Ahead of Saturday's Red River Rivalry pitting the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners against the No. 11 Texas Longhorns, several players on both teams got into an altercation and had to be held back by coaches:

As a result of the incident, officials announced that every player on both teams was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, meaning any player who is called for unsportsmanlike conduct during the game will be immediately ejected, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

Eddie Radosevich of Rivals tweeted a photo of a referee throwing a flag after the skirmish:

Oklahoma enters Saturday's game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas having won three of the past four Red River Rivalry games, but Texas holds the all-time series lead at 62-47-5.

The Sooners enter the game a perfect 5-0 on the season, and as has become a regularity under head coach Lincoln Riley, they boast one of the best offenses in the nation.

Transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts is leading the way with 1,523 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions, as well as 499 yards and seven scores on the ground. With numbers like those, Hurts is arguably the front-runner in the Heisman Trophy race.

On the other side, the Longhorns are 4-1, with their only loss coming by seven points against a top-flight LSU team.

Texas is seemingly on the verge of becoming a celebrated college football program once again, and quarterback Sam Ehlinger is a big reason why. While he hasn't received as much Heisman hype as Hurts, Ehlinger's production suggests he should. He's accumulated 1,448 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and two interceptions to go along with 236 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Oklahoma entered the game as a two-score favorite, per Caesars, but Texas is one of the few teams in the nation with the firepower needed to keep up with the Sooners.

The Red River Rivalry was poised to be one of the year's most exciting and meaningful games regardless of the circumstances surrounding it, but the pregame dustup added another layer of intrigue.

With players having to walk on eggshells due to the danger of getting tossed if they get too aggressive, the officials could play a significant role in how the game plays out.