Oklahoma football: Dillon Gabriel’s 6 TD passes not enough at Texas Tech
By Chip Rouse
It was an Oklahoma football game against Texas Tech reminiscent of the high-scoring, offensive fireworks of recent times. If you like numbers, they were in high supply in the Red Raiders’ 51-48 overtime win over the Sooners in the regular-season finale on Saturday night.
Six seasons ago on the same field, these same two teams produced 124 points and an NCAA record 1,708 yards of offense in a classical gridiron shootout orchestrated by OU’s Baker Mayfield and Texas Tech favorite son Patrick Mahomes.
Defense always seems to be an afterthought when these two offensive-minded programs get together. Coming into the game on Saturday, neither team as averaging more than 32 points a game, but you wouldn’t have known that the way the offenses were moving up and down the field with seemingly little resistance.
Sooner quarterback Dillon Gabriel had his best game of the season, albeit in a losing cause. And several other Sooners enjoyed either season of career bests in the game.
Here are a dozen numbers that help tell the story of the OU-Texas Tech regular-season finale on Saturday:
0 — Oklahoma led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter Saturday night. It is the third straight game OU has held its opponent scoreless in the opening quarter.
4 — Oklahoma cornerback C.J. Coldon intercepted a pass by Texas Tech quarterback Tyler Shough in the fourth quarter. That was his fourth interception of the season, a team high.
6 — Dillon Gabriel posted a career-best six touchdown passes along with a season-high 449 passing yards in the Sooners’ loss at Texas Tech. This ties Gabriel for the second most touchdown passes by an OU quarterback in a single game. Baker Mayfield hold the program record with seven.
7 — Brayden Willis caught a touchdown pass in first quarter, giving the Sooners a 14-0 lead. His seven touchdown catches are the most this season by a Sooner receiver.
8 — Running back Eric Gray rushed for 161 yards in 28 attempts on Saturday, the eighth time this season in 12 games he has exceeded 100 yards on the ground.
11 — Oklahoma has played in seven overtime games in program history. The Sooners are 7-4 in those contests. Before Saturday, OU had won its previous three overtime games.
18 — Sooner linebacker Danny Stutsman registered a career-high 18 tackles in the game.
23 — Texas Tech scored 23 points in the second quarter to cut Oklahoma’s lead to 24-23 at halftime. It was the second most points the Sooners have allowed in a quarter this season. OU gave up 27 points in the first quarter at TCU earlier in the season.
23-7 — Oklahoma is now 23-7 all-time against Texas Tech.
61 — Sooner receiver Theo Wease had a 61-yard touchdown catch early in the third quarter to give OU a 31-30 lead. It was the longest TD catch of his career.
162 — Marvin Mims had five receptions for 162 yards against the Red Raiders. That was one yard shy of his career best (163 set against Kent State earlier this season).
672 — Total yards of offense by Oklahoma against Texas Tech on Saturday. The Sooners have gained at least 500 yards of offense in each of their last 10 games with the Red Raiders.