Oklahoma Football Recap: Sooners roll Iowa State Cyclones, 50-20

The Oklahoma Sooners hosted Iowa State for the last time as Big 12 foes. In front of another sold-out crowd, OU made a statement as they notched their third 50+ game of the year.

Before the offense could even take the field, the Sooners’ defense got points on the board 57 seconds in with a thrilling pick-six by Billy Bowman.

Iowa State would respond with a TD drive of their own after connecting on a 51 yard pass from Rocco Becht to Jaylin Noel. After a few back and forth scores between both teams, the game was close midway through the second quarter with the Sooners in the lead, 21-20. The game then broke open for OU when Dillon Gabriel scored on a physical touchdown run from 6 yards out. The Sooners would not look back, scoring 29 unanswered.

Dillon Gabriel would go on to finish the game with 366 passing yards and three touchdown passes as he continues to lead his team. Gabriel got everyone involved this game, as OU had 10 different pass catchers, with Jalil Farooq leading the team with five receptions and 81 yards. Nic Anderson, Drake Stoops, and Jayden Gibson all finished with a receiving touchdown.

Additionally, Gabriel continues to provide a boost for the offense with his legs. Jerry Schmidt deserves some credit for this run in particular.

The Sooners are still searching for RB1, but they did find some success in the run game against Iowa State, finishing with 157 rush yards as a team. Marcus Major received the majority of the carries, notching 19 total for 66 total yards. Major also added for receptions for 17 yards.

Another story in this one was the defense and the impressive halftime adjustments. Oklahoma did not allow a single point in the second half, even when the backups came in towards the end of the game. That shows OU is taking pride this season on that side of the ball, and the results speak for themselves. The Sooners only gave up 82 yards in the second half and only five first downs. It is also worth mentioning that super freshman Peyton Bowen blocked his second punt of the season, and also looked great in coverage. The pass rush looked much better for Oklahoma, as they were disruptive all game long. The OU defense forced many tough throws from ISU’s QB Rocco Becht and caused two total turnovers. This team will look to prove themselves next week in their first real test of this season.

The Sooners will now shift their focus to the Texas Longhorns as the Red River Rivalry takes center stage next week on ABC at 11:00am CT. College Gameday will be there, as this will be the last time OU and Texas meet as members of the Big 12 conference.