Game Recap: Tulsa

Wow. That's all I can say. Wow. It was an absolute whirlwind of emotions throughout that game. I had mixed feelings about our defense but general happiness. All I can think about this game is, "Wow." The defense made nice adjustments, and Dillon Gabriel potentially played his way into the Heisman race. Let's take a look at this game, quarter by quarter.

Photo credit to The Oklahoman.

1st Quarter

This was a beautiful quarter offensively. There's no other way to put it. Dillon Gabriel couldn't miss. All of Sooner Nation knew this would be a fun game after our first offensive drive. As fast as lightning, the first drive was a two-play, 84-yard, absolute beauty. The rest of the quarter was more of the same. There's not too much to dive into here offensively, and there's not too much to go into throughout the whole game. I can't overhype Dillon Gabriel enough. He was throwing strike after strike with near-pinpoint accuracy. This game was arguably the best of Gabriel's career.

The defense was even better. They took the ball away three times. Three times. All three were interceptions, one of which was a pick-six by Danny Stutsman. The defensive line and linebackers shut down the run except for one run. On top of the interception, Danny Stutsman had a heck of a first quarter. All of Sooner Nation hopes this quarter is a preview of what this season will look like — an unstoppable force for an offense and an immovable object for a defense.

Score at the end of this quarter: 28-0 OU.

2nd Quarter

This is where the game started to look more like a football game. Tulsa pulled Roman Fuller as their QB and replaced him with Cardell Williams, who brought life to Tulsa.

The Sooner offense looked similar to how they did in the first quarter. Dillon Gabriel continued throwing passes with pinpoint accuracy (except for an interception that 100% should've been called back for interference on the defense). The main issue offensively in the second quarter was the offensive line. OU's offensive line is good at keeping the defensive line where they are but can't bully the defensive line. We used to see OU offensive lines impose their will against defensive lines, but the Sooners didn't do much of that today. Venables and Lebby called many more runs in the second quarter, but none had too much success. Dillon Gabriel still found ways however to push the ball downfield and get some points.

The defense began to collapse in this quarter. There's not too much praise I can give them. Tulsa's backup quarterback, Cardell Williams, started torching us. The defensive line could not reach the backfield on passes, allowing wide receivers to come wide-open. Tulsa scored two touchdowns in the second quarter, with receivers having no semblance of coverage around them. This was not a good quarter for the sooner defense.

Score at the end of this quarter: 38-14 OU.

3rd Quarter

Remember how good I said OU played in the first quarter? They almost had a repeat performance in the third quarter.

Dillon Gabriel continued imposing his will in the third quarter, with Nic Anderson showing the Sooners his capabilities. Gabriel hit him for a 42-yard touchdown pass that was almost all after the catch. After a touchdown run by Javonte Barnes, it was Jackson Arnold's time in Tulsa. So, how did his time in today's game begin? Just your casual 50-yard touchdown pass to Nic Anderson, no big deal. That pass was a beauty. A touch pass deep downfield while under pressure that hit Nic Anderson perfectly in stride. It looked about as easy as easy gets.

The defense suddenly remembered what they were doing in the first quarter and started stepping up again. Tulsa's first drive of the second half went to the OU two yard line, and Tulsa couldn't gain another inch. A dropped interception by Peyton Bowen in the endzone is the only reason Tulsa got a field goal on this drive. After that, Venables and Ted Roof changed how the defensive front attacked the line, resulting in non-stop pressure on the quarterback. A couple of sacks and tackles for loss set up OU's fourth pick of the game to Key Lawrence. PJ Adebawore got his first career sack, looking like he would maul Cardell Williams. After the field goal earlier in the quarter, the Tulsa offense didn't cross the 50 for the rest of the game.

Score at the end of this quarter: 59-17 OU

4th Quarter

The offense made a noticeable effort to slow down and drain the clock in the fourth quarter. The one score of the quarter for OU was a one-yard touchdown run by Gavin Sawchuck. The offensive line continued showing struggles creating holes for the run game, but at this point in the game, it didn't matter. By the time OU got the ball back, both sides were trying to end the game.

The first play of the fourth quarter was perfect. Tulsa tried setting up a screen, and Trace Ford was having none of it. He sat there waiting for the pass, intercepted it, and almost took it to the house. Tulsa ran eight more offensive plays, netting 25 total yards. One of those plays was a great tackle for loss by PJ Adebawore. OU was done allowing Williams to torch us, and they shut him down. Tulsa put in a new quarterback to end the game, and it was over.

Final score: 66-17 OU

Observations

• Dillon Gabriel's job is not in jeopardy by any definition. He would have to monumentally collapse for Arnold to take over. But Dillon Gabriel is playing like a man competing with a great five-star player.

• Our offensive line needs a wake-up call. If we are going to beat teams like Texas, who has a really good defensive line, the offensive line needs to jump to a higher level.

• Jalil Farooq has taken monstrous strides from last season. He has become a consistent threat who can make anyone miss. He has also stopped dropping passes, making him even more dangerous.

• When our defense is pressuring the quarterback, they're an elite defense. When we can't pressure the QB, our secondary can not figure out where to go and gets torched. In other words, we must figure out how to consistently pressure QBs.

• Danny Stutsman will be a first or second-round draft pick when he inevitably declares for the draft, whether after this season or next. He has become a monster on our defense.

• Peyton Bowen needs to learn how to pull in interceptions. He has been a monster for our defense, but he has dropped two or three interceptions in the past two games. He's a good player who is one step away from becoming one of the top safeties in college football as a true freshman.

• We are finally capitalizing on turnovers. We couldn't score after turnovers last season. We are scoring after almost every turnover this year.

• Andrel Anthony is going to be an elite WR.

• In case you missed it throughout the recap, OU intercepted five passes today. THREE OF THEM in the first quarter.

Key Players

• Dillon Gabriel: 28/31, 421 yards, five touchdowns, one interception.

• Nic Anderson: Three catches, 120 yards, three touchdowns.

• Jalil Farooq: Six catches, 126 yards, one touchdown.

• Andrel Anthony: Four catches, 112 yards.

• Danny Stutsman: Nine tackles, two tackles for loss, one interception, one touchdown.

• Gentry Williams: Six tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception.

Other Stats

• Offense: 30/35, 476 yards, 13.6 yards per pass, five touchdowns, one interception. 28 runs, 119 yards, 4.3 yards per carry, two touchdowns.

• Defense: 8/19 on third down, 1/1 on fourth down, allowed eight yards per pass and 1.6 yards per run (wow).

The Sooners need to find consistently. We have the recipe for a 12-0 season with dominant offense and defense. If Venables can figure out how to consistently pressure the QB, and Bill Bedenbaugh can get our offensive line to play better, no one can stop this team. Boomer Sooner!

All stats above courtesy of ESPN.