Going into Saturday’s clash against No. 18 Oklahoma, Texas’ best attribute may be its defensive confidence. The Longhorns have the nation’s second-best scoring defense having allowed just seven points per game.

In the Cotton Bowl, the Horns will see a dynamic dual-threat freshman quarterback in Michael Hawkins Jr. It’ll be the first time OU has started a true freshman in 120 years of this historic rivalry.

Hawkins is likely the most talented quarterback Texas defense has faced this season. The Longhorns (5-0, 1-0 SEC) will have every chance to prove their defense numbers and tenacity is legit.

“It's cool to acknowledge that I've grown so much, and best ball is yet to come for this team,” UT safety Michael Taaffe said. “I truly believe that we’re a really good ball program, but our best is yet to come. We haven’t even hit the potential. And that's the scary part about this team, where we're not even at our best yet.”

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Every fan must know their foe and that includes the Sooners (4-1, 1-1). We asked three key questions to A to Z Sports’ Oklahoma insider Justin Churchill to take Texas fans north of the Red River.

Three important questions to ask for Longhorns vs. Sooners

Can you explain to Texas fans why Brent Venables has gone back and forth with the QBs and who should be the starter?

Venables started with Jackson Arnold because of the year he put in behind Dillon Gabriel in 2023 and just showing in practice and training camp that he was ready. That’s not to say Michael Hawkins, the true freshman, wasn’t ready. But it was Arnold’s job to inherit — and keep. Against Tennessee, Arnold made three key turnovers that changed the landscape of the game. So, Venables put Hawkins in to get a spark and it turned into a flame. Hawkins may be a true freshman, but he’s a playmaker above all else. He’ll get more runway to flourish.

The Sooners have notched a ton of sacks so far. Should they have an edge against Texas’ offensive line?

I’m not sure they should have a big edge, but the Sooners’ defensive line is legit. And, they have depth. With true freshman Jayden Jackson starting at defensive tackle, they have plenty of guys around him with experience, and those on the edge continue to make clutch plays, like R Mason Thomas’ back-to-back sacks in the fourth quarter against Auburn. I think they have a slight edge, but in this game, you just don’t know what will happen.

Danny Stutsman did some trash talking last season with his T-shirt. Is he really as much of a stud defensive player as it looks?

Stutsman is the heart and soul of this Sooners defense. He hasn’t done much trash talking, if any, this year. But he does walk the walk, as they say. He’s good, but even Stutsman will tell you he’s struggled with some tackling this year. Stutsman notched his 300th career tackle against Tulane in mid-September. Either way, he will always be around the ball. Stutsman lives for this game, and he’s looking to make some noise on Saturday against the Longhorns.