The first real test of the season arrived today. The Sooners, under the bright lights of Big Noon Kickoff, faced one of the top rushing offenses in the country and one of the best defensive lines in the country. The offense didn't look great. But that Sooner defense? These boys are playing on a level we haven't seen from OU's defense in years. I mean, this picture below was an interception by Billy Bowman. Let's break this game down quarter by quarter.
Photo credit to The Oklahoman
1st Quarter
After a slow start on the game's first drive, the offense was rolling. The only reason the offense didn't lead by three scores by the end of the quarter was poor execution. After the first drive of the game ended in a punt, the Sooners got deep into the red zone before Marcus Major missed a block, Dillon Gabriel fumbled the ball, and Cincinnati recovered it. The next drive saw similar offensive execution through the air and ended with a Nic Anderson touchdown. Has that kid been on fire lately, or what? The main problem here, which I will address multiple times throughout this recap, was the OU offensive line. They were doing an alright job of protecting Dillon Gabriel but could not run block to save their lives. Cincinnati completely shut the run game down in the first half.
The defense was lights out in the opening quarter. The only reason Cincinnati scored this quarter was because of a pass interference call against Gentry Williams on a third-down incompletion. That set Cincinnati's offense up in an easy spot to score, but they couldn't get too close. The tackling was on it. The coverage was on it. The pass rush was ON IT. The defense was shutting down the Cincinnati offense. One of OU's goals today was to take the running option away from Emory Jones, making him a pocket passer. The Oklahoma defense accomplished this goal to perfection this quarter, setting them up for success in the second quarter.
Score at the end of this quarter: 7-3 OU
2nd Quarter
Oklahoma's offense sputtered more in the second quarter. I can't give them too much praise. Dillon Gabriel was missing his guys, and the run blocking was nothing special. Jeff Lebby called a nice drive that ended with a field goal, but the offense was held to one first down and 21 total yards the rest of the half. Andrel Anthony continued to dominate the air attack. Drake Stoops showed up. But the play of the quarter for the offense was on 3rd and 19 at OU's three-yard line. Marcus Major had a ridiculous 19-yard run for a first town. Broken tackles and just plowing through defenders gave us a much-needed conversion. Despite this play, there was a complete lack of consistent execution, costing OU points on drive after drive.
In this quarter, the defense began fulfilling their "bend but don't break" mantra. The defense allowed Cincinnati to make it to the red zone on two of the three drives. The first time, OU disguised their coverage, allowing Key Lawrence to get an easy interception, his second in as many games. The defense shut down the offense in the red zone the second time, and Cincinnati missed their field goal. In terms of OU's competitive depth on defense, the one drive where the defense forced a punt and the entire secondary was back-ups and still shut down the offense.
Something to note about this defense: According to Ted Roof, coming into this game, Cincinnati's worst game running the ball saw them gain 219 yards. That was their worst game. By halftime of today's game, the running game had been completely shut down. Only 39 yards allowed. Our defensive line and linebackers have put in the work to get better against the rush, and wow, does it show.
Score at the end of this quarter: 10-3 OU
3rd Quarter
The offense began to show some life in this quarter, primarily on the ground. On the second drive of the third quarter, Lebby decided he had enough of unsuccessful running and started pounding the rock downfield. The scoring drive in this quarter for OU was a nine-play drive, six of which were on the ground. The Bearcats had no idea what to do to stop it either. That drive finished with a tough touchdown run by Dillon Gabriel. If the offense could produce offensively with more consistency, the game would've been over by the end of this quarter. But a lack of solid execution throughout the quarter kept the offense from doing too much else. That said, the third quarter ended with a phenomenal 49-yard reception from Andrel Anthony. So that was nice.
For the entire second half, Cincinnati did not punt the ball. If you look at numbers alone, this was not a great half defensively for OU. But if you watched the second half, you'd know at what an elite level the defense played. Emory Jones figured out our coverages and started throwing consistent completions for nice gains, but they couldn't convert anything on our end of the field. He was sacked on a 3rd down on their first drive of the half, and they had to settle for a field goal. On the next drive, they made it down to the OU 20-yard line, the down and distance being second down with two to go. It ended with a turnover on downs. Danny Stutsman's monster season continued this quarter as he flew all over the field. The Cincinnati rushing offense, which had been so potent throughout the beginning of the season, still had yet to find 100 total yards by the end of this quarter.
Score at the end of this quarter: 17-6 OU
4th Quarter
The offensive woes continued here. We had multiple chances to ice the game and could not find a way. This quarter, the offense's lack of production is the only reason Cincinnati reached 100 yards rushing. We capitalized on the big completion to end the third quarter with a field goal instead of a touchdown and gained four total yards on nine plays the rest of the game. There is much work that needs to be done if OU is going to have a chance at the Big 12 Championship.
As I mentioned in the review of the fourth-quarter offense for OU, the only reason the Bearcats gained over 100 rushing yards was because the offense couldn't stay on the field. We seemed to have an excellent opportunity to get off the field on a 3rd and 19 play had Emory Jones not run it for a 20-yard gain. He also kept moving Cincinnati down the field and deep into Sooner territory. So how did the final drives of the game end for Cincinnati, trying to overcome a two-score deficit? 4th down interception by Billy Bowman, 4th down Emory Jones run shut down (he only needed two yards), and the clock expired on their final drive. While the numbers may mislead you, this defense is playing at an elite level. Likely, no one will be able to run the ball against this defense this year successfully. The coverage still needs a lot of work. Getting torn up by Emory Jones makes you worry about QBs like Quinn Ewers. But. That's a problem for another day.
Final Score: 20-6 OU
Observations
As I mentioned above, the inconsistent production of the offense was horrible to watch. If it's not fixed, it will cost us a game down the line—no doubt about it.
The defensive linemen are doing significantly better and putting pressure on the QB, and they are shutting down the run almost every time.
PJ Adebawore is a stud.
Danny Stutsman will be a high-round draft pick whenever his days at OU are over.
If Dillon Gabriel doesn't overthrow exactly two of his passes, this is a 34-6 win, not 20-6.
Tawee Walker is (surprisingly) the best RB on the team.
Andrel Anthony was a missed opportunity at Michigan. He is going to be in the running for a Biletnikoff award.
Austin Stogner's lack of production in the passing game is surprising and alarming.
This is one physical football team.
Key Players
Dillon Gabriel: 26/38, 322 yards, one touchdown.
Andrel Anthony: Seven catches, 117 yards.
Marcus Major: 15 rushes, 63 yards.
Danny Stutsman: 13 tackles, seven solo, one sack, 3.5 tackles for loss.
Billy Bowman: Four tackles, one solo, one interception.
Other Stats
Offense: 26/38, 322 yards, 8.5 yards per pass, one touchdown. 34 runs, 103 yards, three yards per carry, one touchdown.
Defense: 3/15 on third down, 1/4 on fourth down, allowed 5.6 yards per pass and 3.8 yards per run.
The first test for the Sooners is over. The defense passed with flying colors, not allowing a touchdown. The offense got a C-. A passing grade but not great. Next week, Oklahoma faces Iowa State in Norman for what should be a blowout. Boomer Sooner!
All stats above courtesy of ESPN.
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