In a revisited rivalry that many considered a "trap" game for visiting Oklahoma, the No. 6-ranked Sooners instead slammed the door on Nebraska with an overwhelming first-half performance that resulted in a 49-14 victory at Memorial Stadium.
In the same week that the Cornhuskers dismissed head coach Scott Frost and replaced him with another former school quarterback in Mickey Joseph on an interim basis, many throughout college football believed all the setbacks NU had endured would pump new life into the former powerhouse program from Lincoln.
The struggling Huskers seemingly had everything to gain and nothing to lose facing their long-respected former conference foe. But instead, NU slumped even further after being thoroughly dominated by the still-powerful Sooners.
After meeting for 71 consecutive seasons (1927-97), a pair of Big Reds closed their home-and-home series on Saturday.
The Huskers scored touchdowns on their first and last possessions of the nationally televised contest (FOX). In between, the Sooners reeled off 49 unanswered points.
"I'm glad that happened because I believe that you develop a mindset and identity through some failure and adversity," first-year OU head coach Brent Venables said of the Huskers' success in their opening possession. "That's how you grow and improve. I know no one likes that that happened in a Sooner uniform, but you need that to happen. Hats off to Nebraska for being ready out of the gate but hats off to our guys for responding the right way."
OU shined defensively, forcing the Huskers to punt or turn the ball over on downs on 12 straight possessions after their opening touchdown. The Sooners collected four sacks, bringing their season total to a Big 12-best 13, and collected two turnovers – a fumble recovery from freshman linebacker JarenKanak and an interception from junior defensive back Key Lawrence. OU also finished with nine tackles-for-loss (TFL) and now has 32 the season.
Kanak had a career-high 10 tackles and forced a fumble. "He played good," Venables said of Kanak. "I am super proud of Jaren. He is one of the most unassuming guys in our locker room. And he had one of the first what we call the 'Swift Sooner' awards, which goes to whoever causes the first turnover, and he did that as well. Punched the ball out. Great job. And he is just learning how to play linebacker."
The Huskers' two scoring drives totaled 159 yards on 19 plays. Other than that, they managed just 168 total yards on 57 plays (2.9 per play). Meanwhile, OU gained an average of 6.9 yards per play, including 5.8 per rush.
The 90,000 fans that produced the 385th consecutive sellout at NU's Memorial Stadium watched the Sooners score the most points they've ever scored in 43 games in Lincoln. It was the most points NU has allowed at home since their 2017 season finale to Iowa (56-14).
Improving to 3-0 in Venables' first season and posting their largest margin of victory on the road since 2017 at Kansas (41-3), the Sooners outgained Nebraska 580-327 in total yardage (312 rushing and 268 passing). It was the most rushing yards for the Sooners in a true road game since gaining 323 yards at Texas Tech in 2018.
Trailing 7-0 after NU's opening drive, the Sooners scored seven touchdowns in their next nine drives. Only two of those drives took longer than two minutes of game clock (2:17 and 3:10).
OU senior running back Eric Gray rushed for 113 yards on 11 carries (10.3 yards per) and scored two touchdowns. Sooners senior transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed 16 of his 27 passes for 230 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also tied the score at 7 in the first quarter with a 61-yard quarterback draw play on third-and-7 that he broke toward the right sideline.
"It was huge," Venables said of Gabriel's heroics. "What sweet feet he had, too. Who would have thought? Anytime the quarterback has the threat to run the football, it is hard. It puts stress on the defense. Obviously, we are trying to keep (Gabriel) clean as much as we can, but he shows you what he can do. He is an explosive player and that is his career long … Good for Dillon. Great job."
After showing little of their offensive playbook in their first two victories this season, the Sooners flashed some creativity when Gabriel threw a lateral pass in the left flat to tight end Brayden Willis, who then lofted a 24-yard touchdown pass to junior running back Marcus Major to push OU's lead to 28-7 early in the second quarter.
Asked how he would describe his 3-0 team, Venables said, "Tough. Resilient. Edgy. Hungry. Never satisfied. I think those would be the best. I love the way we are developing."
The Sooners face Kansas State (2-1) next Saturday in a nationally televised (FOX) game at 7 p.m. in Norman.
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