Jack Dempsey / AP

After two straight losses in the Red River Rivalry, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops faces the most pressure Saturday when the Sooners play Mack Brown's Texas Longhorns, writes msnbc.com contributor Steve Silverman.

Texas was not in great shape when Brown took over following a 10-year run at North Carolina that concluded with back-to-back 10-win seasons. Texas fans were anxious to see their team back in the national title race immediately but that did not happen. Brown made a name for himself in the state as a recruiter, but the dominant run by the Longhorns was still a few years away.

A great communicator with a solid media presence, Brown did not necessarily crack the whip as hard as Stoops. That difference between the two seemed to show up in the Red River Rivalry. Oklahoma soundly defeated Texas five straight years from 2000-2004 and many Texas fans were wondering if they would ever see Brown lead the Longhorns over their hated rivals again.

Finally, in 2005, a quarterback by the name of Vince Young took on all the ghosts and led Texas to a 45-12 win over Oklahoma. Young, of course, led Texas to the national championship and is now one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the NFL, and it is that win over Oklahoma that has permanently endeared him to Texas fans and Brown.

Even without Young, the Longhorns won last year’s game 28-10.

So now the pressure is on Stoops, who appeared to have a juggernaut on his hand before the loss at Colorado. Even with that defeat the Sooners are averaging 54.0 ppg through the first five games.

Brown knows his team has a difficult assignment and it’s not just slowing down quarterback Sam Bradford and the offense.

“That defense is really good,” Brown said. “They’re great against the run and they really put pressure on the quarterback. We are going to have to find some way to protect Colt McCoy.”

You can be sure the Sooners will be going after the very sore McCoy, who was pummeled by Kansas State last week. Oklahoma is desperate after two straight losses in this rivalry and they are determined not to let Texas and Brown make it three in a row under any circumstances.

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