Three Quick Takeaways From Oklahoma's Bedlam Win

Bedlam always has a few unique twists and turns, but Saturday night was one of the weirdest matchups between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in recent memory. The Sooners walked away victorious 28-13, improving to 6-5 on the season and securing bowl eligibility.

It wasn’t as pretty as the scoreboard suggests, though, as all of Oklahoma’s 28 points came right away in the first quarter. The rest of the game, the Sooners struggled to generate a single positive offensive drive. Because of the electric start, paired with stout defense throughout the battle, Oklahoma came away with a much-needed win.

Here are three takeaways from Oklahoma's Bedlam victory:

Opposite Coaching Styles

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Oklahoma’s fresh coaching staff wasted no time making gutsy calls in Bedlam. After blitzes and deep shots allowed Oklahoma to find a four-score lead in the first quarter, the Sooners were still breaking out the tricks. That speaks to just how much OU wanted this game.

Mike Gundy opted to kick a field goal inside the 10-yard line, down by 28 points in the second quarter in a game where the offense has been entirely lifeless.

On the very next series, Oklahoma ran a trick-play on the kick return, launching a cross-field pass to Marvin Mims that went for 50 yards down the sideline. A few plays later, the Sooners then went for it on a fourth-and-5, near field goal range. Even though Oklahoma failed to find points on that second-quarter drive, the aggressive mindset was evident and on display for the entire night.

The Sooners took chances on defense, too, sending multiple different blitzes and mixing up looks often. Oklahoma State ended the contest with four turnovers, going just 7-for-22 on third down.

Pressuring the Quarterback

Oklahoma’s defensive line was able to make play after play against the Cowboys.

The pre-snap movement was extremely evident, and clearly confused both Oklahoma State’s front and Spencer Sanders. The different looks made the Cowboys uncomfortable all game long.

Sanders was forced to make quick reads, and early, and it costed the Cowboys points. Three first quarter turnovers were thanks to Oklahoma’s different looks defensively, and late in the game when Sanders had to improvise, Sanders tossed a fourth pick to DaShaun White.

Quick Hitters

Oklahoma’s gameplay to get Dillon Gabriel settled in early was clear. On the first two drives of the game, the Sooners used a variety of screens in the backfield and crossings routes over the middle of the field. The easy, quick hitters on offense gave the entire unit ultimate confidence in the first quarter.

In the end, the quick hitters that were meant to get Gabriel in rhythm were the same plays that won Oklahoma the game. After the opening quarter, Gabriel struggled to find any open receivers and the offense was stagnant. Thanks to the "gimme" plays in the first quarter, though, Oklahoma coasted to victory without scoring a point the rest of the game.

Next Saturday, the Sooners will close the 2022 regular season in Lubbock, TX, against the Red Raiders. Lubbock is always a tough place to play, and even though Texas Tech has struggled at times this season, the team is now bowl eligible. Not to mention, a 6:30 p.m. night kick should give fans plenty to be excited about.