Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel Lands Another National Award for WVU Performance

The Sooners' senior quarterback brought home his second national quarterback of the week honor from the Davey O'Brien Foundation, sharing the honor with LSU's QB.

By OU Media Relations

NORMAN — University of Oklahoma redshirt senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel has been named the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week for the second time this season following his record-setting performance in the Sooners' 59-20 home win over West Virginia on Saturday.

Gabriel, who shared this week’s award with LSU’s Jayden Daniels, was also named O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week on Oct. 10. On Monday, Gabriel earned the Big 12 Offensive Player of Week award for the third time this season.

Against the Mountaineers, Gabriel became the first player in OU history — and the first FBS player this season — to account for eight touchdowns in a game, as OU improved to 8-2 overall and moved into a second-place tie in the Big 12 at 5-2. The previous school record of seven total touchdowns was held by Heisman Trophy winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.

Gabriel, whose 473 yards of total offense against WVU were the most of his two-year Sooner career, completed 23 of 36 passes (64%) for a season-high 423 yards and five touchdowns and rushed 11 times for 50 yards and a career-high-tying three TDs without a turnover. He directed OU to nine scores (eight TDs) on his 11 drives, including each of the first five as OU took a 31-7 lead against a Mountaineers team that gave up just seven total points to BYU the previous week.

Gabriel's five passing TDs were the most nationally last week and his three rushing TDs were tied as the most by a quarterback on the week (only one player — a running back — had more rushing TDs). Nine of his 23 completions went for over 20 yards, including a season-long 63-yarder to Nic Anderson and a 60-yard TD pass to Drake Stoops.

Gabriel, who is from Mililani, Hawaii, moved from 14th place to 11th in career FBS passing touchdowns (120). He needs one more to move into a three-way tie for ninth place (with BYU's Ty Detmer and Georgia's Aaron Murray) and three more to tie former OU quarterback Landry Jones for eighth place. Gabriel also ranks 10th in career FBS passing yards (14,274) and needs 333 to tie former OU and Texas Tech quarterback Baker Mayfield for eighth.

He leads the Big 12 in total offense (340.6 ypg; next most is 285.6), passing offense (306.9 ypg; next most is 279.0), total touchdowns (36; next most is 28), passing TDs (25; next most is 21), completion percentage (.705; the OU school record is .709), passing efficiency rating (172.1; next best is 162.1) and points responsible for per game (21.6; next most is 17.6). He ranks second nationally among quarterbacks with his 11 rushing TDs (one behind the leader).

Gabriel is one of just two FBS players since the start of the 1996 season to complete at least 70% of his passes through his team's first 10 games of a season while throwing for at least 25 touchdowns and five or fewer interceptions, and rushing for at least 300 yards and 11 touchdowns (fellow Sooner and 2019 Heisman Trophy runner-up Jalen Hurts is the other).

Gabriel is one of only two quarterbacks in the country this season to win the Davey O’Brien National QB of the Week award twice (Washington’s Michael Penix is the other). Gabriel has also been named a Maxwell Award Player of the Week, Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week and is a three-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. He has been announced as a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award and as a Top 10 Finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

No. 14/13 Oklahoma plays its first-ever game in the state of Utah when it meets BYU (5-5, 2-5 Big 12) on Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT/10 a.m. MT and the game will be televised by ESPN.