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DALLAS - Roddrick Muckelroy anchored a Texas defense as the No. 5 Longhorns knocked off No. 1 Oklahoma 45-35 Saturday in the Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl. The linebacker from Hallsville led the Longhorns, 2-0 in the Big 12 (6-0 overall) with a dozen solo tackles (14 total stops) before the biggest crowd (92,182) to see a Texas-Oklahoma game. “This was a dogfight … the game we’ve been looking forward to all year. This is probably the biggest game for me,” said Muckelroy, who wore the 903 Hallsville area code on his wristband against the Sooners as a tribute to his family and friends in Hallsville. “That’s home for me. Everytime I go out on the field I put where I’m from on my wristband. My people at home are behind me and support me all the way. I’d like to think I’m thanking them for supporting me.” Muckelroy’s teammate defensive end Brian Orakpo talked about the defense’s performance against Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford and the high-powered Sooner offense. “Sometimes we shot ourselves in the foot when it was third and long, but we did a great job of handling adversity. We started getting off the field when we needed to, and that’s when the big plays started coming,” he said. That’s when the sacks, interceptions and big tackles started coming, which really motivated the Longhorns. Orakpo then paid Muckelroy a compliment saying, “Roddrick is a tackling machine. There are games where I finish with two tackles because Muckelroy finishes with 14. He’s that type of guy.” Saturday’s shootout marked the first time for first-year Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp to be in the Texas-Oklahoma arena. Asked what he thought of the spirited Muschamp, Muckelroy grinned and said, “he’s a great coach. He has faith in me. Whatever he tells me to do, I try to do it.” Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford staked the Sooners to a 7-0 lead with the first of three touchdown passes to Manuel Johnson of Gilmer with 12:17 left in the first period. Bradford then went to Ryan Broyles at the 13:14 mark in the second quarter, giving the Sooners a 14-3 lead. Asked about weathering the early storm of points, Muckelroy said, “We got behind, but didn’t quit. It’s about going to the ball and making plays.” Muschamp sat his defense down and reminded them they needed to have their play and be ready for OKlahoma’s no-huddle offense. “I had to calm down as the game got going. I think this is a great step in the right direction for our football team,” Muckelroy continued. “We know we have to keep working hard, though. I’m going to enjoy (the win) until I wake up in the morning and then I’ll let it go and start getting ready for Missouri.” The Tigers, also ranked in the top five going into Saturday night’s game against Oklahoma State, visit Austin on Saturday.
NOTES: Gilmer’s Manuel Johnson finished with six catches and 85 yards and three touchdowns, covering 5, 14 and 14 yards against the Longhorns. The senior wide receiver, who quarterback Gilmer to the Class 3A state championship in 2004, has 16 receptions for 383 yards and seven touchdowns in the last three games.
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