Texas Longhorns receiver Isaiah Bond knows a thing or two about playing in marquee games, and big-time rivalries in particular.
The former Alabama receiver now gets his first chance to compare the Iron Bowl and Red River Rivalry when he faces Oklahoma for the first time as a member of the Longhorns on Oct. 12 in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl.
When asked about the upcoming matchup while speaking to the media following Saturday’s 35-13 win over Mississippi State in the SEC opener, Bond admitted that he’s heard big things about the Texas-OU rivalry. In Bond’s eyes, it might be hard for the Iron Bowl to live up to Red River considering the stamp he left on the Crimson Tide’s rivalry history with Auburn.
“I’ve heard a lot of great things from the players on the team, to close friends of mine, just telling me that this is basically equivalent to kind of like the Iron Bowl where I’m coming from, my previous team. They’re saying it might be an even bigger game than that. I’ve been built for big games, so I love playing a big game, so it’s gonna be a fun time.”
Bond etched his name into Iron Bowl and college football lore last season when he caught the go-ahead touchdown on 4th-and-31 to give Alabama an improbable 27-24 win over Auburn.
The Longhorns haven’t found themselves in a nail-biting situation quite like that so far this season, but Bond is showing that he can once again be the go-to guy when crunch time hits, which could certainly happen in the always-unpredictable Red River Rivalry despite Oklahoma’s inconsistencies this year,
Through his first five games as a Longhorn, Bond leads the team in catches (20) and receiving yards (364) as has scored three times through the air. He changed things up a bit against Mississippi State and found the end zone on a 26-yard end around, the first rushing touchdown of his career. He finished the game with five catches for 74 yards.
Bond and the Longhorns will have the week off before taking on Oklahoma in Dallas on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 2:30 p.m. CT.
