Dillon Gabriel threw for 403 yards and two touchdowns, Eric Gray ran for 176 yards and two scores and Oklahoma powered its way to a 52-42 victory over No. 19 Kansas on Saturday at Norman, Okla.
The win snapped the Sooners’ three-game losing streak, their longest since 1998.
Oklahoma (4-3, 1-3 Big 12) earned its 18th consecutive victory over the Jayhawks.
Kansas (5-2, 2-2) was seeking bowl eligibility for the first time since 2008, but was unable to secure it, dropping its second consecutive game after starting 5-0.
It didn’t take long for the Sooners’ offense to show more life than it did at any time in their 49-0 loss to Texas last week.
Three plays into the game, Gabriel had more passing yards (49) than Oklahoma had all last week when they finished with 39. Gabriel was out against the Longhorns because of a head injury.
Oklahoma’s Jovantae Barnes scored the first of his two touchdowns on a 1-yard run to cap off the initial drive.
After the teams traded touchdowns on the first four drives, the Sooners finally came up with a stop, going on to hold the Jayhawks’ offense scoreless on four consecutive drives.
Oklahoma took the lead for good at 21-14 on Barnes’ 6-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, and the Sooners eventually stretched the lead to 35-14 by late in the second quarter.
After collecting 550 yards combined over the last two games, the Sooners finished with 701 yards Saturday. It was Oklahoma’s most total yards against an FBS opponent since 2018.
The 487 yards Oklahoma posted in the first half were the second-most in a half in school history.
Marvin Mims led Oklahoma with nine catches for 106 yards, while tight end Brayden Willis had five catches for 102 yards and a touchdown in his first career game with more than 100 receiving yards.
Kansas quarterback Jason Bean, starting in place of the injured Jalon Daniels (shoulder), was 16 of 27 for 265 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Bean also ran for 41 yards.
Kansas’ Mason Fairchild and Lawrence Arnold each caught two touchdown passes, with Fairchild finishing with six catches for 106 yards and Arnold making five catches for 113 yards.
–Field Level Media
