Game Recap: BYU

That game was... something. An ugly win, but a win is a win. After this game, many nerves are heading into the TCU game this Friday. Will Dillon Gabriel play? Will the defense step up? Those are conversations for later. For now, let's talk about the BYU game we just watched.

1st Quarter

Dillon Gabriel went on a tear in the first quarter. He was playing tough and angry. We saw him make almost every type of pass. He completed mid-range passes down the middle. We saw him complete short throws. We saw him complete a bomb to Jayden Gibson (it should've been a touchdown, but it was slightly underthrown). He was on it. Don't forget, he got Nic Anderson his ninth touchdown of the season. Despite this, we weren't getting much help from the run game. Most of our yardage came through the air. The offensive line was blocking incredibly well against the pass but couldn't open any holes for the run. This would change as the game progressed. Schematically, this was a frustrating quarter. While Dillon Gabriel was playing incredibly well, we weren't finding too much success in critical moments. Many of our first and second down plays (especially with goal to go) got nothing; most of our yards seemed to have come on third down.

The first quarter was not a bad start for the Sooners. Aside from the touchdown drive, OU forced a punt and Rondell Bothroyd ecovered a fumble on a botched handoff by Jake Retzlaff. In total, 95 yards for BYU in the first quarter, though we did have some exposure put on display early.

Score at the end of this quarter: 7-7, tie game.

2nd Quarter

The offense did something great in the second quarter, which technically started in the first quarter and continued the rest of the day. The offense capitalized on turnovers. Towards the end of the first quarter, a botched handoff by BYU caused a fumble, which Rondell Bothroyd recovered, and the offense wasted no time trying to capitalize. Pretty much the whole drive after the fumble recovery was in the second quarter and on the ground, and the offense capitalized with a great catch by Jayden Gibson in the back of the endzone. We were flying down the field the next offensive drive before the half, but once again, goal-to-goal playcalling cost us. Coming into the game, we had two RBs averaging 5+ yards per run (Gavin Sawchuk and Tawee Walker). We started first and goal at the five and ended up kicking a field goal. Once we got to the five, a running back did not touch the ball again—very confusing playcalling. If we could consistently feed our hot hands, we would accomplish something on first/second down with goal to go.

This was arguably our most consequential quarter for how the rest of the game would go. The Cougars powerful rushing attack (which averaged near 90 yards per game leading up to today) handled the Oklahoma defensive line. BYU possessed the ball for more than half the quarter and answered every point OU put up to tie the game at 17 going into half.

Score at the end of this quarter: 17-17, tie game.

3rd Quarter

The third quarter of this game officially began the Jackson Arnold era for Oklahoma. On the last drive of the first half, Dillon Gabriel had an "upper-body injury" according to Brent Venables, forcing Gabriel to sit out the rest of the game. Jackson Arnold came in and played well enough. A true freshman coming into a tight game for the first time in their career will have some jitters. It's natural. Arnold looked calm and in control, but that didn't keep us from going three and out on back-to-back drives to start the second half. Our receivers were getting no separation, and our run game couldn't find the light of day. The only thing of significance we did offensively in the third quarter was feeding Gavin Sawchuck at the end of the quarter. The last two plays were runs of 29 and 13 yards to Sawchuck.

The play of the game was made midway through the third quarter courtesy of Billy Bowman. After a backbreaking drive down the field, Retzlaff placed the ball right into Bowman’s waiting arms, resulting in a 100-yard pick six for OU. BYU would follow up with a touchdown on the ensuing drive, but Bowman’s play wound up making all the difference in this game. The half was otherwise uneventful, with BYU punting twice.

Score at the end of this quarter: 24-24, tie game.

4th Quarter

The offense didn't do a lot in the fourth quarter, but they did enough, and I love them for it. We saw two sides of Jackson Arnold on the same (game-winning) drive. The first play of the drive, Jeff Lebby called a perfect play that was executed to perfection by Nic Anderson. Arnold wound up, took a deep shot downfield to a wide-open Anderson and overthrew him by five or more yards. Say what you will about Arnold, but he has a rocket launcher of an arm. Later on the drive, after a few great runs by Arnold and co., he threw a perfect slant route to Jalil Farooq for a first down, icing the game. The interesting thing about this is, according to Jayden Gibson in the post-game press conferences, OU had a different play called. Arnold looked at the defense and audibled into the play they ended up running. A true freshman playing in his first game where he's not in there during a blowout, and he executes the offense like that? We couldn't ask for a future face of the program. On top of this, after recovering a fumble, Gavin Sawchuck ran a grown-man's run into the endzone for a touchdown. The offense is better when our running game is good, and Sawchuck has exploded in the running game and today marked his third consecutive game with 100+ yards.

Our defense adjusted well and pressured the quarterback very well in the 4th. This pressure resulted in several errant throws, an improved rushing defense, and a crucial third down sack from flu ridden/food poisoned Danny Stutsman. That sack forced a fumble that OU recovered and turned into points on the ensuing drive. One more defensive stop gave the offense the boost it needed to close the game and escape Provo with a very hard-fought but well-earned victory.

Final Score: Oklahoma 31, BYU 24.

Observations

• We have two teams: A dominant and a walkover. The walkover showed up today, and we were fortunate to come out with a win.

• Assuming he doesn't declare for the draft after this season, I am excited to see Billy Bowman play another year.

• Once again, Danny Stutsman is that dude. According to Venables in the post-game conference, he had the flu and had an IV in whenever he wasn't on the field.

• Jackson Arnold got his "first important playtime" jitters out of the way. When it mattered the most, he won us the game. We are very excited about his future.

• Our offensive line is getting better by the week.

• If Gavin Sawchuck had been healthy all year, he'd have over 1,000 yards at this point.

• Tawee Walker needs to get more rushes—no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Key Players

• Gavin Sawchuck: 14 rushes, 107 yards, one touchdown.

• Billy Bowman: Eight tackles, six solo, one tackle for loss, one interception (returned 100 yards for a TD).

• Danny Stutsman: Nine tackles, three solo, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble.

• Jalil Farooq: Five catches, 53 yards.

• Dillon Gabriel: 13-21, 191 yards, two touchdowns.

• Jackson Arnold: 5-9, 33 yards, eight rushes, 24 yards.

Other Stats

• Offense: 18-30, 224 yards, 7.5 yards per pass, two touchdowns. 34 runs, 144 yards, 4.2 yards per carry, one touchdown. 8-16 on third down, 0-0 on fourth down, 20 total first downs.

• Defense: 5-14 on third down, 3-3 on fourth down, allowed 6.7 yards per pass and 5.7 yards per run—18 total first downs.

A win is a win, and all that matters is that we won. We finally got our first win against BYU. We know what our issues are on both sides of the ball. We know what we need to focus on. And we know what to do to go to the Big 12 Championship. Let's celebrate a good win. Boomer Sooner!

All stats above courtesy of ESPN.