OU football report card: Sooners' defense, Bearcats' student section make the grade
CINCINNATI — OU made sure Cincinnati didn’t pass its first Big 12 test.
In doing so, the Sooners got conference win No. 1 in what will be a season of Big 12 lasts before heading to the SEC.
Let’s get to the grades from OU’s 20-6 win at Nippert Stadium on Saturday.
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Cincinnati student section: A
The Bearcats’ student section was large, rowdy and organized — both in their chants and the clapping of their inflatable thundersticks. The student section curved around the south end zone with the UC band in the middle.
One student in the first row held a sign: “OKLAHOMA! THE MUSICAL IS MID.” With MID underlined.
Oh what a beautiful mornin’ it was for football.
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Blackout: C+
OU fans did their part to mix plenty of crimson into the blackout crowd. It was a strong Sooner showing in Cincinnati, contributing to the sellout crowd of 38,193.
To be fair, it’s hard to pull off a blackout for a day game, given the sun and all.
The on-field apparel was sharper. Cincinnati in black jerseys, black helmets and bright red pants. OU in its road whites and crimson helmets.
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Dillon Gabriel: B-
The OU quarterback overthrew receiver Jalil Farooq on the Sooners’ second drive for what would’ve been an easy touchdown.
Gabriel had a costlier miscue later in the drive.
On third-and-3, Gabriel fumbled at Cincinnati’s 10-yard-line on a quarterback keeper. Bearcats free safety Bryon Threats forced the fumble.
Gabriel had two overthrows on OU’s fourth drive, which ended in a field goal.
On OU’s last drive of the first half, Gabriel was bailed out by the sideline when his backwards pass to Andrel Anthony rolled out of bounds. It could’ve been a Cincinnati scoop-and-score touchdown.
It’s easy to zero-in on the mistakes, but the overall picture was fine for Gabriel, who threw for 322 yards and had two scores — one through the air and one on the ground.
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Cincinnati special teams: B
Mason Fletcher, Cincinnati’s 6-foot-7 punter, was one of the Bearcats’ most impressive weapons. The Melbourne, Australia, native was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award — given to the nation’s top punter — last season.
Easy to see why. He averaged 48.2 yards per boot with three of his punts landing inside the 20.
Cincinnati kicker Carter Brown missed a 26-yard chip shot, but he drilled a 54-yard field goal, his career long, and a 40-yarder.
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Third-down defense: A
Senior safety Key Lawrence undercut Emory Jones’ pass and intercepted it in the end zone. The Bearcats’ turnover came on a third-and-12 from OU’s 26-yard line.
An incompletion might have led to a field goal, but Lawrence’s interception kept the Bearcats off the board, preserving OU’s 10-3 halftime lead.
That was one of a handful of plays the Sooners made on third down.
The Bearcats converted just 3-of-15 third-down attempts.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football vs Cincinnati: Brent Venables, defense win Big 12 opener
