In a slugfest where neither team held momentum beyond a single possession, the 2023 Red River Rivalry saw running and passing quarterback Dillon Gabriel seemingly willing his crimson-striped team on a 5-play, 75-yard, 62-second drive that ended with him zip tossing a pass to Nic Anderson, standing wide open in the Sooners’ end of the Cotton Bowl, with 15 seconds to play in the game and securing a 34-30 upset Oklahoma win over No. 3 Texas at the Texas State Fair on Saturday.

Gabriel’s performance put him in the Oklahoma football history books and convinced national naysayers that all predictions of the demise of the storied Sooner program, which suffered its worst defeat ever in this game last year, were as flimsy as Big Tex’s pants flapping in the breeze at the other end of the midway.

“He was fearless. I don’t put any limits on what Dillon can do. He’s playing as confident as anybody on our team right now. … He’s just a guy that’s gonna find a way to get it done,” Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables said.

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