inexperienced quarterback against such a dominant defensive line is a recipe for disaster as the Longhorns fly toward the Red River Rivalry.
Texas and No. 6 Oklahoma are scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Oct. 11, and the game will be broadcast on ABC.