We're nearly to kickoff for the Red River Rivalry.

The national discourse has swung wildly along many angles for both Oklahoma and Texas this week. Regardless, here's where things stand. Texas is a 5.5-point favorite to win on Saturday (11 a.m., ABC), and both teams have the opportunity to leave with a 6-0 record and a viable path to the Big 12 title game.

A lot of the questions for this week's mailbag centered around the running games for both teams. I'll dive into those questions and also add a couple other things to watch:

For the first part of your question, I'll admit that I'm surprised by the Longhorns' success on the ground, especially with the departure of Bijan Robinson. The Longhorns are 34th nationally in rushing offense (191.8 yards per game). Obviously, a big part of that is Jonathon Brooks, who has 597 rushing yards on 6.9 yards per carry.

However, I do think it's important to point out that last weekend's game has inflated the numbers just a bit. The Longhorns ran for 331 rushing yards on 51 carries against Kansas. Otherwise, the Longhorns have rushed for 731 yards on 141 carries (5.18 yards per carry). Pretty good numbers, but not necessarily earth-shattering.

The Sooners' rushing defense has been really good this year, outside of the first half against Iowa State (OU recovered and limited the Cyclones to just 29 rushing yards in the second half). The stats are good — the Sooners are 28th in rushing defense (105 yards per game) — but the Pro Football Focus grades are really good. From Danny Stutsman to Peyton Bowen to Ethan Downs, a lot of guys have simply been really good at defending opposing running backs.

The Longhorns will probably rip off a few chunk plays. But I'm confident the Sooners can do just enough to limit their running attack and force Quinn Ewers to make plays with his arm.

As far as the OU offensive line, pass-blocking has been a strength for this offensive line. The Sooners have surrendered just four sacks, the second-lowest mark in the Big 12. The Longhorns have 13 sacks on the season and had five against Alabama. But they had zero sacks and only three tackles for loss against Kansas. It's going to be a battle, but I like the OU O-line's chances at giving Dillon Gabriel time to throw.

I'd say it's a combination of a lot of things. Mainly, the Sooners' rotation has simply been all over the place. Tawee Walker has been the most efficient running back, but Marcus Major has seen the bulk of the work the last two weeks. Major is fine, but he's averaging just 3.9 yards per carry. I'm still confident Gavin Sawchuk easily offers the most explosiveness, but that hasn't been on display so far.

I think the lack of backfield clarity has made it difficult to establish a rhythm. It's not enough for the offensive line to be in sync. The offensive line and whoever is running the ball need to be in sync, too. Different running backs have different styles, and a lot is predicated on a running back's ability to see the hole or be able to improvise.

I asked McKade Mettauer about this on Monday, and he essentially said that DeMarco Murray has been working with the running backs on being more in sync with the offensive line. After watching film, it does seem like there have been times where the offensive line has blocked well, but the running back didn't take advantage or didn't get there fast enough. That can't happen against Texas.

Also, the offensive line is still working through options at left guard. Troy Everett has seen most of the reps the last couple of works after injury and consistency issues with Savion Byrd, but Everett has primarily played center for his career. It's an adjustment.

The Sooners are averaging 4.0 yards per carry this season. It's gonna be a challenge to do much better against Texas. But this weekend should be pretty telling either way.

OTHER THINGS TO WATCH

— It should be interesting to see how much Gabriel spreads the ball around. Andrel Anthony was the No. 1 target the first four weeks, but he caught just one pass for 16 yards against Iowa State and largely wasn't involved. Jalil Farooq wasn't the beneficiary with five catches after recording just 10 receptions through the first four weeks. Nic Anderson leads the team in touchdowns with five. Drake Stoops has the most receptions with 25.

It'll be interesting to see if Gabriel continues to share the wealth, or if he focuses on somebody like Anthony or Farooq.

— It should be fun to watch the Sooners' secondary matchup with Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and the Texas receivers. But I'm more curious to see how the snaps shake out at the safety spot opposite Billy Bowman. Do the Sooners lean on veteran Key Lawrence? Or do they throw Peyton Bowen into the fire?

— The stage is set for a monster performance from Stutsman. But I'll particularly focused on Jaren Kanak and Dasan McCullough, two young guys who are likely to see 80-90% of snaps, at least. McCullough, in particular, is going to be tested to both help defend the run and defend Texas' wide receivers. The Sooners' ability to hold up on defense is going to rely heavily on both of them.