Mussatto's Minutes: UCF fans dish on Dillon Gabriel's departure, impressions of OU
NORMAN — Walking to the stadium around 9 a.m. Saturday, I spotted a UCF fan wearing a black Dillon Gabriel jersey, albeit one with a homemade alteration. There was a taped “X” on the back through Gabriel’s name.
While Gabriel said UCF is a place he loves, that love, as you might expect, isn’t totally reciprocated. I talked to a dozen UCF fans before the Sooners eked out a 31-29 win against the Knights, and let’s just say they were more or less united in their grudges against Gabriel, who quarterbacked the Knights for parts of three seasons (2019-21).
And who can blame them? Nobody likes to be broken up with, whether it’s Gabriel leaving UCF or Caleb Williams fleeing Norman alongside Lincoln Riley for USC. College football has entered an era of free agency, and while it’s only fair that players can more or less move as they please — a freedom long afforded to coaches — that doesn’t mean fans have to like it.
Fans are loyal to school over player, after all.
“(OU) is very lucky to have him,” UCF alum Steven Kuba said of Gabriel. “That’s all I’m going to say.”
Kuba did his best to hold back.
“When you see someone with so much potential leave to go somewhere else, it’s tough, but you understand,” he said.
Not everyone was as diplomatic.
“Some of us think he’s a traitor because he was at UCF and transferred over to (OU),” UCF alum Luc Labreche said. “He’s got a better opportunity here for the Heisman than he did at UCF, because I don’t think he’d get the recognition. It was a good move on his part.
“But, you know what, our old quarterback McKenzie Milton left the team for (Gabriel) and then (Gabriel) turned his back on us. A lot of people were angry about that.”
More: OU football report card: Mixed grades as Sooners spurn UCF's upset bid to stay unbeaten
It was Milton who quarterbacked UCF to a 13-0 season in 2017, capped off by a Peach Bowl win over Auburn. When Milton entered the transfer portal, after recovering from a brutal knee injury, Milton said, “It’s DG’s team now.”
Gabriel quarterbacked the Knights in the 2019 and 2020 seasons as Milton rehabbed. But three games into the 2021 season, after Milton had transferred to Florida State, Gabriel broke his clavicle against Louisville in the third game of the season. It was Gabriel’s last game for the Knights before entering the transfer portal later that offseason, first committing to UCLA before signing with OU.
One UCF fan described Milton as the program’s, wait for it, “Jesus Christ.”
“Obviously Milton was the poster boy for UCF,” alum Matt Corey said. “Dillon was in a tough situation no matter what to duplicate what Milton did.”
UCF fans had another gripe with Gabriel — AKA Sock Boy, or Mr. Socks. As petty as those nicknames sound, just about everyone I talked to mentioned them without prompting.
It goes back to one of Gabriel’s early NIL deals, with Rock Em Socks.
“He was trying to sell all his own merch and was just like, yeah, well, the team will be whatever,” one recent grad said.
“He knew he was leaving,” another added.
Who knows what’s true and what’s not — and I didn’t find it appropriate to ask Gabriel on Saturday to relitigate the past — but Gabriel’s commitment to the Sooners is unquestioned.
“It definitely was a personal one because I played there,” Gabriel said of UCF after the game. “It’s part of my journey that I’ll never forget, but at the end of the day it wasn’t about me. It was about us as a team finding a way to win.”
Gabriel has led the Sooners to a 7-0 start and is a Heisman Trophy frontrunner.
“We’re happy for him,” Melissa Corey said.
And despite repeatedly referring to Gabriel as “Mr. Socks,” Luc Labreche’s son, Blake, still has a soft spot for Gabriel.
“He got his start with us,” Blake Labreche said. “There’s a reason why we recruited him. There’s a reason why (OU offensive coordinator) Jeff Lebby was with us. There’s a reason why they came to us in order for him to get here. It was a good stepping stone I think for (Gabriel) and his career. We’re really excited for him and everything he does.
“There’s no hate from UCF. We love him a lot.”
More: How did OU football hold off UCF? Brent Venables says 'it's kind of like in golf'
UCF fans relish trip to Norman
I talked to UCF fans about more than just Gabriel. I wanted to hear their first impressions of Norman, and the pregame atmosphere at OU.
It was the first-ever meeting between UCF and OU, and the last for the foreseeable future with OU set to leave the Big 12 shortly after UCF joined.
“We’ve been in the AAC for a long time and the MAC and all this,” said Luc Labreche, from New Smyrna, Florida. “Now we’ve stepped up to the Big 12. It’s great to experience this whole new atmosphere of big-time college football. We wanted to come here, see what it’s like, experience the fans, experience the stadium, experience everything there is to do out here in Oklahoma.”
“Everyone’s been super nice,” UCF alum Tyler Neuhaus said.
“Mostly,” one of his friends interjected.
“We were expecting a little more chatter,” Neuhaus said.
Steven Kuba said he prioritized making the trip, especially knowing it might be UCF’s last game at OU.
