No. 17 Oklahoma (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) defeated West Virginia (6-4, 4-3) 59-20 on Saturday.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed 23 of his 36 passes for 423 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 50 yards and three touchdowns. Redshirt freshman running back Gavin Sawchuk rushed 22 times for 135 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
With Kansas’ loss to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State’s loss to UCF, OU needs to win out, have the Cowboys lose one more game or Texas to lose one game to clinch a Big 12 title game berth.
Here are three takeaways from the Sooners’ win:
Offensive rolodex on display
After offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby fielded criticism the past two weeks for his play calling, OU got back on track.
Oklahoma recorded 644 total yards, compared to the Mountaineers’ 330. Entering the game, WVU’s defense ranked fourth in the Big 12, allowing 366.8 yards per game.
The Sooners started the game hot, scoring 31 points in the first half.
With 6:20 remaining in the second quarter, a 32-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to wide receiver Jayden Gibson capped a five-play, 86-yard drive, one of OU’s most impressive series’ of the game.
The TDs keep on coming for the Sooners 🙌 @OU_Football makes it 31-7 in the first half pic.twitter.com/w61SpdeovF
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 12, 2023
Lebby has seemingly found his running back in Sawchuk as junior walk-on Tawee Walker received one carry and sophomore Jovantae Barnes didn’t touch the ball.
With a large lead, freshman Dylan Smothers received two carries, rushing for six yards.
Redshirt senior wide receiver Drake Stoops continued his stellar play, recording 10 catches for 164 receiving yards, good for a career-high, and three touchdowns, including this 60-yarder:
STOOPS TO THE HOUSE! 🏡@OU_Football with a fast start to the second half! pic.twitter.com/OvDs5o7mT4
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 12, 2023
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Nic Anderson finished with four catches for 119 yards.
Stogner scores
Tight end Austin Stogner caught his first touchdown pass since transferring back to Oklahoma from South Carolina.
Too easy for Dillon Gabriel and Austin Stogner 🤝 @OU_Football adds on another TD pic.twitter.com/fliUbHlnju
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 12, 2023
Stogner, who has struggled to find his groove in 2023, finished with four catches and 69 yards in the win.
Tight end Blake Smith wasn’t available to play. Redshirt Josh Fanuiel appeared on a few snaps.
Third down defense
Oklahoma held West Virginia to 4-for-16 on third down.
With a little over eight minutes left in the first half, defensive end Rondell Bothroyd jumped into Mountaineers quarterback Garrett Greene’s face, forcing an incomplete pass. That was the story all day for WVU, which couldn’t get much going on offense until the third quarter.
The Sooners also stopped West Virginia twice on fourth down, including on a goal line stand with 2:01 left in the first half.
Other notes:
Oklahoma won its ninth of ten coin tosses this season.
OU displayed a new intro before kickoff.
Pretty cool intro here ahead of the #Sooners’ matchup with West Virginia: pic.twitter.com/aZycCilNuj
— Colton Sulley (@colton_sulley) November 12, 2023
Danny Stutsman and Kip Lewis started at linebacker. Jaren Kanak, who had started most games this season, did not.
Jacob Sexton started at right tackle in place of Tyler Guyton.
Defensive end coach Miguel Chavis ran out onto the field during the first quarter to celebrate a third down stop. He received a talking-to from head coach Brent Venables, who was penalized for being on the field last week.
With his three rushing touchdowns, Gabriel moved to second nationally in the category among quarterbacks. He also joined Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray as the only OU quarterbacks since 2000 with 10-plus rushing touchdowns in a season.
Wide receiver Gavin Freeman muffed two punts.
Defensive back Makari Vickers went down with an unspecified injury and was helped off the field by trainers in the second quarter.
Kendel Dolby and freshman linebacker Samuel Omosigho played Cheetah for the Sooners. Dasan McCullough didn’t play a snap.
Chavis did gritty dance after a fourth down stop.
The Sooners wore their ‘Unity’ uniforms. OU’s coaches wore camp for Veterans Day.
While Stutsman returned after missing last week, his ankle didn’t look 100% as he hobbled off the field on multiple plays.
OU fans weren’t happy with the officials on a number of pass interference calls and broke out into “SEC” chants.
The 2013 OU softball national championship team was honored on the field at halftime, commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the title.
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭. pic.twitter.com/p0R35kSrWq
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) November 12, 2023
Kansas City Super Bowl winners and former Sooners Blake Bell, Creed Humphrey and James Winchester attended the game during their bye week.
A fight broke out after Drake Stoops’ touchdown catch with 13:46 to go in the fourth quarter. OU offensive lineman McKade Mettauer was ejected after receiving two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. While exiting the field, OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. gave him a fist bump.
That’s my @OU_President. 💯 https://t.co/SAAM8WZhmO pic.twitter.com/akOqrvjgg4
— 𝕺𝖐𝖑𝖆𝖍𝖔𝖒𝖆 𝖛𝖘. 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉 (@soonergridiron) November 12, 2023
Gabriel’s eight total touchdowns was a school record. He passed Baker Mayfield, who had seven against Texas Tech in 2016.
Backup quarterback Davis Beville entered the game with a little over three minutes to play.
