NORMAN — Texas appeared to have delivered the death blow to Oklahoma’s chances.
With the game tied at 27-27 late in the fourth, the Longhorns drove down the field and capped off the drive with a 46-yard field goal from Bert Auburn. The field goal gave the Longhorns a three-point lead with 1:17 to go.
Dillon Gabriel and the Sooners’ offense took over at their own 25-yard line with zero timeouts remaining needing a field goal to tie or a touchdown to win. But Gabriel went to work, completing three straight passes for 55 yards to set the Sooners up inside the red zone.
Three plays later Gabriel, with the pocket collapsing, found Nic Anderson in the back corner of the end zone for a six-yard touchdown to give the Sooners the lead with 15 seconds to go.
That improbable touchdown sealed the deal, giving the No. 12-ranked Sooners a 34-30 win over the No. 3-ranked Longhorns on Saturday at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
Here’s three quick takeaways from the Sooners’ win:
1. Gabriel dominates, powers the offense with his running ability
That game-winning touchdown was far from the only big play Gabriel made.
With the running backs again struggling to run efficiently, the Sooners found a rhythm with Gabriel taking designed runs. The redshirt senior took 14 carries for a team-high 113 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown came early in the game, as Gabriel scored from nine-yards out less than two minutes into the game to give the Sooners a 7-0 lead.
Gabriel made plays with his arm, too. He completed 23-of-38 passes (61%) for 285 yards and one touchdown. Jalil Farooq also came alive, catching five passes for a season-high and team-high 130 yards.
Outside of that final drive, Gabriel’s best possession came early in the third quarter. He completed 5-of-6 passes for 39 yards to lead the offense on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off by a Tawee Walker goal-line touchdown. That score gave the Sooners a 10-point lead.
The Sooners finished with 486 total yards of offense.
2. Defense shows out, makes big plays in key moments
The Sooners, who came into the game with a nation-leading 11 interceptions, added to their takeaway total on the second play of the game, when Gentry Williams picked off Quinn Ewers. That setup the early Gabriel rushing touchdown. Kendel Dolby also picked off Ewers late in the first quarter and Peyton Bowen forced a fumble in the third quarter that was recovered by Williams, giving the Sooners three takeaways on the day.
But the biggest plays arguably came early in the fourth quarter. With the Longhorns inside the one-yard line, and the Sooners leading 27-20, the defense stonewalled them on four-straight possessions to keep the Longhorns out of the end zone.
While the Longhorns finished with 527 yards, the defense surrendered just two touchdowns and made critical plays when they needed them. Jaren Kanak led the Sooners with 13 tackles, while Ethan Downs finished with team highs in sacks (2) and tackles for loss (2).
3. Special teams nearly sink the Sooners
If the Sooners had lost, the biggest culprit would’ve been special teams.
The Longhorns’ first touchdown came on a special teams play, when they blocked OU punter Josh Plaster’s kick and recovered it in the end zone. Another big play came in the fourth quarter, when Zach Schmit badly missed a 45-yard field goal that would’ve given the Sooners a 30-20 lead. The Longhorns, conversely, made their field goal late in the fourth quarter to take the lead.
But the Sooners ultimately persevered, improving to 6-0 on the season and matching their win total from a year ago.
