OU football vs. SMU: Score, live updates from Oklahoma Sooners' Week 2 game

ryan aber, the oklahoman

Sat, Sep 9, 2023, 9:35 PM·7 min read

The 17th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners host the SMU Mustangs on Saturday in Week 2 of the college football season. Here's everything you need to know:

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

How to watch Oklahoma vs. SMU football

When: 5 p.m. Saturday

Where: Owen Field in Norman

Streaming: ESPN+ (subscription required)

Radio: 107.7 FM, 1520 AM

More: Four Downs: Which OU football position group faces toughest challenge against SMU?

OU vs. SMU football live updates

FINAL: OU 28, SMU 11

Justin Harrington's interception inside the final two minutes seals the win for the Sooners, who move to 2-0 on the season and will travel to face Tulsa next Saturday.

Read the four quick takeaways here.

Fourth quarter: Marcus Major finds the end zone

Marcus Major makes the catch, finds the sideline and races into the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown reception. The PAT is good, giving OU a 28-11 lead and a three-possession edge with 6:40 left in the game.

DG with his 4th TD pass of the day to @Md24jr 🎯 #OUDNA | 📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/UVuiv1CGkc
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 10, 2023

Fourth quarter: Sooners extend lead

Jalil Farooq makes the catch, jukes a defender and finds the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown reception. Farooq didn't record any catches against Arkansas State in Week 1, but that's a huge play by the junior receiver. OU has a 21-11 lead over SMU with 9:01 left in the game.

Fourth quarter: SMU makes it interesting

A play after freshman phenom Peyton Bowen was called for a pass interference in the end zone. SMU scored to climb back into the game.

Early in the fourth. Bowen appeared to have locked down tight end RJ Maryland on third-and-9. But as Bowen celebrated, a flag was thrown on him.

On the next play, first-and-goal from the 2, SMU quarterback Preston Stone found Stone Eby for a touchdown.

The Mustangs then converted a 2-point conversion to pull within three, 14-11.

End third quarter: OU 14, SMU 3

Freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold saw action during multiple sequences with the game on the line, mainly in short-yardage situations.

On OU’s second drive of the game, Arnold came in for one play to start the drive, with a one-yard carry before Dillon Gabriel came back on.

Two plays later, Gabriel hit Andrel Anthony for a 29-yard touchdown to get the scoring started.

Arnold made three other appearances in the third quarter, with a two-yard gain on third-and-3 from the OU 47 and then handing the ball to Tawee Walk for a one-yard gain on fourth down for a conversion before Gabriel re-entered.

Arnold came in twice during the next Sooners’ drive, picking up eight yards and a first down on fourth-and-1 in SMU territory.

A few plays later, Brent Venables and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby once again inserted Arnold for a fourth-down try. This time, Arnold was stopped for no gain to give the ball back to SMU.

After three quarters, OU leads 14-3.

Third quarter: OU defense forces fumble

SMU looked like it was building momentum, with running back Jaylan Knighton breaking off a long run late in the third quarter that would’ve put the Mustangs in prime scoring position.

But Key Lawrence chased down Knighton, forcing a fumble, Woodi Washington kept it in bounds — barely — and linebacker Danny Stutsman recovered to give the Sooners back the ball.

OU didn’t capitalize on the turnover, their own drive ending on a turnover on downs inside the SMU 20, but they did turn the field over, maintaining a 14-3 lead late in the third.

Oklahoma's Peyton Bowen (22) blocks the punt of SMU's Ryan Bujcevski (92) in the first half during the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Southern Methodist University Mustangs at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023.

Halftime: OU 14, SMU 3

SMU missed a 49-yard field-goal try late in the first half to send OU into the locker room with a 14-3 halftime lead over the Mustangs.

The Sooners held the lead despite being outgained 232-168 in the first half.

OU had just 64 yards passing, a week after Dillon Gabriel threw for more than 300 yards in the first half of an eventual 73-0 win over Arkansas State.

The Sooners’ defense held SMU to just 3 of 10 on third downs, and had one fourth-down stop in two tries.

Second quarter: Blake Smith's TD extends OU's lead

After not being able to move the ball offensively for much of the first half, the Sooners finally came alive midway through the second quarter, with a 13-play, 94-yard drive that ate up nearly five minutes.

The drive ended with Dillon Gabriel’s 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Blake Smith that put OU up 14-3 with 8:33 to go before halftime.

The biggest difference in the drive, though. Was the Sooners’ running game.

Walk-on running back Tawee Walker carried seven times for 59 yards on the drive, including a 30-yard carry that gave the Sooners the ball at the SMU 26.

More: Who is the 'most interesting' man on OU football team? Meet Sooners OT Walter Rouse

The run that setup the drive 💪 @RMBwee | #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/MeSiRMyfPO
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 9, 2023

End first quarter: OU 7, SMU 3

OU’s offense found it much more difficult to move the ball early against SMU than it did against Arkansas State in the opener.

The Sooners had just 78 yards of total offense — 41 yards passing and 37 yards rushing — in take a 7-3 lead over the Mustangs into the second quarter.

A week earlier, the Sooners posted 221 yards in the first quarter, building a 28-0 lead.

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed a 29-yard touchdown pass to Andrel Anthony early but was just 4 of 9 for 12 yards outside of that wide-open touchdown to Anthony.

SMU posted 133 yards of total offense against the Sooners in the first quarter.

First quarter: Andrel Anthony TD puts Sooners on board

5:13 p.m.: Andrel Anthony with a 29-yard TD reception from Dillon Gabriel to get the scoring started. Anthony was WIDE open. Sooners lead 7-0.

5:24 p.m.: #Sooners give up their first points of the season as SMU kicks a 27-yard FG. OU leads Mustangs 7-3

Offense cashes in with a wide-open @andrel_jr! #OUDNA | 📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/KujvZKYJmY
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 9, 2023

A Twitter List by jeffpattOKC

Pregame update: Dasan McCullough dresses out after injury

OU backup “cheetah” Dasan McCullough, who suffered an apparent ankle injury on his second play last week against Arkansas State, was dressed out Saturday ahead of the Sooners’ game against SMU (5 p.m., ESPN+).

Everyone listed on the Sooners’ depth chart was dressed out before the game.

One notable player not dressed out was reserve quarterback Davis Beville, who suffered an ankle of knee injury late in the 73-0 win over Arkansas State.

Running back Gavin Sawchuk, who was dressed out for last week’s game but did not play, once again dressed out Saturday.

Sooners coach Brent Venables said early in the week that Sawchuk would be available against the Mustangs.

Redshirt senior wide receiver Drake Stoops, who was knocked out of last week's game with a shoulder injury in the first quarter, started for the Sooners.

More: 'That's growth': OU football's Kani Walker goes from 'raw' Louisville recruit to playmaker