What does Dillon Gabriel think about OU football's season? 'Not what we're used to'

NORMAN — A solemn Dillon Gabriel congratulated Baylor's players at midfield.

The Sooners had just suffered a 38-35 loss to the Bears, and the redshirt junior quarterback kept his helmet on as he went through the motions of shaking his opponents' hands. OU dropped to 5-4 overall and 2-4 in the Big 12.

It's a record Gabriel surely didn't expect the Sooners to have at this point in the season, which continues at 11 a.m. Saturday with a road game against West Virginia.

Gabriel joined what looked to be an ideal situation when he transferred from UCF in January. He was reunited with Jeff Lebby, who was his offensive coordinator at UCF in 2019, and OU debuted at No. 9 in the preseason AP poll.

None of that has translated to much success on the field. The Sooners sit toward the bottom of the conference standings and are now fighting just to become bowl eligible.

"I don’t think anyone expects to go through, not adversity, but bumps in the road like this," Gabriel said. "You have to trust in the process... There are no excuses, and you have to assess the situation. It’s stung for sure."

More: What's the common thread in OU football's losses in 2022? Costly penalties plague Sooners

Gabriel, of course, isn't fully to blame for the Sooners' struggles. He missed time with a concussion, and it doesn't help that OU's defense is surrendering an average of 29.8 points per game this season.

Still, Gabriel faced his biggest individual bump in the road against Baylor. After not throwing an interception in OU's first five games, he was picked off three times by the Bears.

"Sometimes it doesn’t go your way," Gabriel said. "Sometimes you have to make better decisions and take some calculated risks. I didn’t do that. It just didn’t go my way."

Not much has gone OU's way so far this season.

And while the season hasn't gone according to plan for Gabriel, he's intent on finishing strong.

"This is not what OU’s used to," Gabriel said. "This is not what we’re used to. This is not what anyone had planned out. We don’t go into a season thinking we’re gonna go (5-4).

"We’re here now and in the present. We can sulk or we can get ready to go. I think our guys are like that, and I love the mentality we have."

More: OU football ready to 'move on' after three Dillon Gabriel INTs doom Sooners vs. Baylor

Growing pains on defense

When asked about OU's defense on Tuesday, head coach Brent Venables pointed to the group's lack of experience.

"I see a defense that doesn't have a lot of experience, so there's going to be some ups and some downs," Venables said. "You go up and down the roster and you see a bunch of guys, they’re still learning how to play the game. That’s part of the growth process. That is not a fun thing for anybody to be a part of."

But Venables didn't just call his defense inexperienced. He came prepared with the numbers.

Venables proceeded to name 16 rotational players on OU's defense. He started with the lone exception to his claim, fifth-year linebacker DaShaun White, who entered this season 36 previous starts under his belt.

Venables then went down the list of defensive linemen.

"Reggie Grimes, he’s barely a one-year starter," Venables said. "Marcus Stripling’s a senior, and he’s started two games in his career. Jordan Kelley started one game in his career. Jalen Redmond hasn’t been a two-year starter yet. Jeffery Johnson is a transfer. He’s your other most experienced player.

"Isaiah Coe has started five games in his career. These are guys that are playing like freshmen snaps. Ethan Downs has started nine games, not a year. Jonah Laulu, again, another transfer, more experienced guy, hasn’t been a two-year starter yet."

Next up were the linebackers.

"David Ugwoegbu (is a) year-and-a-half starter," Venables said. "Danny Stutsman, still on his first year, still a rookie."

Finally, Venables addressed the secondary.

"Jaden Davis, this is his second full-time year as a starter," Venables said. "Billy Bowman... Not a year. Key Lawrence, I think it’s eight games. He’s been an eight-game starter. These are all guys starting for us now.

"Justin Broiles, he’s been here six years. At the end of this year, he’ll be a two-year starter. Woodi Washington, less than two years. These are some of the older guys."

Venables made sure to point out one more thing.

"I’m not making excuses," Venables said. "Just calling it how it is."

More: OU football has to do a 'much better job' stopping the run after loss to Baylor

The Stoops standard

Drake Stoops gets reminded of his family's legacy every time he catches a football.

"Stoooooops," OU's fans always chant when the redshirt senior wide receiver secures a pass.

That's what happens when you're the son of beloved former OU head coach Bob Stoops, who led the program to 10 Big 12 titles and one national championship. Still, Drake's role with the Sooners wasn't handed to him.

He began his career as a walk-on and has worked to become one of OU's steadiest targets in what now marks his fifth season with the team. Stoops already has career-highs of 21 receptions, 239 total yards of offense and two touchdowns this season.

Stoops also sets the bar high in the classroom. He was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team in 2018 and has made the Academic All-Big 12 First Team from 2019-2021.

Stoops provides a good example to his younger teammates of what it takes to earn opportunities.

"You want to have a whole locker room full of guys like that," Venables said of Stoops. "You want young people of excellence. You hope other people learn from (Drake)."

OU football report card: Discipline bites Sooners at wrong time against Baylor

Team captains

OU announced its team captains for this weekend's road game against West Virginia.

Junior offensive lineman McKade Mettauer, fifth-year offensive lineman Chris Murray, redshirt fifth-year punter Michael Turk, redshirt junior Jalen Redmond and sophomore safety Billy Bowman got the nod.

OU continues to name weekly captains throughout the course of the regular season. Before the start of postseason play, should the Sooners gain bowl eligibility, players will then vote on permanent team captains.

"We’re trying to develop leadership and promote guys the opportunity to show whether or not they can lead," Venables said. "That’s what coaching is all about. That’s what trying to have the right type of locker room’s all about. Not where you’ve got three or four guys, that’s the only leaders you’ve got.

"I want a whole locker room full of leaders, and the only way they become leaders is trying to put them in a leadership position. You do that one experience at a time, one conversation at a time. That’s what that’s about."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football: Dillon Gabriel says Sooners' struggles have 'stung'