OU football rewind: Jackson Arnold had a simple directive in Sooners' win vs. BYU
PROVO, Utah — Between series in the second half of OU’s 31-24 win over BYU on Saturday, the biggest point of emphasis from offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby to quarterback Jackson Arnold was the take care of the football.
“That’s all Jackson and I talked about in between series in the second half is if we end every drive in a kick or in victory formation, we’re going to like the outcome. We’re going to make enough stops when we need to, we’re going to score when we need to, we’re going to lean on our run game. Let’s just keep taking care of the rock.”
For the first time since the win over Texas and just the fourth time this season, the Sooners didn’t have a turnover.
In a tight game, that proved to be one of the significant differences, as OU turned all three Cougars’ turnovers into touchdowns.
“That’s the difference,” running back Gavin Sawchuk said. “You could see it in the last two away games that we had. Turnovers were the big mistake in our game and it cost us a lot.”
In wins, the Sooners lead the turnover differential 20-6. In their two losses, the Sooners had a combined six turnovers and forced just four.
Here’s a look at what else we learned from the Sooners’ victory over BYU:
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Top 5 OU football players of the week
1. Safety Billy Bowman: Bowman’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown helped turn the tide in a game that appeared to be slipping away from the Sooners, but he did plenty outside of that, with eight tackles, six of them solo.
2. Running back Gavin Sawchuk: Sawchuk took over as OU’s leader in rushing yards — and continued to show that he’s now the Sooners’ top back, with his 14-carry, 107-yard, one-touchdown rushing performance.
2. Wide receiver Drake Stoops: For a second consecutive week, Stoops set a career high in receiving yards with 164 and three touchdowns on 10 catches.
3. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel: Gabriel was well on his way to another monster game, with 191 yards and two touchdowns through the air before an injury late in the first half knocked him out for the rest of the game.
4. Wide receiver Jalil Farooq: There could be a case made for several receivers here, but Farooq’s critical third-down catch late in the game makes him the choice. Farooq had five catches for 53 yards.
5. Linebacker Danny Stutsman: Fighting through food poisoning, and again playing the middle linebacker spot, Stutsman had 10 tackles and forced a fumble in the fourth quarter that set up the 16-yard touchdown run by Gavin Sawchuk a few plays later that proved to be the game winner.
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Top 5 OU football players of the season
1. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel: Gabriel’s season average in passing yardage dipped below 300 yards per game thanks to his injury, but his numbers are still plenty notable. Gabriel has thrown for 3,260 yards and 27 — surpassing his numbers from last year in both categories.
2. Linebacker Danny Stutsman: Stutsman needs just nine tackles to get to 100 for the season. He’s reached double figures in tackles four times this season.
3. Wide receiver Drake Stoops: Stoops lost the Big 12 lead in receptions to Oklahoma State’s Brennan Presley, but he’s just one back of the league lead with 66 catches for 755 yards and nine touchdowns.
4. Safety Billy Bowman: Bowman is tied for the Big 12 lead with five interceptions and only Kansas’ Ra’Mello Dotson joins him as players with two interception returns for touchdowns.
5. Running back Tawee Walker: There’s a reason why even though he’s not at 100% physically, and with the emergence of Gavin Sawchuk, that Walker continues to get on the field in critical situations. He’s been excellent even without the ball in his hands.
Ryan Aber covers OU athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Ryan? He can be reached at raber@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @RyAber. Sign up for the OU Sooners newsletter to access more OU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
OU vs. TCU
KICKOFF: 11 a.m. Friday at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman (FOX)
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football coaches had a simple directive for Jackson Arnold vs. BYU
