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Three Quick Takeaways From Oklahoma's Win Over BYU

The No. 14-ranked Sooners escaped from Provo with a win after an injury to Dillon Gabriel forced true freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold into action.

Ryan Chapman

Three Quick Takeaways From Oklahoma's Win Over BYU
Three Quick Takeaways From Oklahoma's Win Over BYU /
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PROVO, UT — Oklahoma’s only trip to Provo proved to be eerily similar to the Sooners’ last meeting with BYU.

Just before halftime, a seemingly routine play knocked the OU starting quarterback out of the game, turning the fate of Saturday's visitors into the hands of a true freshman quarterback.

Jackson Arnold was forced to take over for Dillon Gabriel in LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, trying to keep the No. 14-ranked Sooners’ hopes of getting to the Big 12 Championship Game alive.

Arnold did enough, including picking up a high-pressure third-and-8 in the fourth quarter, but it was Oklahoma’s opportunistic defense that made the plays necessary to notch the program’s first win over the Cougars.

OU cashed three BYU mistakes in for 21 points, powering the Sooners to a 31-24 victory to move to 9-2 in 2023.

Brent Venables’ team emerged from the mountainous excursion with the win, but Oklahoma now faces a quick turnaround to prepare for next week’s regular season finale on Black Friday against TCU in Norman.

Arnold Era Rolls Off the Line

Oklahoma fans got a glimpse into the future on Saturday, but on less-than-ideal terms.

Gabriel never emerged form the locker room out of halftime with a reported head injury, handing the keys over to the true freshman for the second half.

A BYU punt pinned the Sooners deep into their own territory, and Arnold was unable to dig OU out.

He did scramble 27 yards on third-and-11, but tight end Austin Stogner was flagged for an illegal block in the back. On the ensuing third-and-6, Arnold couldn’t evade the pressure with enough time to connect with Tawee Walker, forcing a punt.

From there, Arnold flashed in small glimpses.

The former 5-star recruit cooly slid to his left as the pocket crumbled around him early in the fourth quarter to find Jalil Farooq, converting on third-and-13 in the red zone, but the drive ended in a 28-yard field goal miss from Zach Schmit.

Most of Oklahoma’s production on offense in the second half came from running back Gavin Sawchuk, but Arnold avoided any backbreaking errors, instead letting the turnovers forced by the defense win the day.

Sawchuk finished the game with 107 yards and one score on 14 carries, as he put in another great shift to help the move the ball.

Arnold himself completed 5-of-9 passes for 33 yards, adding 24 rushing yards on eight carries in the win.

Crucially, OU survived the injury to Gabriel, and all of the Sooners’ hopes to slide into the Big 12 title game are still alive depending on other results around the conference over the next week of action.

Defense Lacked Edge

BYU’s previous three opponents turned out the lights early, racing out to big leads in the first half and coasting to the finish.

Just as like their previous two road games at Kansas and Oklahoma State, the Sooners were inconsistent in the first half, opening the door for a four quarter ballgame.

And the Cougars were happy to hang around.

The muted atmosphere for the opening kickoff at LaVell Edwards Stadium got louder and louder as BYU showed it could hang with visiting Oklahoma.

Venables’ defense struggled to defend RPO’s early, and then got gashed on the ground consistently in the second half.

BYU rushed for a season-high 217 yards Saturday, keeping pace with Oklahoma’s stop-and-start offense.

But, unlike the trips to Lawrence and Stillwater, OU won the turnover battle.

Rondell Bothroyd was alert to fall on Jake Retzlaff’s fumbled snap in the first half, Billy Bowman’s huge pick six, and Danny Stutsman’s forced fumble resulted in 21 points for the Sooners, saving the day.

Bowman’s Heroics Gave Sawchuk Time

Defensive points are always big.

But Bowman’s 100-yard pick-six came at the best time possible for Oklahoma.

Arnold’s start was not only slow, but it was aided by a batch of bad field position.

The true freshman was tasked with starting the offense at its own 9-yard line and 20-yard line for his first two possessions, both of which resulted in a punt.

Momentum had clearly turned in the stadium, as BYU fans got louder and louder as the Cougar running game found more daylight. There was going to be an eruption had the hosts taken a first lead of the day — until Bowman struck.

The reliable safety stepped in front of a goal-line pass intended for wide receiver Kody Epps, outrunning everyone else to the other end zone.

Oklahoma nosed back in front by one touchdown, but crucially the pick six allowed Arnold to reset on the sideline and the Sooners to get back on track in the field position battle.

OU needed every turnover to escape its only trip to Provo with a win, but none was perhaps more important than Bowman’s interception. 

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is deputy editor at AllSooners and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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