Oklahoma OC Jeff Lebby Gives Update on Dillon Gabriel, Sooners' QB Picture
NORMAN — Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said Monday he didn’t have “anything new” on the status of starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Lebby didn’t have much insight on a lot of the other maladies that struck down the Sooners in a 55-24 loss at TCU on Saturday.
“Gotta continue to get better every single day,” Lebby said, “just understanding as we’re getting into the meat of this thing, just what we have to do every single day to prepare ourselves to give ourselves to play well and go win on Saturdays.”
Lebby left it to head coach Brent Venables to update the public on Gabriel’s status in concussion protocol in his weekly press conference Tuesday.
But he did offer an assessment of Pittsburgh transfer and OU backup Davis Beville, who will apparently make his first career start on Saturday in the Cotton Bowl against the Texas Longhorns.
“Regardless of who’s playing, man, our expectation is to play well and play cleaner and play better,” Lebby said.
Beville went 7-of-15 for 50 yards and took three sacks against TCU. He nearly had a hero moment last year in the Peach Bowl against Michigan State, but threw a late pick-six instead.
Lebby said although Beville’s experience is limited, it still counts as experience. That’s something the other backups — junior college transfer General Booty and true freshman Nick Evers — don’t have.
“Being able to pull from some of the things he’s gone through that’s gotten him to this point,” Lebby said, “that’s playing in some big games prior to this.
“With General, he’s done a good job. Obviously with both of those guys showing up at the same time, it’s been a crash course for them from a football standpoint, just knowledge and how we get it done.
“And then Nick’s done a good job, too. He’s a guy that’s gotten better every single week, and (coaches are) proud of his development as well. So we’ll operate as we need to.”
