The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners'[/autotag] offense was firing on all cylinders versus the [autotag]Arkansas Red Wolves[/autotag] on Saturday. The Sooners scored on 10 out of 11 possessions, nine of which were touchdowns.
Dillon Gabriel and Jackson Arnold both put on a show combining to go 30 of 33 for 422 yards, three touchdowns through the air and a pair of rushing touchdowns. The running game was pretty good as well. Oklahoma ran for 220 yards on 4.5 yards per carry.
Overall you couldn’t ask for a much better performance from the offense who went for 642 yards and went 11-14 on third downs. Last year the Sooners went a combined 6-20 versus the [autotag]UTEP Miners[/autotag] and the [autotag]Kent State Golden Flashes[/autotag]. That ended up being a sign of what was to come in 2023.
Offensive Coordinator Jeff Lebby told reporters after the game it was nice to see so many receivers step up.
“That’s what we want,” Lebby said. “We talked about it on Monday about playing a bunch of guys and a bunch of guys getting an opportunity to make plays. All of those guys in that room did it. Again, there’s going to be a ton of stuff we have to clean up and we have to be better at without a doubt but proud of that entire group.”
Several wide receivers got involved in the passing game whether it was [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] who looks like he might be Gabriel’s favorite target, [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], or [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] before his injury. The two catches of the day might have been made by [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag]. He made two acrobatic contested catches and looks like a guy who just needed to see one go in his hands to gain confidence.
The biggest takeaway was how efficient the Sooners were in this game. That wasn’t the case a year ago. even early in the season. It’s what they preached all offseason and for Week 1 they checked that box.
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