On Saturday, No. 17 Oklahoma (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) defeated West Virginia (6-4, 4-3) 59-20.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed 23 of 36 passes for 423 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 50 yards and three touchdowns. Redshirt freshman running back Gavin Sawchuk rushed 22 times for 135 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
Kansas lost to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State lost to UCF, so OU must win, the Cowboys must lose one more game, or Texas must lose one more game to qualify for the Big 12 title game. There is a need.
Here are three takeaways from the Sooners’ win.
Aggressive rolodex on display
After coming under fire for offensive coordinator Jeff Levy’s play calling the past two weeks, OU is back on track.
Oklahoma had 644 total yards and the Mountaineers had 330. Entering the game, WVU’s defense ranked fourth in the Big 12, allowing 366.8 yards per game.
The Sooners started the game hot, scoring 31 points in the first half.
A 32-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to wide receiver Jayden Gibson with 6:20 left in the second quarter capped a five-play, 86-yard drive that capped one of OU’s most impressive series of the game. became.
TD keeps coming for the Sooners 🙌 @OU_football 31-7 at halftime pic.twitter.com/w61SpdeovF
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 12, 2023
Levy appeared to have found a running back in Sawciak, as third-year walk-on Tawee Walker received one carry and sophomore Jovante Burns did not touch the ball.
Holding a big lead, freshman Dylan Smothers received two carries and rushed for six yards.
Redshirt senior wide receiver Drake Stoops continued his stellar play, finishing with 10 catches for a career-high 164 receiving yards and three touchdowns, including this 60-yarder.
I’ll stop by your house! 🏡@OU_football A quick start to the second half! pic.twitter.com/OvDs5o7mT4
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 12, 2023
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Nick Anderson had four catches for 119 yards.
Stogner’s score
Tight end Austin Stogner caught his first touchdown pass since returning to Oklahoma from South Carolina.
Too easy for Dillon Gabriel and Austin Stogner 🤝 @OU_football Add another TD pic.twitter.com/fliUbHlnju
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 12, 2023
Stogner, who struggled to find his groove in 2023, finished with four catches and 69 yards in the win.
Tight end Blake Smith was unable to play. Redshirt Josh Fanuel appeared in a few snaps.
third down defense
Oklahoma held West Virginia to 4-of-16 on third down.
With just over eight minutes left in the first half, defensive end Rondell Bothroyd dove into Mountaineers quarterback Garrett Green’s face, forcing an incomplete pass. That was the story all day for WVU. WVU wasn’t able to put much effort into their offense until the third quarter.
The Sooners also stopped West Virginia twice on fourth down, including a goal-line stand with 2:01 left in the first half.
Other notes:
Oklahoma won for the ninth time out of 10 coin tosses this season.
OU had a new intro before kickoff.
There’s a pretty cool intro first #quicklyMatchup against West Virginia: pic.twitter.com/aZycCilNuj
— Colton Sulley (@colton_sulley) November 12, 2023
Danny Stutzman and Kip Lewis started at linebacker. Jalen Kanak, who has started most games this season, did not play.
Jacob Sexton starts at right tackle in place of Tyler Guyton.
Defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis ran onto the field during the first quarter to celebrate the third-down stop. He received a meeting from head coach Brent Venables, who was penalized for being on the field last week.
Gabriel moved to second nationally in that category among quarterbacks with three rushing touchdowns. He also joined Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray as the only OU quarterbacks since 2000 to score 10 or more rushing touchdowns in a season.
Wide receiver Gavin Freeman stopped two punts.
Defensive back Makari Vickers went down with an unknown injury and was helped off the field by trainers in the second quarter.
Kendell Dolby and freshman linebacker Samuel Omoshigo played as cheaters for the Sooners. Dathan McCullough did not play a snap.
Chavis performed a gritty dance after his fourth down stop.
The Sooners wore “Unity” uniforms. OU coaches wore their Veterans Day camp clothes.
Stutzman returned from last week’s absence, but his ankle wasn’t 100% as he limped off the field on multiple plays.
OU fans, frustrated with officials who made multiple pass interference calls, began chanting “SEC.”
The 2013 OU Softball National Championship winning team was recognized on the field at halftime to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the title.
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭. pic.twitter.com/p0R35kSrWq
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) November 12, 2023
Kansas City Super Bowl champion and former Sooners Blake Bell, Creed Humphrey and James Winchester all played during the bye week.
With 13:46 left in the fourth quarter, a scuffle broke out over Drake Stoops’ touchdown catch. OU offensive lineman McQuaid Mettauer was ejected after receiving two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. OU President Joseph Haros Jr. gave him a fist pump as he exited the field.
it’s mine @OU_President. 💯 https://t.co/SAAM8WZhmO pic.twitter.com/akOqrvjgg4
— 𝕺𝖐𝖑𝖆𝖍𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖛𝖘. 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉 (@soonergridiron) November 12, 2023
Gabriel’s eight total touchdowns were a school record. He surpassed Baker Mayfield, who scored seven points against Texas Tech in 2016.
Backup quarterback Davis Bevill entered the game with just over three minutes remaining.