NORMAN, Okla. – Dillon Gabriel completed 19 of 22 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns — all in the first half — and No. 20 Oklahoma defeated Arkansas State 73-0 on Saturday.
Gabriel also ran for a score in the first half to help Oklahoma take a 45-0 lead. The Sooners gained 437 yards before the break while holding Arkansas State to 106.
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Oklahoma freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold, a consensus five-star recruit, played most of the second half. He completed all 11 of his passes for 114 yards and a touchdown and ran for 39 yards and another score.
Freshman Jaquaize Pettaway had nine catches for 56 yards, walk-on Tawee Walker ran for the first two touchdowns of his career and Gavin Freeman scored twice for the Sooners (1-0).
It was Oklahoma's first shutout under second-year coach Brent Venables. The Sooners held the Red Wolves (0-1) to 208 total yards and 10 first downs. Arkansas State committed 14 penalties for 111 yards.
Colorado transfer J.T. Shrout connected on 12 of 26 passes for 148 yards for Arkansas State. The Red Wolves were shut out for the first time since Georgia held them scoreless in 2019.
Drake Stoops scored Oklahoma's first touchdown, a 10-yard catch and run, on the game's opening possession.
Freeman's 82-yard punt return for a score gave Oklahoma a 14-0 lead just over two minutes into the game. It was Oklahoma's first punt return for a touchdown since Dede Westbrook ran one back against Kansas in 2016. Freeman caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to put the Sooners up 28-0.
THE TAKEAWAY
Arkansas State: The Red Wolves were completely overmatched.
Oklahoma: The Sooners supported their defensive effort by rushing for 220 yards on 49 carries. They possessed the ball for nearly 37 minutes.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Sooners won't likely move much after this one since they were so heavily favored.
UP NEXT
Arkansas State: Hosts Memphis.
Oklahoma: Hosts SMU.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll