Red River 2026: OU's New Cornerbacks Coach Meets Texas' Passing Test
Jay Valai left Oklahoma for the Buffalo Bills in the offseason. LaMar Morgan now coaches the Sooners’ cornerbacks, and his first Red River game brings a useful test: can OU’s early pass-defense results hold up against Arch Manning and Texas’ receivers?
The rivals meet at the Cotton Bowl on October 10 at 2:30 p.m. CT. OU has played four games under its new cornerbacks coach. Those games offer evidence about the defense as a whole, though they cannot isolate the effect of one assistant coach.
A new coach, with four games to assess
The Bills confirmed Valai’s hiring as their cornerbacks coach. Oklahoma hired Morgan for that position on February 22, after he spent two seasons working with Michigan’s defensive backs and pass defense. The change is settled; February’s question about whom OU might hire no longer belongs in a game-week preview.
Through September 26, OU’s official season statistics show opponents completing 42 of 81 passes for 490 yards, with one passing touchdown and one interception across four games. That is 122.5 passing yards allowed per game. The same record shows a 2–2 team: wins over UTEP and New Mexico, losses at Michigan and Georgia.
The passing line is encouraging for Oklahoma, but it needs context. Georgia beat OU 41–13 despite throwing for one touchdown. A final score includes rushing, turnovers, field position and special teams; it cannot be assigned to the cornerbacks. Nor do four opponents establish how OU will handle Texas’ particular receivers.
Texas presents a different receiving test
Texas’ official statistics list 925 passing yards and seven passing touchdowns in its 4–0 start. Manning accounts for 862 yards and all seven touchdowns. His passing production gives OU a different challenge from the aggregate of its first four opponents, though those team totals alone cannot forecast Saturday’s result.
Cam Coleman has caught four of Manning’s touchdown passes. He was held to one 30-yard catch at Tennessee, where Ryan Wingo led Texas with 74 receiving yards. OU therefore has more than one receiver to account for. Our Coleman preview looks at his four-game usage in detail.
What to watch in Dallas
Follow the throws to Coleman and Wingo, especially third downs and trips near the end zone. Watch whether Texas gets repeat opportunities after its first option is covered, and whether OU can prevent big gains without surrendering easy completions underneath. The published box scores do not identify every coverage call or individual assignment, so a receiver’s final yardage should not automatically be credited or blamed on one cornerback.
Morgan’s arrival provides the backdrop. The football question is how the Sooners’ full pass defense responds to Texas on October 10. For both teams’ results entering the game, see our September matchup checkpoint; confirmed logistics are in the game guide.
