It took nearly the entire first half for the Oklahoma Sooners (2-0) to get anything going consistently on the offensive side of the ball. But once they did, they were unstoppable.
The Sooners defense carried Oklahoma for much of the first half. While Kent State was able to move the ball at times, the Sooners defense were able to make the plays to keep the Golden Flashes from extending drives into scoring position.
Trailing 3-0 after a missed field goal, [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] methodically moved the Oklahoma offense passed the 50-yard line. With a first and 10 at the Kent State 36-yard line looked off the coverage and went deep to [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] down the left sideline to get Oklahoma on the board for a 7-3 lead going into halftime.
Receiving the ball to start the second half, the Sooners picked up right where they left off. A good mix of run and pass plays got the Sooners into the red zone quickly and [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] finished off the drive with a beautiful 16-yard run. Major now has three rushing touchdowns on the season and is making a case to get a heavier workload in the Sooners offense.
From the final drive of the second quarter to the end of the third, the Oklahoma Sooners scored on five straight possessions with 31 unanswered points. Early in the fourth quarter they added a safety after Kent State quarterback Colin Schlee ran out of the end zone after the snap sailed over his head.
Dillon Gabriel was efficient with the football, completing 21 of 28 attempts (75%) for 296 yards, and three touchdowns. Marvin Mims led the way in the receiving game with seven receptions for 163 yards and two touchdowns. [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] added a score on an incredible catch and run to the end zone where he broke tackles and avoided Kent State defenders before diving for the pylon.
In the first half, the Oklahoma running game was held to seven yards on 13 attempts before finding some room in the second half thanks to the big-play passing offense. In the second half, the Sooners ran for 127 yards on 23 carries.
Defensively, the Sooners seemingly lived in the Kent State backfield. They finished the day with 13 tackles for loss and three sacks. The Golden Flashes ran for 164 yards, but only averaged 3.2 yards per carry. Kent State quarterback Colin Schlee threw for only 131 yards and a 58% completion percentage.
[autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] led the way defensively with 12 tackles (9 solo), four tackles for loss, and a sack. [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], who tied for the team lead in tackles against UTEP, tied for second this week with fellow safety [autotag]Justin Broiles[/autotag] with 11. Bowman added a forced fumble, while Broiles had a tackle for loss.
After a strong week one performance that ended with 2.5 sacks, [autotag]Reggie Grimes[/autotag] added another 1.5 sacks to bring his total to four through the first two games. Jalen Redmond was also a monster along the Oklahoma defensive line, finishing the day with 2.5 tackles for loss.
The Oklahoma Sooners now prepare for their first road test of the season where they’ll head to Lincoln to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
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