OU Sooners corral SMU Mustangs

NORMAN — Dillon Gabriel threw four touchdown passes for 176 yards on 19-of-27 attempts as Oklahoma beat SMU 28-11 Saturday night at Gaylord Memorial Stadium.

The second-year Sooner starter threw one each to Andrel Anthony, Blake Smith, Jalil Farooq, and Marcus Major, respectively. Anthony led receivers with seven catches for 76 yards and Tawee Walker led the running game with 107 yards on 20 carries. Danny Stutsman led the defense in tackles with 17.

But the Sooners by no means were world beaters like they were one week ago in a 73-0 drubbing of Arkansas State.

For one, the SMU defense was ready for some of the passing formations OU used successfully last week, and its offense was able to move the ball, outgaining the Sooners by two yards, 367-365.

But second-year Sooners’ coach Brent Venables credited his team for hanging in there and said if they played in a similar game last year, his team likely would have lost.

“I loved the fight, the courage, the never-flinch attitude that the team had,” Venables said. “A year ago, I’m not sure we would have figured out a way to win that game.”

As fans recall, each of OU’s last four losses in 2022 came by three points, mostly due to miscues. But it found a way to win on this night.

It got its first TD when Gabriel hit Anthony for 29 yards early in the first quarter. The score was set up by a blocked punt by Peyton Bowen at the SMU 40-yard line.

The Mustangs responded on the ensuing drive with a 27-yard field goal by Collin Rogers.

The next Sooner TD came when Gabriel found tight end Blake Smith in the end zone from two yards with under nine minutes to go before the second period ended.

Oklahoma held a 14-3 advantage at halftime and throughout the third quarter.

SMU had possession at midfield as the fourth quarter began. Two pass interference calls against OU aided the Mustangs in getting their lone TD, in which Preston Stone connected with Stone Eby for two yards.

Choosing to go for two, SMU passed again as Stone hit Jake Bailey and it was 14-11.

That drove the Sooners to turn on the gas.

They responded on the next drive, moving in 10 plays from their 25, with Gabriel connecting with Farooq for a 21-yard TD.

The OU defense answered by stopping SMU on a fourth-down conversion attempt from the Mustang 30, with Stone throwing incomplete on 4th-and-5, turning it over on downs.

The Sooners took over and scored in three plays with Gabriel getting Major for a 27-yarder with less than seven minutes to go.