The Red River Shootout is one of the greatest rivalries in all of college football – if not the greatest.
It’s half the crowd in burnt orange, half the crowd in red (they call it crimson). The boos from Sooners fans as Texas exits the tunnel into the stadium, only to switch to cheers at the 50-yard line. The game being played every October in the midst of the Texas State Fair.
Who doesn’t love saying hi to Big Tex, walking the Midway and grabbing a corny dog and a beer before the game?“I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about, to be honest,” said Brent Venables when asked if he was a Fletcher’s Corny Dog fan. “I have never eaten anything at the Fair, other than what they bring me on the bus afterwards.”
Now before you start booing and hissing this man for the travesty of never having enjoyed a corny dog – or Duper Dog as they used to call them in Coleman, Texas – you should know, your very own Steve Sarkisian is a corned dog novice as well.
“I have not enjoyed, I think you said a ‘corny dog,’” the Texas head coach said with a chuckle. “I have not had a chance to really partake in the State Fair, but I know it’s a great time.”
Both Sarkisian and Venables said they may have to finally indulge in the fried delicacy that is so famous at the fair if their team wins on Saturday.
As if the stakes for Saturday’s game weren’t already big enough, now they’ve got a corn dog on the line as well.
In addition to their lack of refined culinary tastes, Sarkisian and Venables also share a big amount of respect for each other.
“Ton of respect for Coach Venables. He's been a great defensive coach for a long, long time, multiple stops,” Sarkisian said Wednesday. “
“I think Steve’s an excellent offensive-minded coach who knows what he’s doing,” Venables said about his counterpart during his weekly press conference. “When you have that, along with really good, experienced, explosive, talented players, it’s a recipe for success.”
This will be the fourth time Sarkisian and Venables will square off against each other as either the play caller or head coach of their programs. When you look back at the previous matchups, you can start to see a pattern and figure out how Sark is likely to attack the Venables defense on Saturday.
