College Football

Sooners QB Dillon Gabriel is gaining Heisman buzz, whether he likes it or not

Updated Oct. 9, 2023 5:51 p.m. ET

DALLAS — Dillon Gabriel was sort of uncomfortable with the question.

After leading Oklahoma to a thrilling 34-30 win over Texas in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday — a victory secured after he methodically took his offense on a five-play, 75-yard game-winning drive in 61 seconds with no timeouts — Gabriel was asked if he'd welcome any Heisman Trophy attention that came his way.

Gabriel wasn't really interested in the topic.

"I'll say this," the quarterback began, "it's not my main focus."

The Sooners, now ranked No. 5 in the country, are 6-0 and the clear favorite to win the Big 12 and maybe even make it to the College Football Playoff. They have one of the most explosive offenses in the country, led by a quarterback in Gabriel who makes plays through the air and with his feet. He's playing at a high level right now and put together an impressive performance against the Longhorns with 285 passing yards (he connected with nine different receivers), a team-high 113 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

[Heisman Watch: Dillon Gabriel enters the conversation]

The Sooners are expected to win the rest of their regular season games — Texas was the last ranked opponent on their schedule. So if Gabriel continues along this path, the Heisman talk will inevitably come, whether he likes it or not.

"He never toots his own horn and is always trying to compliment someone else," Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said of Gabriel. "He's prepared, works really hard, and is one of the most consistent players in our program.

"He was fearless [vs. Texas]. I don't want to put any limits on what he can do. He will find a way to get it done."

Gabriel describes himself as "a big team guy." His social media accounts are full of photos and videos of him with his teammates. He threw a get-together for the offensive linemen earlier this year before fall camp started. And when he was asked about postseason awards after Saturday's game, receiver Jalil Farooq, who had five catches for 130 yards, said he'd be happy to politick for his QB.

"He deserves the Heisman this year," Farooq said. "I'm gonna keep promoting that until he is."

Gabriel transferred to Oklahoma ahead of the 2022 season from UCF, where he was a starter as a freshman and sophomore before fracturing his clavicle as a junior in 2021. It was after that season that he entered the transfer portal. Originally, Gabriel was set on going to UCLA, but he changed his mind and announced his decision to attend OU on the same day that then-Sooners QB Caleb Williams entered the transfer portal.

Breaking down Oklahoma's upset of Texas

Adding Gabriel was a huge coup for Venables, who was hired as OU's coach in December 2021, as he brought experience and leadership to a team that was heading into a rebuilding year.

Gabriel got off to a solid start in 2022 but was injured against TCU in the fifth game, which also happened to be the week before playing Texas. He missed what would have been his first Red River Rivalry game, forced to sit on the sideline and watch his team get blown out, 49-0.

This time around, Gabriel was healthy and ready for his big moment in the Cotton Bowl. It helped that former Heisman Trophy winner, No. 1 overall NFL draft pick, and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback Baker Mayfield called him the night before to pump him up.

While Gabriel didn't disclose the exact message from the Sooners legend, whatever he said worked. Saturday's game went back and forth most of the day, and there was an overwhelming sense that whoever had the ball last would win. Which is exactly how it went down.

The Longhorns kicked a 47-yard field goal and took a 30-27 lead with 1:17 left on the clock, which ended up being far too much time for Gabriel to work up some magic.

He needed just five plays — an 11-yard pass to Drake Stoops up the middle, 16 yards to Farooq, 28 yards to Stoops, a 3-yard QB run, and finally a 3-yard pass to Nic Anderson for the score — to win the game. A pass interference by Texas defensive back Terrance Brooks helped move things along, too.

When Gabriel took the field before the drive, he kept telling himself to just get completions. When he hit Stoops across the middle on the first play, things started rolling.

"You kind of got into that rhythm, that flow," Gabriel said. "Time was dwindling as you get to midfield and [I was just thinking] we can get three [points], but we also have a chance to win the game. Not taking a sack is in my mind, so if I can, just get a first down, touchdown or throw it out of bounds."

With 20 seconds or so to play, OU faced second-and-goal. Gabriel saw Anderson in the back left corner of the end zone and thought to himself, "that's what we practice week in and week out," and hit him for the touchdown.

A deeper look at Oklahoma's massive upset

"Everyone came together, controlling the chaos and just dialing in," Gabriel said. "That's big-time football. Something you dream of as a little kid."

After the game, Gabriel put on a lei to honor his family in Honolulu. While he had supporters at the game, he was briefly overcome with emotion when asked what his family in Hawaii was probably thinking as they watched him carry OU on that final series. Farooq put his arm around the QB as he spoke of feeling supported back home.

"There are three things I represent," Gabriel said, taking a deep breath. "The name on the front [of my jersey], the name on my back, and Hawaii."

So while there's a sensitive side to Gabriel, don't mistake that for anything other than him being a man who puts team and family first.

"Dillon is one of the best [QBs] in college football," Venables said. "He's been amazing. He realizes if he continues to take care of business, continues to improve, shows up every day with the same mindset, then all that stuff takes care of itself in the end.

"He's an assassin, no doubt about it."

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.