Oklahoma football: Sooner defense leads the way in 20-6 road win at Cincinnati

When was the last time you could say that the defense won and Oklahoma football game?

That was absolutely the case on Saturday as the No. 16 Sooners went on the road in the Big 12 opener for both teams and held a Cincinnati team that just a couple of years ago won 32 consecutive games and was averaging over 30 points a game this season to just two field goals in a 20-6 victory.

The Sooner defense has allowed just two touchdowns in four game and an average of 8.5 per game, a far cry from the 30 points a game this defense gave up a year ago.

The Bearcats (2-2) had multiple scoring opportunities in the game, driving inside the Oklahoma 25-yard line on four occasions and coming away with just two field goals for their effort. The Sooners allowed 376 yards of total offense to Cincinnati, the most they have given up in four games, but on third down, unlike the past few seasons, OU came up big in the clutch. The Bearcats were just 3 of 15 on third-down possessions and one out of four in fourth-down.

OU tackling machine Danny Stutsman led the way for the OU defense with 13 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack. The Sooner defense also picked off a couple of QB Emory Jones’ passes, one of which by safety Key Lawrence prevented a Cincinnati touchdown.

Neither team scored on its first possession. Cincinnati got on the board first with a 40-yard field goal on its second possession midway through the opening quarter. It was only the sixth point OU has allowed in the first quarter this season and the first time the Sooners have trailed in the first four games.

Oklahoma responded on a 71-yard, 12-play drive that abruptly ended when Dillon Gabriel fumbled at the Cincinnati 10-yard line. The Sooners took the lead on their next possession, however, scoring on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to Nic Anderson and finishing a six-play, 66-yard drive.

The Sooners added a 34-yard field goal on its next possession to stretch the lead to 10-3, which is how things ended at the intermission.

Oklahoma received the kickoff in the second half and was forced to punt after five plays. The Bearcats added three more points on a 51-yard field goal by Carter Brown on their first second-half possession to pull within four points at 10-6.

The Sooners wasted little time responding, going 75 yards in nine plays for a touchdown, the payoff coming on a one-yard touchdown run by Gabriel. That put the Sooners up by a score of 17-6 and the Bearcats would get no closer.

Gabriel completed 26 of 38 passes for 322 yards and a touchdown. He also collected 25 yards on the ground. It was the third time in OU’s four games that Gabriel has thrown for over 300 yards. For the second straight week, Michigan transfer Andrel Anthony had over 100 receiving yards, making seven receptions for 117 yards, including a spectacular 49-yard catch at the end of the third quarter setting up the Sooners’ final field goal early in the fourth.

Oklahoma has won its first four games for the 17th time since 2000, the best record among FBS teams. By holding Cincinnati to just six points, it was the fewest points allowed by the Sooners in a Big 12 game since 2017.

The Sooners return home for the first time in two weeks next weekend to host Iowa State. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. kickoff on FS1.