“When you look at a calendar and you see we have a chance to go to Norman and play Oklahoma, you can’t pass that up,” Kuba said.
Melissa and Matt Corey are Knights diehards who go to a couple of away games per season. They weren’t going to miss this one.
“We definitely circled this on the calendar knowing OU was leaving,” Matt Corey said. “I think the turnout is bigger with this being the only chance.”
More: What are the stories behind OU football players' tattoos? Dillon Gabriel, Sooners explain
OSU’s Ollie Gordon shines again
“Ollie Gordon is good at football,” OSU quarterback Alan Bowman tweeted Saturday night.
Couldn’t have said it better myself, Alan.
Gordon rushed 29 times for 282 yards and four touchdowns in OSU’s 48-34 win at West Virginia.
A superstar has been unearthed in Oklahoma State’s resurgence.
The Cowboys are on a three-game winning streak with wins over Kansas State, Kansas and West Virginia — all games in which the Cowboys rode Gordon to victory.
● Gordon vs. Kansas State: 21 carries for 136 yards and a touchdown.
● Gordon vs. Kansas: 29 carries for 168 yards and a touchdown, six catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.
● Gordon vs. West Virginia: 29 carries for 282 yards and four touchdowns.
That’s an average of *checks math* 195(!) rushing yards per game during OSU’s three-game winning streak.
More: Oklahoma State football report card: Offensive line shines in grades in win at West Virginia
Pick Six
Each week, I make a list of six college football somethings — teams, players, coaches, etc. — I want to highlight.
Today, I’m looking at the six college football results that surprised me most from last week’s slate.
1. Virginia 31, North Carolina 27: The Tar Heels were 21-point home favorites. What a brutal loss for UNC, which falls from the unbeaten ranks and out of the College Football Playoff picture. Virginia improved to 2-5. Its other win came against the vaunted tandem of William & Mary.
2. Texas 31, Houston 24: I think UCF, despite being winless in the Big 12, is better than Houston, which is why this result surprised me more than OU’s. Sure, Texas was on the “road,” but Houston stinks. The Horns were 24-point favorites.
3. OU 31, UCF 29: OU, 17-point home favorites, took UCF’s best punch. A near knockout blow.
4. Kansas State 41, TCU 3: The Wildcats were 5.5-point favorites and won by 38. For some teams, there’s always next year. For TCU, there’s always last year.
5. Alabama 34, Tennessee 20: I’m not surprised that Alabama won. I’m surprised the Crimson Tide trailed the Vols 13-0 at home to start the game. I’m surprised Alabama absolutely pummeled Tennessee 27-0 in the second half. Tennessee’s last win in Tuscaloosa? 2003. Casey Clausen quarterbacked the Vols that day. Casey Clausen is 42 years old.
6. Rice 42, Tulsa 10: The game was in Tulsa and the Golden Hurricane was favored by three points. A loss is understandable. A 32-point loss is not.
More: How did Oklahoma State football make late fourth-down stop at West Virginia?
Big 12 Game of the Week
OU (7-0, 4-0) at Kansas (5-2, 2-2), 11 a.m. Saturday, FOX: Kansas is 4-0 at home this season, but OU hasn’t lost in Lawrence since 1997. The Sooners have won 18 straight in the series.
National Game of the Week
Oregon (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12) at Utah (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12), 2:30 p.m., FOX: Utah led USC by 11 points through three quarters at the Coliseum. The Trojans stormed back to take a 32-21 lead, but Utah kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired to upset USC 34-32. The Utes have missed quarterback Cameron Rising, but Utah is still in College Football Playoff contention. As is Oregon. The loser, however, can be crossed off.
Mid-major mention: Back to the MAC with Miami (Ohio) (6-2, 3-1 MAC) at Ohio (6-2, 3-1 MAC), 2:30 p.m. Saturday, CBS Sports Network: Both squads have a win over a Big 12 team. The Redhawks of Miami beat Cincinnati, and Ohio upset Iowa State.
More: Thunder vs. Pistons takeaways: Chet Holmgren wows, but OKC falls in NBA preseason finale
OKC Thunder thoughts
The Thunder opens the season at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Chicago.
OKC’s updated over/under for regular season wins is 44.5, according to FanDuel. Chicago’s over/under is 37.5.
Billy Donovan, who left the Thunder for the Bulls, is 117-119 entering his fourth season in Chicago. Mark Daigneault, one of Donovan’s mentees, is 86-150 entering his fourth season in OKC.
The Thunder job is much more attractive than the Bulls job, though, and Daigneault has ultimate support within the organization while Donovan is likely on the hot seat.
Whose job is more secure than Daigneault’s? Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra, Steve Kerr, Michael Malone and … that might be the end of the list.
By the way, those four (in that order) are the longest-tenured NBA head coaches.
Daigneault was hired Nov. 11, 2020, making him the 10th longest-tenured coach in the NBA. Donovan has Daigneault beat by 50 days.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football: UCF fans dish on Dillon Gabriel's departure
