Via Bryan Fischer
FOX Sports College Football Writer
Oklahoma spent a whole season trying to get rid of a Lincoln.
On Saturday, the Sooners left another Lincoln and may have turned the tide for good into a new era – albeit one filled with familiar expectations. New coach, new player, same old position back at the top of the list as favorites to win the Big 12 after ousting old rivals Nebraska, 49-14.
“The standard hasn’t changed. When they come on the pitch, they need to play to the standard,” head coach Brent Venables said after the game. “We will train the same way.”
Highlights: Oklahoma routs Nebraska
Dillon Gabriel led Oklahoma’s attack with a scoring pace of 49 as the Sooners hit the 49-14 victory mark.
There will be more information on the Cornhusker team’s drop to 1-3 and an explosion of activity in the coming months as a result of the administration’s search for a new head coach. But the Memorial Stadium game during Saturday’s “Big Noon” on FOX has far more national significance to college football as a coronation for the away team.
The messy Big 12 image before start the conference game? Well, it’s time to acknowledge that the OU’s default for winning the league championship has been restored once again after their first claimed victory under their new head coach.
Worried about Oklahoma’s Offense Without Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams go USC? That’s three games and that doesn’t seem to be a concern anymore.
Much of that is due to the presence of Dillon Gabrielthe UCF Transfers who can certainly put themselves in the conversation early in the season for the Heisman Trophy. That was always the potential vantage point of his move to Norman in January, but things turned out even better than most people thought at a show with a long history of football. signal callers will be in New York in December.
Gabriel, in just his fourth lane match against Power 5 opponents of his career, barely broke a sweat against the once formidable Blackshirts. He threw 230 yards and two touchdowns in a productive performance that saw him break out in the third quarter to have a series to spare.
The only pause for concern? It should be noted that Georgia Southernthe pre-season selection team to finish sixth in Sun Belt East, marched up and down the same field last week and earned 45 points on these Huskers.
However, the extra aspect Gabriel brought to the uptempo attack is something that the Big 12 defensive coordinators will no doubt take note of. His silky-smooth 61-yard goal in the first quarter was a career-spanning craze, and his ability to escape the pressure in his pocket certainly evokes comparisons (or two) to a his predecessor’s number behind the crimson and cream-colored center.
Dillon Gabriel scores with a dot 25 yards
Dillon Gabriel hit Jalil Farooq with a dart to put Oklahoma ahead of the Nebraska Cornhuskers 14-7.
Gabriel and the new offensive linemen, led by coordinator Jeff Lebby, were also on the same page with better points. In a slick second-half play, the midfielder cleverly pocketed to make sure his pass went behind the line on the first throw and the defense would be lured in thinking it was a mistake. hurry. That allows Brayden Willis to launch an attack from 24 yards to a wide angle Marcus Major and all but the second half is devoted to continued speculation about the Huskers head coach in 2023.
Nebraska Crowd: ‘We Want Urban!’
Cornhuskers fans chanted “We want Urban!” in the opening moment of “Big Noon Kickoff” in Lincoln before the Oklahoma-Nebraska game.
It helps with the OU case that our initial view of the Venables underling team was one that seemed as balanced as it had been for several years. The defense scored four sacks and limited Husker to less than four yards per game for most of the afternoon, playing almost flawlessly by consistently overpowering an offensive line that was supposed to be the enemy’s strength. Their Big Ten.
Nebraska took it 77 yards to the final zone on their header and crossed midfield just once the rest of the way against the Sooners first team defense.
How is it a new era in Norman?
Baylor, Oklahoma State and next week’s opponent Kansas State will all provide tougher trials ahead. Texas push number 2 Alabama to the brink, too. Each has their own flaws on both sides of the ball, however, what the Sooners have so far failed to manifest to the extent that many would expect after so much turnover since their fall in Bedlam last season. before.
“New” is a common and appropriate description for much of Oklahoma that will take place in 2022. Here, however, they are approaching the conference game in a recognizable position as the rest of the league team. The competition will have to pass if they want to keep that big position. The last 12 trophies.
Bryan Fischer is a college football writer for FOX Sports. He’s been pursuing college athletics for nearly two decades at outlets like NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and NFL.com among others. Follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
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