For the second straight week, the Oklahoma Sooners’ defense was dominated in Big 12 play. This week, it was the TCU Horned Frogs who stormed out to a 20-3 lead early in the first quarter and ultimately won 55-24 to improve to 4-0. Oklahoma dropped their second straight Big 12 game and started 0-2 in the conference for the second time in three seasons.
Outplayed, outcoached, outmuscled. TCU outplayed them in every aspect. There’s no way around what happened in Fort Worth. The Sooners fell to 3-2 on the season and lost their starting QB and leader in the process.
The secondary was a complete disaster after Billy Bowman got hurt. They struggled to locate the football allowing Max Duggan and the Horned Frogs to hit big play after big play in the passing game.
The pass rush, once again, was a complete non-factor. They couldn’t generate pressure at all, and even when they did, TCU QB Max Duggan used his athleticism to buy time and get rid of the ball.
From top to bottom, this defense looked nothing like the defenses that Brent Venables has become known for. It’s one thing to get beat, it’s another to look completely disorganized. Too many times, TCU had open players running all alone down the field for big touchdowns.
The Sooners got struggled on both sides of the ball.
Max Duggan played a phenomenal game. Duggan was 23 of 33 for 302 yards and three touchdowns and added 116 yards and two touchdowns on just five rushing attempts. Kendre Miller had a big game as well, rushing 13 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns.
Before being injured, Dillon Gabriel was not having a good game. Between overthrows and poor mechanics, this was easily his worst game as a Sooner. Gabriel missed a few throws against Kansas State. He missed a lot more against TCU. Regularly throwing high even when the Sooners got what they wanted offensively.
Davis Beville didn’t fare much better in relief. Jeff Lebby seemed hesitant to let Beville throw the ball, even when they were down big. Oklahoma ran the ball 22 times in the second half when they were down by 24 points. The Sooners threw the ball just six times in the second half.
Thankfully, Gabriel walked off the field under his own power, but it remains to be seen what his status will be for the Red River Showdown. If he’s forced to miss time, the Oklahoma Sooners will have a problem.
The injury bug feasted on OU in Norman. Gabriel, Wanya Morris, Billy Bowman, Eric Gray, Theo Wease, and Damond Harmon all left the game due to injury.
The injuries to Gabriel and Harmon were incredibly scary. While Gabriel was able to walk off of his own volition, Harmon was immobilized and taken to the locker room on a cart. The Sooners’ depth is about to be tested even more than it has been through the first few games of the season.
Two weeks ago, the Sooners were the talk of college football after manhandling Nebraska. Now, they’re looking to save their season.
The Sooners are 0-2 in Big 12 play, with Red River up next. Quinn Ewers is expected to start next week for the Longhorns after being out since week two. After how this secondary looked against the Horned Frogs, this defense is in trouble. The Sooners are in trouble.
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