3 stars from the Oklahoma Sooners wire-to-wire domination of Tulsa

The Oklahoma fan base asked for more explosive plays, and Jeff Lebby ensured his offense delivered on Saturday in Tulsa. Oklahoma’s passing offense put up 476 yards and threw for six touchdowns on the way to a 66-17 win.

Oklahoma never trailed and was in complete control throughout. The game was a stark difference from what the Sooners looked like against SMU, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Oklahoma took on the identity of a battering ram against the Mustangs. This week, the offense transformed into long-range combat specialists, opening the passing offense to attack in a variety of ways. It was a sight to behold and allowed Oklahoma to showcase the growth it has experienced in the expansive receiver room.

Defensively, the good times continued to roll as the Sooners held Tulsa under 300 yards of total offense and finished the game with five interceptions. The Sooners turned those five interceptions into 34 points. Overall, it was another complete effort from beginning to end, with complementary football played by Brent Venables’ Sooners.

A handful of players were worthy of recognition for their performance, but we felt these three needed to be highlighted the most.

Up Next: 3 Stars of the Game

1. Dillon Gabriel, QB

The field general for Oklahoma’s explosive effort through the air, Dillon Gabriel, put on a clinic Saturday.

He threw for  421 yards on 28-of-31 attempts, five touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 251.3. Gabriel averaged over 15 yards per completion. His completion percentage on the day was 90%, which is a single-game record for completion percentage at Oklahoma.

In short, he had an historic day.

Gabriel was accurate to every area of the field and looked in complete command throughout his appearance.

He also completed passes to 10 receivers.

It was an extraordinary performance for Gabriel, who will need to take the momentum he has built, bottle it up, and bring it to Cincinnati as OU starts Big 12 play next weekend.

Up Next: Young Wide Receiver Dazzles

2. Nic Anderson, WR

Nic Anderson has arrived.

There’s no better way to introduce yourself as a Power Five player than to score three times on three touches. That’s what Nic Anderson, a Sooner legacy, did on Saturday.

His brother Rodney was in the stands, screaming and clapping for his little brother as he dazzled us all with three catches for 120 yards and three touchdowns.

The catches looked smooth, and the run after the catch seemed eerily similar to seeing his older brother run the ball with tremendous contact balance.

He has officially submitted his application for meaningful snaps in the Big 12 portion of this schedule. It would be criminal for him not to see snaps going forward.

He’s a huge target, with great long speed and reliable hands. He presents an entirely different challenge for defensive backs, and putting him on the field with the other starters could create severe mismatches.

Up Next: Tulsa native shines in return

3. Gentry Williams, CB

Gentry Williams performed nicely in front of his family and friends. The Tulsa native shifted the momentum back in Oklahoma’s favor when he intercepted Tulsa starting quarterback Roman Fuller early in the first quarter.

Williams had nearly perfect technique, read the ball in the air and made a play. He left briefly for an injury, but came back in and played good coverage the rest of the way.

He also had an excellent tackle for loss, continuing to show his prowess and willingness to be physical in the run game.

Every time Williams is out on the field, he makes big plays and is a big part of Oklahoma’s defense.

Avoiding the little injuries will have a monumental impact on this defense because if he’s out there consistently, this defense takes another step.

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Story originally appeared on Sooners Wire