Dillon Gabriel threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns to lead host Oklahoma to a 28-13 win over No. 22 Oklahoma State on Saturday in Norman, Okla.
The Sooners jumped out to a big lead early, with four first-quarter touchdowns, to reach bowl eligibility for the 24th consecutive season.
Oklahoma’s active bowl streak is the second longest in college football, behind only Georgia.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Sooners (6-5, 3-5 Big 12).
The Cowboys (7-4, 4-4) have dropped three of their last four games.
Oklahoma needed less than 90 seconds to get on the board, with a quick 75-yard touchdown drive to start the game.
After a quick three-and-out by Oklahoma State, the Sooners once again quickly drove down the field, with Gabriel hitting Jalil Farooq for a 30-yard touchdown.
The Sooners’ defense also came up big in the fast start, intercepting Cowboys quarterback Spencer Sanders three times in the game’s first 20 minutes.
But only one of those interceptions — Jonah Laulu’s 26-yard return to the Oklahoma State 4 — turned into points.
The Sooners outgained the Cowboys 299-61 in the first quarter. It was the second-most yards in a quarter in Oklahoma history.
After that, things slowed considerably for the Sooners’ offense, as they had just 135 yards of offense in the final three quarters.
Gabriel didn’t complete a pass in the second half until less than nine minutes remained in the game.
Eric Gray narrowly missed what would’ve been his fifth consecutive 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 20 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Drake Stoops had six catches for 89 yards and a score.
Sanders finished 36 of 67 for 381 yards, a touchdown and four interceptions for the Cowboys. Brennan Presley had nine catches for 118 yards and Braydon Johnson notched seven catches for 109 yards.
Oklahoma State outgained the Sooners 484-434.
Oklahoma finished just 1 of 14 on third down.
–Field Level Media
