Three Quick Takeaways From No. 16 Oklahoma's Win Over Cincinnati

Brent Venables' Oklahoma defense continued to shine in the Sooners' Big 12 opener against the Cincinnati Bearcats.

CINCINNATI — Oklahoma cleared its first true hurdle of 2023 on Saturday.

Brent Venables’ No. 16-ranked Sooners made the program’s first trip to Nippert Stadium, and OU asserted control late to open Big 12 play with a 20-6 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats.

A year ago, OU’s first warts popped up in the conference opener, as Kansas State ran all over the defense to run down the Sooners in Norman.

This time Venables’ defense stood tall, mostly handling Cincinnati’s ground game.

The defensive display gave Oklahoma’s offense enough time to string together scoring drives against Cincinnati’s talented defensive line, moving the Sooners to 4-0 with Iowa State headed to Norman next weekend.

Hello Defense

Oklahoma safety Key Lawrence (12) intercepts Cincinnati quarterback Emory Jones in the first half of OU's win at Nippert Stadium.  :: Sam Greene / The Enquirer-USA TODAY NETWORK

Oklahoma fans will be happy about the planet Venables’ defense decided to land on for the 2023 season.

The improvements that looked so promising during OU’s non-conference slate travelled to Cincinnati. Oklahoma’s linebackers dictated the play throughout much of the first half, containing Emory Jones and the Bearcats’ explosive rushing attack.

It wasn’t always perfect, as the Sooners busted on pass coverages here and there and Cincinnati found some limited success blocking up the Oklahoma defense, but OU seemingly found ways to respond.

Just before halftime, Kani Walker and Peyton Bowen both made plays to prevent first downs, forcing the Bearcats to settle for a 26-yard field goal, which kicker Carter Brown shanked.

Then as Cincinnati went on a long drive in the third quarter to keep the game within one score, Venables’ defense flexed its muscles again.

Defensive end Reggie Grimes and defensive tackle Isaiah Coe perfectly played Scott Satterfield’s third down run call, stopping Jones in his tracks to force a fourth-and-2, and then the defensive line contained the talented runner to keep him in the pocket.

Jones threw an incomplete pass, handing the ball back to Dillon Gabriel and the OU offense with the Sooners leading 17-6 to take the game into the fourth quarter.

Safety Billy Bowman cleared Nippert Stadium with 7:42 remaining in the game, corralling a ball that was twice tipped for OU’s second interception of the game. The Bearcats’ raucous student section called it a day after the pick, leaving the Oklahoma offense to start running the clock.

Gabriel Comes Down to Earth

Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel notched his first career win against Cincinnati on Saturday.  :: Sam Greene / The Enquirer-USA TODAY NETWORK

Gabriel’s hyper-efficient start to the season didn’t translate into the first Big 12 contest of the year.

His stat line looked goo, as he finished 26-for-38 though the air for 322 yards, but he left a handful of throws out on the field.

On Oklahoma’s second offensive drive of the game, Jalil Farooq got behind the Cincinnati defense, but Gabriel sailed the walk-in touchdown beyond his receiver.

Later on the drive, Gabriel got rocked trying to run for a first down in the red zone, and he fumbled the ball after the hit, leaving the Sooners empty-handed.

In the second quarter, Gabriel tried to fit the ball into a tight window for tight end Blake Smith for a score, but the left-handed quarterback put too much air under the ball.

Continuing to complete passes at the 82.5 percent rate he posted through non-conference play was never going to be realistic, but Gabriel looked much closer to the quarterback he was in 2022 than the new-and-improved 2023 version at Nippert Stadium.

Offense Answers the Call

OU running back Tawee Walker (29) combined with Marcus Major to get the job done for the Sooners on the ground.  :: Katie Stratman / USA TODAY Sports

Even with a slightly less effective Gabriel, Oklahoma’s offense put the game away late when it needed to.

The defense held the Bearcats to a 54-yard field goal, cutting OU’s lead to 10-6 with 8:22 in the third quarter — a spot where the Sooners would have folded a year ago.

Instead, offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby turned back to the ground attack with great success.

OU marched on a 9-play, 75-yard drive to score a touchdown, extending the lead back out to a comfortable 17-6 margin.

The Sooners called runs on six of the nine plays, getting an 18-yard rush from Marcus Major, a 9-yard carry from Gabriel, a 9-yarder from Major and a pair of strong rushes from Tawee Walker and Gabriel on the goal line to finish the drive.

Even without getting into the end zone, the offense again milked important time off the clock.

Following OU’s fourth down stop late in the third quarter, Gabriel connected with Andrel Anthony for a 49-yard bomb to set the Sooners up in field goal range.

Oklahoma ultimately settled for a field goal, but Lebby’s offense ran 4:33 off the clock to give the ball back to the defense up 20-6 with 10:59 left in the game.

The late success closed out Venables’ first win in a Big 12 opener, sending the Sooners back to Norman to take on Iowa State with a perfect 4-0 start to the season. 

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