Dillon Gabriel leads Sooners to blowout win over Tulsa

TULSA — Jeff Lebby said Oklahoma’s offense was too conservative last week against SMU.

The OU offensive coordinator seemed intent on making sure that wasn’t the case against Tulsa.

On the Sooners’ first snap of the game, OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel found Andrel Anthony for a 55-yard gain down the field. On the next play, Gabriel found Jalil Farooq for a 34-yard touchdown to give the Sooners a 7-0 lead before three minutes had been played.

That was just a sign of things to come. The Sooners’ defense forced three turnovers in the first quarter alone, the offense took advantage and the team rode that momentum to a 66-17 win over the Golden Hurricane on Saturday at Chapman Stadium.

The win improves the Sooners to 3-0 on the season and concludes their non-conference schedule.

Here’s a look at a few quick takeaways from the Sooners’ rout of Tulsa:

The fifth-year senior continued his hot start to the season on Saturday.

The Sooners’ game plan centered around Gabriel’s arm strength, and he delivered early and often. He completed his first 10 passes and 15 of his first 16, throwing for 315 yards and four touchdowns in the first half. He also completed passes to 10 different receivers.

Gabriel’s most impressive throw came early in the second quarter, finding Nic Anderson for a 28-yard touchdown.

Gabriel’s final line? 421 yards on 28-of-31 attempts, five touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 251.3 He averaged over 15 yards per completion.

That efficiency led to some big days for several OU wide receivers. Drake Stoops (8 receptions, 53 yards, two touchdowns) set career highs in receptions and touchdowns for a single game. Farooq, after slow performances in the first two games, led the Sooners with 126 yards, six receptions and a score. Anthony finished with four receptions for 112 yards. Nic Anderson, who had not scored a touchdown in his collegiate career, finished with three receptions for 120 yards and three touchdowns.

Gabriel has completed 82.5% (66-of-80) of his passes so far this season.

The Sooners’ defense was unexpectedly called into action after Farooq fumbled on the opening punt. However the offense got the ball back soon after, thanks to an interception from Tulsa native Gentry Williams.

It didn’t stop there.

Danny Stutsman, who again led the Sooners in tackles with nine, picked off TU quarterback Roman Fuller and returned it for a 30-yard touchdown, marking the Sooners’ first pick-six since 2020. Kendel Dolby closed out the first quarter with an interception, giving the Sooners three picks in the opening 15 minutes.

Key Lawrence added an interception in the third quarter. The final interception came from Trace Ford, who nearly returned it for a touchdown before being tripped up inside the TU five-yard line.

While TU quarterback Carnell Williams found some success through the air in the second and third quarters, the Sooners limited Tulsa to 217 passing yards. It was another solid performance for the OU rushing defense, too, holding TU to just 75 yards on 46 attempts.

The Sooners also added 13 tackles for loss and three sacks.

Earlier this week, Lebby said the Sooners needed to get Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk going. He stayed true to his word.

Not only did Barnes open the game as the Sooners’ starting running back, his first start of the season, he recorded 10 of the team’s 13 first-half rushing attempts, while Sawchuk saw two carries. Notably, neither Marcus Major nor Tawee Walker — who led the team in rushing yards, touchdowns and carries through the first two games — saw a single carry the entire game.

However, it was still an inconsistent outing for the rushing offense outside of a couple big runs from Barnes, who finished with 13 carries for 68 yards and a score. The team finished with 28 carries for 119 yards (4.3 yards per carry) and two touchdowns.