Oklahoma football: Dillon Gabriel, Walter Rouse earn national honors

There were plenty of individual contributors in the Oklahoma football win over Texas, but there are always one or two that stand above the rest.

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel not only was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week but was recognized on the national level as well. The former UCF transfer now in his second season at Oklahoma was honored as the Maxwell Award Player of the Week and also the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week in recognition of his outstanding performance in helping the Sooners upset the No. 3-ranked Longhorns.

Gabriel accounted for 398 of Oklahoma’s 486 yards of offense against Texas and led the Sooners on a five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive with just over a minute remaining in the game to seal the victory. It is the third time this season the Sooner quarterback has been honored as National Player of the Week.

In addition, Sooner left tackle Walter Rouse was named Outland Trophy Player of the Week and wide receiver Jalil Farooq is the Paul Hornung Award National Player of the Week. And it wasn’t just the players that drew national attention this week. Head coach Brent Venables was named the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Week.

Rouse was the key figure on an OU offensive line that more than held its own all day long against a bigger and more acclaimed Texas defensive line. The Sooners ran the ball for 201 yards and Gabriel was sacked just once. On perhaps the biggest play of the game, however, Rouse, a transfer from Stanford, blocked two Texas defenders allowing Gabriel time to get off the game-winning touchdown pass with just 15 seconds remaining in the game.

Oklahoma is off this week. The Sooners, now up to No. 5 in the Associated Press national rankings, return to action on Oct. 21 at home against Gabriel’s former team UCF.