Sooners Attempt Misdirection Of Revealing Starting Quarterback Vs. Texas

Oklahoma tried to keep the suspense of who would take the reins as quarterback on Saturday morning going.

Forty-five minutes before kickoff, Dillon Gabriel and Davis Beville were seen on the field warming up and in uniform. Twenty minutes later, Gabriel was practicing handoffs with Marcus Major and practicing end zone throws with Marvin Mims and Jalil Farooq. Then, Beville did the same.

During OU radio’s pregame show, the Sooner announcers revealed that they couldn’t read off the names of the Sooners’ starting lineup because they did not appear on the Cotton Bowl scoreboard.

Due to the Sooners not revealing their lineup pregame, the Longhorns decided they weren’t going to reveal their lineup either.

Beville, the Sooners’ 6-foot-6 backup quarterback, got the ball on the first drive, but the offense didn’t show any signs of life until he lined up at wide receiver.

The Wildcat formation was first a clever wrinkle to Jeff Lebby’s offensive gameplan. The Texas defense was caught off guard whenever tight end Brayden Willis or Farooq took a direct snap.

They also played with nothing to lose. On a fourth down play, the Sooners went for it and got it on a five-yard run by Willis.

Facing a fourth down and three, OU lined up for a 37-yard field goal attempt. Punter Michael Turk, performing his normal duties of securing the snap, double-crossed everyone. Turk threw a pass to kicker Zack Schmit who just got enough for another first down. It was refreshing to watch.

Oklahoma was able to get inside the Texas 10-yard line but could not convert a fourth down and two.

Once the Sooners in a Wildcat look became the norm, the Longhorn defense was able to adjust and key in on it, rendering it largely ineffective for the rest of the game.

However long Gabriel is out of the mix, Lebby will have to build a capable offense around Beville's strengths.