On Oklahoma’s first play against Iowa State, quarterback Dillon Gabriel attempted a pass to a wide-open Marvin Mims streaking down the sideline.
But OU’s star receiver failed to convert what would surely be a long gain — although the play was eventually called back due to a holding penalty — after he dropped the pass.
The fruitless opportunity started a trend of misses on potential chunk plays between Gabriel and his usual favorite target. Next, there was a near-touchdown throw on the first drive of the second half, then there was a pair of pass breakups on tosses intended for Mims, first with 2:05 remaining in the third quarter, and then with under seven minutes to go in the fourth.
Despite Mims hauling in only two of his team-high six targets for 16 yards Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, the Sooners rode their defense to victory with a 27-13 triumph over the Cyclones. Gabriel and Mims, who both rank top five in the Big 12 in passing and receiving yards, respectively, were hardly needed for Oklahoma to win its second consecutive conference matchup, with strong special teams play and a trio of interceptions by the defense.
“I mean, we were close on a bunch of them,” said Gabriel, the first-year UCF transfer who completed just 15-of-26 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown. “And it’s something we work on.
“And I love Marvin, we connect on so many levels. and we’re really close. We just got to be better. … We want to connect super bad, and we keep talking about it, but I mean, like I said, we just keep chipping away. … I mean, we connect on those, it's a way different game.”
Without the usual connection between Gabriel and Mims, the Sooners were led by sophomore receiver Jalil Farooq and senior running back Eric Gray. Farooq notched a career-high 100 total yards and a touchdown on four receptions and two rushes, and Gray ran for 101 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
Sophomore wide receiver Jalil Farooq during the game against Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, on Oct. 29.
Ironically, Oklahoma carried a 13-6 lead into halftime, however, none of its points came from skill positions. Sophomore kicker Zach Schmit nailed a pair of field goals in the first half and scored a two-yard touchdown on a trick pass from holder Michael Turk on a perceived field-goal attempt.
Later with 4:18 left in the third quarter, OU’s offense finally created a long gain, scoring its first touchdown on a 41-yard strike to Farooq to take a 20-6 lead.
🚨TOUCHDOWN🚨Gabriel ➡️ Farooq gives Oklahoma a 20-6 lead.#OUDNA | #BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/kmJv38mYFm
— 𝕆𝕂𝕃𝔸ℍ𝕆𝕄𝔸-𝕍𝕊-𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕎𝕆ℝ𝕃𝔻 (@soonergridiron) October 29, 2022
For offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, he was understandably proud of the outcome, but would’ve rather seen his unit put the game to bed earlier.
“Up and down,” Lebby said of the offense’s performance. “I thought we had some chances to get away from them and didn’t (and) kept them in the game a little bit. Didn’t make the chunk plays that we wanted, but proud of the guys, man. They fought their butts off, stayed positive and got a tough win.”
Although Gabriel finished with his lowest yardage output in a full game this season, head coach Brent Venables gave him an “A” grade for how he managed against Iowa State, who ranked ninth nationally in total defense.
Without needing the Millilani, Hawaii, native to sling at least 39 attempts like he had in his previous two full-game conference starts, the Sooners offense leaned heavily on its run game and clock management.
OU gained 182 rushing yards on 47 carries by five different players, and also achieved back-to-back scoring drives in the second quarter with 15 and 14 plays, respectively, that ate up nearly 10 minutes of clock.
“Knowing the things (Gabriel’s) seeing nonstop from (Iowa State) and the discipline, the efficiency they play with, I thought he was terrific,” Venables said. “He’ll want some things back, (Lebby) will want some things back, but for me, managing it the right way and not forcing things, which can happen when you’re used to having a lot of offensive success — I thought the playcalling and the execution was terrific.”
Redshirt junior quarterback Dillon Gabriel during the game against Iowa State in Ames, Iowa on Oct. 29.
Oklahoma scored when it needed to Saturday, regardless of reaching just 332 total yards and stalling out with three consecutive three-and-outs from its final possession of the third quarter into its first two of the fourth.
With back-to-back wins following Gabriel’s return from injury, the Sooners are finding consistency offensively, whether it’s battling in a shootout or controlling the clock by running the ball efficiently.
“You gotta be patient, you gotta take care of the football,” Gabriel said. “You’ve just gotta find a way, and I think that’s what we did today.”
Barnes absent with hamstring injury
Freshman running back Jovantae Barnes didn’t make the trip to Ames due to suffering a hamstring injury late in the week, Venables confirmed postgame.
The former four-star recruit ranks second on the team with 316 rushing yards and four touchdowns this season. In his previous game against Kansas, Barnes had 21 carries for 69 yards and two touchdowns.
Redshirt junior Marcus Major, who didn't appear in the Sooners' game against Kansas, returned against Iowa State and took 12 carries for 29 yards Saturday.
Mass substitution
In a 3-3 tie and 2:08 remaining in the first quarter, Oklahoma’s offense consisted of nine second-team players other than Gabriel and center Andrew Raym.
The regular starters returned just a few plays later. According to Gray, this was a part of Lebby’s plan to get some of the younger players snaps in case they were needed later on.
“That was Lebby’s approach to kind of getting new guys in,” Gray said. “We didn’t want to get into a fight and not have guys that haven’t gotten into the game until late in the fourth quarter. So, we wanted to get those guys a chance to get in early so they can get a feel for the game, so if we need them late in the fourth, they’re ready.”
