Notebook: OU responds to adversity
Not sure anybody could have predicted and definitely nobody hoped it would be the case, but Oklahoma was hit with its first case of adversity this season.
First-year head coach Brent Venables has been prepping for the moment. And when it hit, that’s the positive response he was hoping for as OU woke up out of its funk to cruise in the second half to a 33-3 victory against visiting Kent State on Saturday.
There weren’t chairs being thrown or decibel levels reaching amazing numbers, but Venables was able to get the message across to get the desired results
“He was very poised and very confident, but at the same time he identified the issues and provided solutions on how to fix that,” defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “At the same time, understanding the vision of this is what happens if we do X, Y and Z. It was great.”
OU trailed 3-0 in the final minute of the first half before Dillon Gabriel and Marvin Mims were able to get things rolling, and the third quarter was a sign of what can happen when everything is clicking in the right direction.
The Sooners outscored Kent State 24-0 in the 15 minutes to guarantee they wouldn’t be another victim of a top-10 home upset.
“We were right where we wanted to be. We knew it was going to be a dogfight,” linebacker Danny Stutsman said. “That's right where we wanted to be and we knew we had to make some plays to get the second half started and that's exactly what we did. We were able to execute.
“We told the offense, 'You guys are going to come out and score, we're going to have a three-and-out, and you guys are going to score again and it's going to be a completely different ballgame,' and that's exactly what happened and that's just the way the game went.”
OU will be better prepared for that moment because even though Nebraska was stunned at home by Georgia Southern on Saturday, it means absolutely nothing to how the Cornhuskers will approach their showdown with OU next weekend in Lincoln.
“So whatever they did today has no bearing on our game with them,” defensive end Reggie Grimes said. “We’re gonna have to go out and play off the best of our ability, and I’m confident in how we’ll prepare.”
Welcome to the OU light show
First OU home night game of the season, and the Sooners busted out the new LED lights all throughout the second half.
Touchdowns, turnovers, big plays, it was a rowdy environment in Norman as the Sooners found their footing and put things away.
“I loved it. It was great,” wide receiver Marvin Mims said. “I loved the part when the lights went off and everyone had their flashlights out. I’ve never experienced anything like that, so that was probably the coolest thing. It was nice.”
Even though you always hear players being locked in and not being aware of the crowd, that wasn’t possible Saturday.
A far cry from the subdued environment in the second half last week and something the players know can be used to their advantage going forward.
“Oh yea. We didn’t have that before,” Justin Harrington said. “It was good to add something to the crazy fans out there. It was kinda cool. The light show when everybody turned their flashlights on was kinda crazy. Further down the road, our next five home games – that’s going to be a factor with our opponents coming in.”
Gabriel solid through it all
Think OU fans are still wondering what’s the ceiling for quarterback Dillon Gabriel, but if nothing else, he’s not making mistakes.
Gabriel didn’t turn the ball over once again and completed 21 of 28 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns.
“He’s an assassin. This is not his first rodeo,” Venables said. “He’s been around the game. He’s just a ball junkie. He’s a great leader. The game comes easy to him in so many ways, but his best attribute is he never gets too high or too low.
“He’s the same guy. Every once in a while, he’ll have a nice smile when he has a big-time play, but he’s the same guy every day, like non-stop. That’s what we said at halftime, be who we are. Nothing more than us.”
Gabriel is learning what other OU quarterbacks have before him in the last two seasons. When in doubt, find Marvin Mims. It works as the two connected for a pair of touchdowns.
Takeaways come for Sooners
Offense got back on track, and the defense did its part in the second half with a pair of turnovers. A forced fumble and recovery by Billy Bowman and the first career interception for Harrington.
It’s not perfect for Roof’s group, but they’re coming up with big plays in big moments and a sign of just how far Harrington has come.
“Good feeling, great feeling,” Harrington said. “When I got to the sidelines, couldn’t wait to celebrate with friends and teammates.
“I feel like it was a rebirth. I’m free again to be who I am and play how I play. Embrace whatever the role my teammates need me to do.”
Bowman had 11 tackles, while Harrington had two tackles and a pass breakup.
Major scores again
OU only had seven yards rushing in the first half, but it was Marcus Major who was able to get things rolling in the second half.
He highlighted the third quarter with a 16-yard touchdown run that saw him make a great move in open space in finding the end zone.
With Major going, it opened things up for Eric Gray as well. Gray led the team with 71 yards on 10 carries, breaking free for a 44-yard gain in the second half.