There seemed to be a prominent thought we wouldn’t know anything for certain about this Oklahoma team until after the Red River Rivalry.

Well, that game has come and gone. And it ended with a Sooner victory over the Longhorns, 34-30, improving the team to 6-0 on the season while matching its win total from a year ago.

We learned plenty about this team’s heart and determination. The defense made plays and did just enough to limit the Texas offense, which gave the offense the opportunity for a game-winning drive. But there’s a lot we learned about how this team’s needs to play moving forward.

Given that the team is on bye and has officially finished half of the regular season, this feels like a good opportunity to dive into what we learned from the Sooners during last weekend’s victory:

Of course, the primary takeaway from Gabriel’s gritty performance was his ability to make plays in pressure situations. And we learned that the improvement he showed through the first five weeks was real.

But don’t forget about how much his running ability helped the offense against Texas.

Gabriel ran the ball 14 times for a career-high 113 yards (8.1 yards per carry) against the Longhorns, accounting for 56% of the team’s total rushing output. While four of those attempts were scrambles, per Pro Football Focus, OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby dialed up several designed quarterback runs, and they worked. Gabriel even broke out for a 44-yard run midway through the fourth quarter, the largest gain for either team.

On the season, Gabriel has 208 rushing yards and a team-high five touchdowns, and he’s just 22 yards behind Tawee Walker for the team lead. His yards-per-carry average of 4.8 is also the highest of any Sooner with at least 12 rushing attempts.

His attempts are steadily going up, too. 33 of Gabriel’s 43 rushing attempts have come in the last three games, and it’s benefiting the Sooners’ offense. He’s also posted a PFF rushing grade of 73.8.

All of this comes with an important caveat. The Sooners need to be careful about making sure Gabriel doesn’t take too many hits and to not overwork him. But given that the running backs have struggled with efficiency, Lebby needs to continue featuring Gabriel’s rushing ability.

The Texas game reflected what we saw the first five games — Walker is simply the team’s best option at running back.

On the season, Walker leads the backfield in rushing yards (239), yards per carry (4.5) and touchdowns (4) despite seeing seven fewer carries than Marcus Major. Against Texas he wasn’t particularly efficient, but his 46 rushing yards and two touchdowns proved instrumental in a game that was really physical. Plus, he caught two passes for 14 yards and led the backfield in carries despite Major making his third-consecutive start.

Walker’s role has fluctuated a bit this season, but the advanced stats further illustrate that he’s been the most productive and efficient running back. Compared to every OU player who’s recorded at least six carries, he’s first in average yards after contact (2.87), missed tackles forced (16) elusiveness (114.7), and his PFF rushing grade of 84.6 is the highest of any Sooner.

No, Walker is unlikely to amaze anybody with his speed. But he’s proven especially capable of winning one-on-one battles and he's particularly adept at bulldozing through defenders.

Gavin Sawchuk unfortunately hasn’t flashed the explosiveness he showed last season. Jovantae Barnes hasn’t logged a snap in the past three games as he recovers from an injury. Major has had moments and should still see the field as a backup option. But it’s time for Walker to see the bulk of the running back work moving forward.

Brent Venables’ defenses have always been centered around takeaways. We’re fully seeing that come to fruition. After six games, the Sooner defense leads the entire country in interceptions (12) and is second nationally in takeaways (15).

The Sooners are averaging 2.5 takeaways a game compared to 1.6 in 2022. If that pace continues, it would be the highest mark for an OU defense since 2008.

That trend continued against the Longhorns, with the Sooners nabbing two interceptions and a fumble recovery. It was particularly impressive considering the Longhorns had only lost four turnovers coming into the weekend.

Gentry Williams, who has emerged as a significantly impactful cornerback in just his second season, leads the team with three interceptions and picked off Quinn Ewers on the third play of the game. But the takeaways are coming from everywhere — nine different Sooners have recorded an interception or a fumble recovery.

It could be difficult for the Sooners to keep up that frantic pace. But this coaching staff has been emphasizing takeaways, and it's paying off. The Sooners may not have won in Dallas without them.

Special teams appeared to be a strength during the non-conference slate, and there have been some good moments. Peyton Bowen has blocked two punts and Gavin Freeman returned a punt for a touchdown in the season opener. But as the season has continued, the foundation has been shaky.

Special teams nearly cost the Sooners against Texas. It started when the Longhorns blocked Luke Elzinga’s punt in the first quarter, which they recovered for a touchdown. But it really hurt when Zach Schmit badly missed on a 45-yard attempt in the fourth quarter that would’ve given the Sooners a 10-point lead. Texas kicker Bert Auburn, conversely, nailed a 46-yard attempt with just over a minute left that briefly gave the Longhorns the lead.

To further illustrate the point, the Sooners are dead last in the Big 12 in yards per punt (37.5) and 10th in average net per punt (37.3). Schmit had made 8-of-10 field goal attempts, but that miss against the Longhorns was alarming.

The Sooners were able to overcome the miscues on Saturday. But they’ll need to tighten up what they can during the bye week.