Brent Venables didn’t want to sound cliche postgame, but he noted he feels positive about Oklahoma’s direction.
“I think there's a silver lining,” OU’s head coach said. “We had some moments there in the third quarter and in the fourth quarter, both where we had a real chance to slam the door — we didn't — but there's a great opportunity to learn.”
The No. 18 Sooners (2-0) captured a bumpy, inconsistent 28-11 victory over SMU (1-1) on Saturday night. OU’s offense struggled to find life in the game after scoring the first touchdown of the contest.
The Sooners punted on their next six of eight drives, with another resulting in a turnover on downs.
OU finally found life and pulled away from the Mustangs midway through the fourth quarter, however. With 9:01 remaining in the game, redshirt senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who finished with 176 yards passing and four touchdowns, launched a 21-yard pass to Jalil Farooq to take a 21-11 lead over SMU.
On the next possession, Gabriel tossed a 27-yard touchdown pass to running back Marcus Major, which put the game out of reach for SMU and quarterback Preston Stone, as the Sooners led 28-11 with 6:40 remaining in the quarter.
Redshirt senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel during the game against SMU on Sept. 9.
Venables said postgame that OU showed positive signs of “closing out,” games, a trait the Sooners lacked in 2022. Five out of OU’s seven losses in 2022 were all within one score, and the final four losses of its season all came within field goal.
“We’re just a little more precise,” Venables said. “(We were) a little stronger in the second half and certainly the fourth quarter physically fresher and stronger and more sure of ourselves, and we got good chemistry on this team.
“I think we have a little more confidence in what we do on both sides of the ball, schematically, which leads to a little more precision. It can still be better.”
Oklahoma’s offense relied on the performances of junior running back Tawee Walker and junior wide receiver Andrel Anthony. Walker was OU’s leading rusher with 117 yards and 21 carries, and Anthony finished with seven receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown.
Outside of their performances, OU couldn’t find much life. Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby credited the defense postgame for the Sooners’ ability to pull away.
“I do think sitting up there watching our defense float around and how fast we played, how physical we were made, it gave us an opportunity offensively,” Lebby said. “(We) played maybe a little more conservative and were able to chew it up.”
Junior linebacker Danny Stutsman during the game against SMU on Sept. 9.
Stone finished the night 26-for-45, while the Sooners held the Mustangs to 11 points.
Oklahoma also forced one fumble, which was recovered by linebacker Danny Stutsman. Senior linebacker Justin Harrington then put the final nail in SMU’s coffin with an interception in the final minute of the game.
Venables felt OU's defense — which ranked 122nd out of 132 FBS teams in total defense, 119th in pass defense and 106th in stopping the run in 2022 — showed much more fight in the right areas than last season.
Still, there were moments where the Sooners’ defense showed lapses in coverage. Oklahoma’s defensive line, which struggled to apply pressure last week against Arkansas State, was only able to accrue one sack on Stone.
In the opening drive of the game, Stone lobbed 30-yard and 29-yard passes, respectively, in the first quarter against the Sooners’ secondary. Later in the game, SMU’s quarterback completed a 20-yard throw with 3:33 left in the second quarter.
Despite the struggles of the secondary and the pass rush, Venables harped that improvements will be coming for the team.
“We just have to keep getting better,” Venables said. “We have to keep getting better. It’s been a hungry group that comes to work. They let you coach them. They've got big goals. They understand that there's a lot of work and a lot of sacrifice that is in front of them, for them to have the ability to achieve their goals.”
Junior linebacker Danny Stutsman shined among Oklahoma’s linebacking core on Saturday. He led the team with 17 total tackles, one fumble recovery and 2.5 tackles for loss. Alongside him, freshman defensive back Peyton Bowen blocked a punt and finished with four tackles.
“I thought they showed a lot of fight,” Oklahoma defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. “I thought they did a good job of adjusting and (taking the) adjustments on the sideline. … We saw a variety of offense, a variety of unusual abnormal formations and I thought they did a good job of adjusting and showed a lot of great modifications.”
Offensively and defensively, Venables knows Oklahoma still has a lot of improvements to make ahead of its road matchup against Tulsa at 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 16. For now, he wants his team to continue to focus on the basic fundamentals.
“We're fortunate, really fortunate to overcome,” Venables said. "Mistakes in this game will be punished when you don't do the basics. That really was our message going into this game to get the basics right. This game will be about the little things I really believe in.
“I thought we overcame some of the basic mistakes, but at the right time we did the basics right too. That’s usually what it comes down to.”
