DALLAS, Texas — On Wednesday, the Oklahoma offense worked on its two-minute drill. The Sooners worked on one specific scenario: one minute, 15 seconds left on the clock, and no timeouts.
As fate would have it, that’s the situation the Sooners found themselves in on Saturday. After Texas kicker Bert Auburn made a field goal from 46 yards out, the OU offense got the ball back with a minute and 17 seconds left to play, no timeouts and trailing 30-27.
Just like he did in practice, Dillon Gabriel got right to work.
The redshirt senior found Drake Stoops for an 11-yard gain on the first play, then quickly followed it up with a 16-yard connection to Jalil Farooq. He again found Stoops on the next play for 28 yards. Just like that, the Sooners were at the Texas 20-yard line.
After a pass to Nic Anderson was flagged for defensive pass interference, the ball was placed at the Texas six-yard line. Gabriel kept it on a quarterback draw on the following play and gained three more yards.
With time winding down, Gabriel took the snap and the pocket immediately collapsed. But instead of panicking, he saw Nic Anderson wide open in the corner of the end zone.
Gabriel delivered a perfect pass and Anderson hauled it in, giving the Sooners the lead with 15 seconds to go. That ended up being the game-winning touchdown in the Sooners’ 34-30 win over Texas.
For Gabriel, it was arguably the biggest play of his career. But OU coach Brent Venables wasn’t surprised.
“He’s the calmest guy I’ve ever been around at the quarterback position,” Venables said after the game. “He’s got great belief in the players around him. Incredibly humble. You don’t see him ever tooting his own horn. He’s always trying to compliment and call someone else up. But he’s prepared. He's worked really, really hard. He’s been one of the most consistent players in our program from a leadership (standpoint) and showing up every day with the right mindset and bringing out the best in his teammates. So he was fearless.
“I don’t put any limits on what Dillon can do. He’s playing as confident as anybody on our team right now. And all that stuff. It’s the collective parts of the rest of the offense and the defense and the kicking game, doing their parts. So, really proud. And he’s just a guy that’s gonna find a way to get it done.”
While that final touchdown decided the game, that was far from the only play Gabriel made. His first big play came less than two minutes into the game, when he scored on a designed run from nine yards out for the game’s first points.
Gabriel’s running ability was a constant theme for the game. He carried the ball 14 times for a career-high 113 yards, accounting for 56% of the Sooners’ 201 rushing yards as a team. He also recorded a run of 44 yards in the fourth quarter, the longest rushing play for either team.
That’s continued a season-long trend for Gabriel, who’s been less hesitant to utilize his running ability compared to a year ago. He now leads the team in rushing touchdowns (5) and has 208 yards on the season, just 23 yards behind Tawee Walker for the most on the team.
“He’s played with an incredible edge all year,” OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said. “And he made plays with his feet when he needed to. Being able to scramble and get out of things, not take sacks on early downs has been absolutely huge for us as a unit. He’ll continue to strive to do that.”
Of course, he didn’t just produce on the ground. Gabriel added 285 yards while completing 61 percent of his passes (23/38). But he isn’t one to praise himself too much.
“This is our moment,” Gabriel said. “I'm a big team guy. This is what we've worked for (during) the offseason, training next to these three guys and coach (Venables) pushing us. This is a team effort. That's what it was. I always say that there's no run without a block and there’s no pitch without a catch. So just everyone makes plays and finds a way to win. That’s all that matters. I always say, it’s a (win) or (a loss), and we just want to find ways to get W's and keep getting better.”
The buzz around Gabriel was already high coming into Saturday’s game. Not only were the Sooners undefeated, he also ranked in the top 10 nationally in nearly every statistical category, including passing efficiency, passing yards, passing touchdowns and completion percentage.
But he didn’t yet have an iconic moment. Now he does, and it helped push the Sooners to a 6-0 record on the season. And while he’s not campaigning for individual awards, his teammates and coaches are happy to do it for him.
“I’ve been saying it since day one, since I met him,” Farooq said, “he’s one of the guys that brings it day in, day out, consistent, great leader, and I’m gonna keep saying it. He deserves the Heisman this year. So I’m gonna keep promoting it until he gets it.”
