No. 6 Sooners make a statement in 49-14 drubbing of Nebraska

The No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners left very little to chance in a massive 49-14 win against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. In the 88th meeting between the stories rivals, the Crimson and Cream emerged victorious.

Things looked a little hairy for OU after an early punt and Nebraska score, but Dillon Gabriel quieted the crowd with a 61-yard touchdown run.

The Sooners didn’t look back after that. Oklahoma scored 49 unanswered points with a fast-paced offense and a punishing, physical defense.

It’s hard to ask more of OU’s offense than what they gave against Nebraska. Both Eric Gray and Marcus Major looked phenomenal running the football. Gray finally found the end zone, finishing the day with 113 yards and two touchdowns. Major had a rushing touchdown and receiving score for another solid day at the office.

While the Huskers seemed to be getting pressure to Dillon Gabriel early, the Sooners’ offensive line locked in after going down 7-0. Wanya Morris came in at right tackle after not starting the game and the unit dominated Nebraska’s front seven from then on.

Gabriel started the scoring with his long touchdown run and helped Oklahoma take the lead on the following drive with an efficient drive that ended with a beautiful throw to Jalil Farooq for the first touchdown of his young career.

After the first two weeks of the season that saw little production, Farooq looked great, getting open, making plays after the catch and displaying the ability that got everyone excited during Oklahoma’s win in the Alamo Bowl.

In the second quarter it was more of the same. The Sooners defense kept Casey Thompson and the Cornhuskers’ offense from getting into any kind of rhythm.

In the second quarter it Major’s one-yard touchdown run and touchdown reception from Brayden Willis that began to put the game out of reach before Eric Gray’s incredible touchdown runs on either side of halftime that broke the heart of Cornhuskers fans and the ankles of Nebraska players.

The defense looked physical, punishing and relentless. While Huskers QB Casey Thompson looked solid early, the Sooners pass rush got to the QB four times and Thompson seemed to have multiple white jerseys in his face every time he dropped back.

True freshman Jaren Kanak looked like a veteran in his first road game as a college player. However, he did miss out on a couple of sacks. Both Casey Thompson and Chubba Purdy got away from him when he got into the backfield. However, the young man did force a fumble to get OU the ball back.

The tackling in general wasn’t as good as it was against UTEP and Kent State, so there are a few things to work on this week.

Focus on the positives. The Sooners were looking at a very bad situation with a defecit on the scoreboard and a raucous crowd in the stand. They weathered the storm and made this game an absolute blowout.

The Sooners saw a lot of milestones today. Brent Venables has both his first Power Five win and his first road win. Eric Gray had his first multi-touchdown game as a Sooner and Brayden Willis threw his first touchdown pass.

OU proved a point in Lincoln.

A lot of people were expecting an upset after the Huskers fired Scott Frost. A lot of people thought the Sooners were going to stumble heading into conference play.

They didn’t. Oklahoma has passed every test so far in this young season and look like an absolute wagon heading into week four.

The Kansas State Wildcats are coming for a primetime matchup at Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium. The journey back to the Big 12 Championship starts now for the Oklahoma Sooners.

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Story originally appeared on Sooners Wire