Drake Stoops Says Dillon Gabriel's Return Can Help Oklahoma Play Complementary Football

As Oklahoma’s season seems to be unraveling, the veterans are trying to pick up the pieces and finish strong.

One leader that has emerged on and off the field over the years is wide receiver Drake Stoops. He’s seen plenty of ups-and-downs from when his career began in 2018, and he knows what it’ll take to get things back on track moving forward.

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“Leadership is definitely essential right now," Stoops said. "We need to show the younger guys that this isn’t the end of the world. We’re going to keep working hard and going back to work. We have to put that behind us and focus on Kansas now.”

Obviously one leader missing from the team is quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who the Sooners expect to return to the starting lineup Saturday against Kansas. While Gabriel has had his fair share of early season struggles, the last two weeks have been a clear indication of just how important he is to Oklahoma’s offense.

When Gabriel is on the field, the offense seems to at least have direction. There are open receivers and big plays despite the inconsistencies. Without Gabriel, though, it’s incredibly hard for the Sooners to score points, as seen in the Red River shutout. Oklahoma's offense immediately stalled every time they stepped on the right side of the 50-yard line.

“It would mean a lot," Stoops said about Gabriel's potential return. "Dillon is obviously a great player. He led us to a real good start, a real strong start, and his knowledge of the offense and his ability to read a defense and throw the ball accurately is definitely something we’ll enjoy having. I’m excited to see what he does.”

Reading Stoops’ words, the dynamic Gabriel brings to the offense is clear. He provides added confidence to the wide receivers and gives Oklahoma the option to keep defenses guessing. Even though the Sooners’ goals have shifted, Gabriel’s return could still spark a strong finish.

“We kind of all got together on Sunday and spent some time together just talking through things, just going over what our goals are moving forward," Stoops said. "We’re just putting our best foot forward for Kansas and really just keeping the locker room together and us together as an offense.”

For Oklahoma to turn things around, it’ll take more than Gabriel’s return to the mix and the passing game. The Sooners have struggled mightily on the defensive side of the ball, especially against the run.

While it’s still a glaring issue, the offense is doing the defense no favors, leaving the line looking winded. Stalled drives, quick three-and-outs and early deficits are three things that have directly led to Oklahoma’s defensive collapse. For the Sooners to inch back towards a complete football team, it starts by controlling the time of possession and playing complementary football.

"It definitely falls on our shoulders as well," Stoops said when mentioning the defensive struggles. "It’s not just the defense. We’re putting them at tough positions at times, whether it’s turnovers or not sustaining drives and having them have to be on the field for long periods of time and then having to go right back out there if we go three-and-out.

"We have to play complementary football and when they get an interception or a good third- or fourth-down stop, we need to go complement them and go score some points and sustain some drives and keep them off the field so they can rest a little bit."

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