It was an obvious answer, but you could hear the tone for Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby when asked if the wildcat attack was going to vanish if quarterback Dillon Gabriel returned.
He knew, and he knows what the Sooners offense is capable of when Gabriel is at full strength. Gabriel was back on the field, and it was time for Gabriel and Lebby to have some fun in OU’s 52-42 victory against visiting Kansas on Saturday afternoon to snap OU’s three-game losing streak.
After looking abysmal since Gabriel was knocked out in the second quarter vs. TCU two weeks ago, this is the OU offense fans have come to expect. Following the first drive of the game, Gabriel already had more passing yards than what the Sooners had in the entire game against Texas last week.
Score from far, the motto used by Lebby to describe his offense, was back.
“It’s quite a difference. (Number) Eight being back and doing what he did, his leadership, toughness and experience is special and it’s unique and it’s matched by production,” Lebby said. “There’s a lot of faith in those guys going out and playing really, really well. They did that. Ton of stuff to clean up, but proud of them.”
Add it all up, and Lebby’s offense tallied 701 total yards of offense, and Gabriel threw for a season-high 403 yards.
It was easy to see how different the offense looked with Gabriel back in the fold, but the Sooners offense was just seemingly locked in at a much different level compared to recent games.
It started on the initial drive, as OU scored the first points of the game for the first time since Week 1 vs. UTEP.
Gabriel completed 4 of 6 passes for 68 yards that culminated in a Jovantae Barnes’ touchdown. Gabriel never slowed down, and by opening up with the passing game, the running game took over as well.
“The biggest thing is we wanted to take what they gave us,” Lebby said. “Talked all week about Kansas being great against the run. They play with great energy and toughness, and that’s what you saw from them. Statistically, they’d been really good against the run. We liked our matchups, guys made plays. It was good to get it going that way.”
Gabriel missed the second half at TCU and the Texas game being in concussion protocol, but he was confident about returning Saturday.
He didn’t play scared or hesitant. He finished 29-of-42 passing for 403 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for a score but lost two fumbles, his first turnovers of the season.
But the command of the offense was there, and he was able to spread it out and get everybody involved, with five players catching at least four balls.
“Continuing to be aggressive,” Gabriel said. “But also trusting our guys when they’re in space. When we do well in the run game and we do on the perimeter, it naturally just gives us a chance to take shots.
“And when we connect on those shots and big plays, create explosive plays, there's momentum involved. There's confidence involved. But also setting the tone of the first drive. So I think it all plays a part in being successful on offense. But there’s thing to clean up. When you win those things look not as bad.”
It says what kind of game Lebby was able to call when OU goes 100 plays, scores 52 points and still turns the ball over three times.
Gabriel had never had a concussion before, and he took the matter seriously. He did everything he could in order to be as ready as fast as possible, and the Sooners needed him in the worst way.
With Gabriel rolling, the rushing attack did its share with 57 carries for 298 yards (5.2 average) and five touchdowns (Eric Gray 2, Jovantae Barnes 2, Gabriel).
It’s just a little bit different going into a bye week at 4-3 instead of 3-4. Stop playing scared. Stop trying to be perfect. Let it loose and let it fly.
“It feels great, just to be back in the win column,” said Marvin Mims, who had nine catches for 106 yards. “The past week and a half’s been a rough one. I feel like we’re back. I feel like we got our stride back.
“We’re just playing good football and out there having fun. That’s what we’ve stressed all week, especially in the receiver room — just go out there and have fun.”
It’s a lot easier to do that when Gabriel is the one running the show.
