Texas-OU, high school action highlight Slovacek's I-35 Showdowns of the Week

Slovacek's logoTo honor the loyal football fans that travel great distances to support their favorite team, DCTF and our friends from Slovacek’s in West, Texas are proud to present The Slovacek’s I-35 Showdowns of the Week.Texas (1-4) vs. Oklahoma (4-0) 11:00 a.m. Saturday at The Cotton Bowl in Dallas It’s no secret that 2015 has not quite been a dream season so far on the Forty Acres. Bookended by thumpings at the hands of Notre Dame and TCU, the Longhorns’ 1-4 start has also included sickening last-minute heartbreaking losses to California and Oklahoma State. The overall unease has ticked up the temperature under the seat of Coach Charlie Strong and set off a disagreement amongst the players that has been made very public on Twitter. There couldn’t seem to be a worse time to be heading into their annual State Fair date with Oklahoma, who reached 4-0 last week with a big win over West Virginia and have risen all the way to #9 in the latest coaches poll. If this pre-Red River vibe feels insurmountable for the ‘Horns, then you’ve got a short memory. Just two years ago, a 2-2 Texas team rolled into Dallas with blowout losses to BYU and Ole Miss already under its belt. The 2013 Sooners, on the other hand, were 5-0 and ranked 10^th. Sound familiar? That afternoon, a Chris Whaley pick six and then dynamic duo of running backs Malcolm Brown and Johnathan Gray carried the ‘Horns to a 36-20 upset win that helped steady the orange & white ship for the time being. I’m not quite ready to go out on the precarious limb of calling for an upset in this year’s AT&T Red River Showdown. But before you decide to stay in Austin and watch on TV, weary Longhorn fan, just remember what this rivalry is all about. It’s a weekend-long party in Dallas with pit stops at Slovacek’s on either end. Mart (4-1) at Itasca (1-4) 7:30 p.m. Friday at Patton Field in Itasca It was an up and down non-district slate for the Mart Panthers in their first year under new head coach Kevin Hoffman. A 70-point explosion against Normangee and a last-second field goal to beat McGregor precluded a heart-breaking loss to Bremond in a match up of Top 10 teams. It all goes out the door now, though, as the Panthers head north to begin their quest for a District 8-2A Division I title. When they get to Patton Field in Itasca, the Panthers will engage a Wampus Cats squad that will be very eager for the clean slate of the new district season. In Itasca’s four losses, they’ve given up an average of 59 points per game. That’s a far cry, though, from the 93 they gave up to Mart a year ago.