OU 3-2-1 kickoff: Will Dillon Gabriel replicate strong start for Sooners vs. SMU?

NORMAN — After blowing out Arkansas State, 73-0, in its opener, OU figures to get a bigger challenge when it hosts SMU at 5 p.m. Saturday.

The Sooners weren’t planning to play this game until a year ago, when their scheduled game against Georgia was scuttled due to OU’s impending move to the SEC.

Here’s a look at Saturday’s matchup with the Mustangs:

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3 players to watch for OU vs. SMU

OU wide receiver Jalil Farooq: Farooq was held without a catch in the opener, though he did have a 10-yard carry. Though the Sooners’ receiver corps looks deep, Farooq is still expected to be a significant piece and potentially OU’s No. 1 receiver. Farooq was held without a catch just once last season.

OU cheetah Justin Harrington: With Dasan McCullough having played just two plays last week before going down with an injury, Harrington’s role in the defense was magnified even more. Coverage doesn’t figure to be an issue for Harrington, but his contribution to run support could be critical after SMU’s run success in its opener.

OU running back Gavin Sawchuk: Sawchuk missed the opener, though Brent Venables said he’d be available Saturday. After a strong performance in the Cheez-It Bowl, Sawchuk is expected to play a significant role this season. With Tawee Walker’s emergence and the performances of Jovantae Barnes and Marcus Major, Sawchuk will need to assert himself to get regular carries.

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2 big questions for OU vs. SMU

How will Dillon Gabriel respond after a strong opener? Gabriel had his best game as a Sooner and perhaps the best overall game of his collegiate career last week, going 19 of 22 for 308 yards and two touchdowns through the air and rushing for another score. Gabriel won’t put up those numbers weekly, but were they an aberration or an indication of Gabriel’s offseason growth?

Can the Sooners’ front seven get into the backfield? About the only negative for OU last week was that the Sooners recorded just one sack. Part of that was certainly due to Arkansas State’s use of max protect to keep OU out of the backfield. SMU doesn’t figure to use seven or eight in protection nearly as often, potentially opening the door for the Sooners’ remade defensive line and linebacker corps to make more plays.

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1 wild prediction for OU vs. SMU

The Sooners return an interception for a touchdown: OU didn’t record an interception last week after having at least one in each of the final eight games of last season. Last week, SMU quarterback Preston Stone was 23 of 37 for 248 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. But the Sooners’ secondary figures to be much better prepared than Louisiana Tech’s. That figures to give them a chance to pick off Stone and when they do, they’ll show off the improved team speed that figures to make OU’s defense better than last year’s.

—Ryan Aber, Staff writer

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football: Will Sooners QB Dillon Gabriel big passing game vs. SMU?