Dillon Gabriel feels more comfortable in OU’s offense this season.
Slinging the rock 😮💨@_dillongabriel_ | #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/L2ju9zTXqj
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 2, 2023
The redshirt senior quarterback showcased his calm demeanor during OU’s 73-0 win over Arkansas State on Saturday. He finished 19-for-22 with 308 yards and two touchdowns, guiding Oklahoma to an early 45-0 lead in the first half.
In his second season with the Sooners, Gabriel is using his veteran experience to his advantage.
“I'd say it comes with time,” Gabriel said Monday of his comfortability in the offense. “Looks may be deceiving at times. Sometimes there’s a lot going on, and you're able to hide it well, but for me I just feel confidence in the preparation and knowing how you're coming out there, knowing what to expect was a great advantage for me. The experience thing will continue to be something I pride myself on.”
Gabriel was subbed out for five-star freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold in the second half. Arnold, who has been touted as OU’s future by coach Brent Venables despite Gabriel’s remaining season of eligibility, was perfect, completing all of his 11 pass attempts.
Gabriel’s comfortability in offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby’s system has allowed him to teach the freshman quarterback behind the scenes.
“It's that birthday sauce,” Gabriel said of Arnold who turned 19 last Saturday. “I'm proud of him. I think about the excitement of being able to do that on your birthday, your first game. That’s fun to do.
“Perfection isn't truly attainable. Sometimes you get there like a pitcher throwing a perfect game but even getting there, there's things you can get better at, and I think he's been able to take coaching from coach Lebby and try to get better at everything.”
Outside of the quarterback room, Gabriel's leadership has been showcased in his connection with Oklahoma's unproven receiving corps.
Redshirt junior quarterback Dillon Gabriel, senior running back Eric Gray, junior wide receiver Marvin Mims, and fifth year tight end Daniel Parker Jr. during the game against Baylor on Nov. 5.
His first two completed passes against the Red Wolves were to Andrel Anthony. He continued to feed the rock to the rest of the group, with Stoops — who left the contest with an AC Joint sprain — garnering the next three receptions and one later going to sophomore receiver Gavin Freeman.
With added flexibility in the Sooners’ offense, Gabriel feels more free to feed the entire receiving unit.
“A little bit of faith, trust and a little bit of pixie dust,” Gabriel said of his chemistry with the receiving corps. “You gotta have a little bit of all of it now, but just the work that we put in and just constantly getting those reps I think will help.”
Despite only missing three throws, Gabriel said he “wanted a few back” because he underthrew a few deep passes. He hopes to improve with time, but still managed to get an efficient performance under his belt against Arkansas State.
“I've talked about a bunch, but we expect him to play really well, and he expects himself to play really well,” Lebby said postgame on Sept. 2. “He played clean, took care of the football. He made the right decisions, he pushed the tempo when we needed to and he was able to handle himself and do a really nice job.”
As No. 20 Oklahoma pivots to its contest against SMU (1-0) at 5 p.m. Saturday in Norman, Gabriel looks to use his second season in Lebby’s system to his advantage. He's always ready to take on OU's next challenge, which is a mentality he’s trying to instill in the rest of the team.
“I think (learning to) flip the page … whether it's good or bad,” Gabriel said. “You flip the script or the page and move on. It's something that's important for all of us to learn, but also the leaders setting the tone for that.”
