Oklahoma Sooners keep Big 12 title hopes alive; beat the BYU Cougars 31-24
The Oklahoma Sooners made their first trip to the state of Utah to take on the BYU Cougars for the one and only time as Big 12 foes. It was a game with sloppy field conditions. Players constantly slipped all game long.
After both teams opened the game with punts, but Dillon Gabriel hit Jayden Gibson on a 55-yard pass to set up Oklahoma with a first and goal. Gabriel found Nic Anderson for the touchdown to put the Sooners up 7-0. It was Anderson’s ninth touchdown of the season and broke a three-game scoring drought.
On BYU’s next possession, Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff found Chase Roberts for the 23-yard score on a fourth and one just outside the red zone.
The Sooners stalled on their next drive but nearly got a fresh set of downs. Oklahoma nearly pulled off a fake punt when Luke Elzinga connected with Ethan Downs, but Nic Anderson was called for offensive pass interference and the Sooners were forced to punt. After a great BYU punt return, the Cougars would be set up in OU territory but fumbled the first play.
Seven plays later, Gabriel found Gibson for a 27-yard touchdown pass to put the Sooners up 14-7. BYU answered on the following drive after converting a pair of third downs to tie it up.
After a couple of long 3rd Down conversions themselves, the Sooners were set up with a first and goal at the five but were forced to settle for a field goal. BYU tied it up on a field goal of their own as time wound down in the first half.
The Sooners outgained the Cougars 236 to 213 in the first half. The Sooners went 5 of 8 on third down, and the Cougars were 6 of 10 on third and fourth down in the first half.
As the Sooners were headed out for the second half, they were without star quarterback Dillon Gabriel. It was reported Gabriel suffered a head injury and wouldn’t return. Jackson Arnold started the 2nd Half.
Both teams couldn’t get much going to start the second half. However, BYU found success on their second drive of the half, moving inside the Sooners five-yard line. On first and goal from the two, Retzlaff threw it out to the left, and Billy Bowman picked it off and returned it 100 yards for the touchdown. The Sooners led 24-17 midway through the third quarter.
The pick-six wouldn’t deter the Cougars, who responded with an eight-play 75-yard drive to tie the game at 24. The Cougars gashed the Sooners in the running game, and Retzlaff ran it in from 11 yards out to tie it back up.
After a good return by Jalil Farooq and back-to-back solid runs Gavin Sawchuk, the Sooners were in Cougars’ territory. Unfortunately, the promising drive came up empty as Zach Schmit missed wide left, and the score stayed tied.
On the ensuing drive, the defense came up with another huge play. With the Cougars facing a third and four, Kobie McKinzie and Danny Stutsman blitzed off the right side. McKinzie drew the offensive linemen inside, freeing up Stutsman for a free run at Retzlaff. Stutsman hit him hard and came up with a strip sack to give Oklahoma the ball in Cougars’ territory. The Sooners capped the turnover off with a tough, physical 16-yard touchdown run by Sawchuk to put the Sooners up seven with about eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The Sooners’ defense continued their best stretch of the game, forcing a three and out after two false start penalties on the Cougars.
The offense took over with nearly six minutes left in the game. It was a masterful, time-killing drive to end the game. The drive started with a deep shot to Nic Anderson, which Arnold overthrew, but it was an opportunity for Oklahoma to put a stamp on the game and win it. After the incomplete pass, the Sooners ran nine plays for 22 yards (including three kneel downs) and took 5:08 off the clock to finish the game.
The key play in the drive came as the Sooners faced a third and eight at the BYU 38-yard line. Three weeks ago against Kansas, facing a similar situation, Jeff Lebby opted to run the football to force the Jayhawks to burn their timeouts. Today against BYU, Lebby put the ball in his true freshman quarterback’s hands to win the game.
Arnold threw a strike to Jalil Farooq on the short slant and Farooq fought his way to pick up enough yardage to get the first down.
The Sooners kneeled out the clock to escape with the win.
Oklahoma would be outgained 390 to 374 in the game but the defense would tie the Cougars in the 2nd half, 7-7. The defense would also force three turnovers.
In the win, Dillon Gabriel completed 62% of his passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Arnold was 5 of 9 for 33 yards. He also ran the ball eight times for 24 yards.
Gavin Sawchuk earned his third-straight 100-yard game, carrying the ball 14 times for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Jalil Farooq had five receptions for 53 yards, and Drake Stoops caught four passes for 63 yards. But it was Jayden Gibson who provided the big plays for the Sooners offense, with two receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, Danny Stutsman recorded 10 tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble. In addition to his pick-six, Billy Bowman had eight total tackles and a tackle for loss. The interception was Bowman’s fifth on the season.
The Sooners are now 9-2 on the season and 5-2 in Big 12 play. They still have an outside shot at making the Big 12 title game but will be watching Texas vs. Iowa State and Oklahoma State vs. Houston closely on Saturday.
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