No. 6 Oklahoma’s ‘Dog Pound’ ready for its turn to chase down Arch Manning and Texas

By Canadian Press on October 8, 2025.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Florida chased Arch Manning to the point of exhaustion and left the Texas quarterback with enough bruises to make him ache for days.

Now comes Oklahoma, which leads the nation in sacks per game. The Sooners have battered opposing quarterbacks with the consistency of a ticking clock that can strike midnight on just about any play.

Texas (3-2, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) and No. 6 Oklahoma (5-0, 1-0) clash in their annual rivalry on Saturday in Dallas, and Texas’ ability to protect Manning or get him beat up again will likely swing the day.

Texas offensive tackle Trevor Goosby said he’s ready for a fight in the trenches with a Sooners’ defensive front known as the “Dog Pound.”

“They’re an amazing defense. A lot of stout guys,” Goosby said. “Try to cause a lot of chaos.”

A fierce bite

The Oklahoma defensive front has been punishing quarterbacks all season. The Sooners have 21 sacks on the season and average 4.2 per game, tied for best in the nation.

A big chunk of those came against Auburn, when the Sooners bulled their way to a school-record-tying nine sacks in a 24-17 win. The exclamation point was R. Mason Thomas’ sack and safety with about one minute to play.

Thomas is one of three Sooners’ defensive linemen with at least three sacks on the season in a deep rotation that keeps fresh bodies flowing onto the field.

“You know, when they said ‘Dog Pound,’ we just started barking because we liked it because we some dogs,” said defensive lineman Gracen Halton, who has 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries. “Everybody’s a dog on our d-line. We really like to eat.”

Sooners coach Brent Venables, who is calling the defensive plays this season, loves it. With that group up front, the Sooners have allowed their fewest points through five games (36) since 1987. Venables embraces the “Dog Pound” mentality.

“I like the engagement. To me, that says there’s great ownership in that group,” Venables said. “If they named them something and they play like a bunch of pansies, it wouldn’t be good.”

Manning on the run

The Sooners are eager to chase Manning, who was on the run all afternoon last week in the loss to Florida. The Gators sacked Manning sacked six times and had him under pressure in seemingly every passing situation.

Manning said this week that game left him “pretty sore,” but he wasn’t inclined to publicly chide his offensive line that replaced four starters from last season’s College Football Playoff semifinalists. Manning has endured his own struggles and criticism over poor play in his first season as the full-time starter.

And he was willing to take some of the blame for the poor pass protection.

“I think honestly, a few of those sacks, I could avoid and get rid of it, switch protection,” Manning said. “But we’re going to play better than that. I’m fully confident of that.”

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said he expects Texas to be better up front Saturday.

“Right now, we’re just not an experienced group, especially not an experienced group playing together. We’ve got to keep pushing those guys to be the best that they can be. I know there’s more in there. I know there’s better play in there,” Sarkisian said.

Manning’s day on the run exposed Texas’ biggest weakness, but it also proved the quarterback is tough enough to take a licking and keep grinding through a close game. He finished 16-for-29 passing with 263 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions against Florida. He also ran for a team-high 37 yards.

“That guy’s got a lot of courage; he’s got a lot of toughness. I think he gained a lot of respect from his teammates Saturday, which is a great thing,” Sarkisian said. “Does he need to play a little better? Sure. Do we need to play better around him? No question.”

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AP Sports Writer Cliff Brunt contributed from Norman, Oklahoma.

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Jim Vertuno, The Associated Press