Brent Venables evaluates how Dillon Gabriel’s confidence has grown

Dillon Gabriel certainly grew in terms of confidence in his second year at Oklahoma under Brent Venables and his head coach noticed.

Now with the Red River Rivalry on tap this weekend, Gabriel better bring the confidence if the Sooners want a chance to win this all important game. So far, so good for the veteran quarterback.

Venables came away impressed by Gabriel as a leader following the Iowa State win.

“He’s in a much different place as a leader,” Venables said. “His confidence being here, you know, and again, all things considered, they’re still 97 guys that are in their first or second year here. And he’s a new guy. The way he is continuing to develop, work, lead, played, I’m really really proud of him.”

Gabriel had another solid game in the win over the Cyclones. He threw for 366 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and ran for two more scores.

“Yeah, he did a great job,” Venables said. “Climbed in the pocket a few times, he stepped outside and kept his eyes down the field, and he plays with great poise and composure, you know. Thought the receivers made some really nice plays to climb the ladder and the offensive line and did a great job of giving him a firm pocket. 

“So, he’s confident and that’s a confident group of guys. You know, that he has around him, those opportunities are gonna be there based on the things that we do. And so the precision, the timing, all of that has been, you know, really, really good.”

This season, Gabriel has 1,593 yards, 15 touchdowns, two interceptions, a 75.2% completion percentage and four rushing touchdowns. At this point, he’s on pace to set career highs across the board.

“Well I’ll tell you what, Dillon is doing everything so well right now, but really where he’s taken the next step as a passer is down the field,” former Heisman winner Tim Tebow said of Gabriel on SportsCenter. “Last year, he was 42% completion on deep passes. Right now, he’s at 65%. That is a jump. So he’s still playing well in the red-zone. Well on third down. But these throws down the field, he’s putting it on the money. He’s not giving the safeties an opportunity. When he has a chance to make a big play, he’s letting it rip.

“He’s playing with elite confidence, and he’s firing that thing over and over. This team, they love to take shots, and I think that’ll also be a key in this game against Texas, being able to match the big play with a big play.”