Three Quick Takeaways From Oklahoma's Spring Game
NORMAN — Brent Venables finally made his on-field debut as Oklahoma’s head coach on Saturday.
In front of 75,360 fans for the Spring Game, the Red Team defeated the White Team 21-17 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
There’s still a long road between now and when OU kicks off the 2022 season on Sept. 3 against UTEP, but there were some notable performances in Oklahoma’s spring finale.
Dillon Gabriel Debuts in the Crimson and Cream
Oklahoma’s next quarterback got plenty of run in front of his new fanbase on Saturday.
Playing all-time quarterback for a majority of the first half, Dillon Gabriel showed command of Jeff Lebby’s offense.
Gabriel finished completing 19-of-28 passes for 250 yards and one touchdown, throwing just one interception.
Playing behind divided offensive lines for both teams, Gabriel also showed he was comfortable evacuating the pocket to pick up yards on the ground.
The Hawaiian also appeared to have early connections with Marvin Mims, Drake Stoops and Theo Wease, often targeting the trio of experienced playmakers.
Gabriel has already drawn rave reviews from his teammates due to his calm demeanor behind the scenes, and it’s easy to see how that’s helped him remain unfazed when the live bullets are flying in an actual game.
Brent Venables’ Defense Has Arrived
Long the envy of Oklahoma fans since his departure, Venables’ defense is back home in Norman.
In just one spring scrimmage, Venables and defensive coordinator Ted Roof showed more variety than the defense did most of last year, throwing plenty of different looks at Lebby’s offense all afternoon long.
The new staff brought a blank slate to the defense, and there were a few beneficiaries of that on Saturday.
Cornerback Joshua Eaton had a nice day, getting in on a few pass defenses and finishing with a tackle.
True freshman Jaren Kanak also made his debut in front of the OU crowd, lining up at the newly dubbed “Cheetah” spot for the Red Team.
Kanak had no trouble covering the field sideline-to-sideline, recording one tackle on the afternoon.
Marcus Stripling and Ethan Downs also flashed on Saturday, as the Sooners will look to replace Nik Bonitto and Isaiah Thomas in 2022.
Barnes Shows Out
True freshman running back Jovantae Barnes has drawn rave reviews so far this spring, and he showed why on Saturday.
Barnes carried the ball 17 times, rushing for 60 yards and two touchdowns in his Spring Game debut.
Though his longest carry was a 13-yard gain, Barnes kept his legs churning after contact and pushed the pile on a couple of plays.
With Marcus Major a non-participant on the day and Eric Gray just getting limited run, Barnes took advantage of his opportunity to show why he should be a factor in the running back rotation in the fall.
Fellow true freshman Gavin Sawchuk will link up with the team this summer, giving Lebby and DeMarco Murray a nice stable of four backs who should be able to carry the load on the ground this year for Oklahoma.
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