Oklahoma senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel was ruled out for the game at halftime after suffering a head injury on the final drive of the first half against BYU.
The Sooners had the ball in the red zone with a second and goal from the five-yard line. Gabriel scrambled outside the pocket and was tackled at the four-yard line and hit his head pretty hard on the grass. Gabriel stayed in the game and finished the drive before Oklahoma settled for a field goal. Gabriel did not come out with the team to start the second half and it wasn't until Oklahoma possessed the ball that an Oklahoma spokesperson said Gabriel was out for the game with a head injury.
The 1H scramble in which Dillon Gabriel suffered an injury. OU does not believe he will return to the game against BYU. pic.twitter.com/81Pr9ByveO
— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_TFB) November 18, 2023
Gabriel has been one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12 and is responsible for 10 touchdowns in the last five quarters. He was a second-team All-Big 12 selection and the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year according to the Associated Press last season. He is currently one of the favorites to be the first-team All-Big 12 quarterback this year. In the first half, Gabriel was 13-for-21 for 191 yards and two touchdowns. He also got into a skirmish in the first half with a BYU defender after Oklahoma scored a touchdown.
Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel is responsible for 10 TDs in OU's last five quarters played.
— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) November 18, 2023
True freshman five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold is playing in his absence and Oklahoma was trying to preserve his redshirt. This is Arnold's fifth game and he will no longer redshirt. Oklahoma is currently in a three-way tie for second place with Oklahoma State and Kansas State. The Big 12 "clarified" the tie-breaker rules this week and as it currently stands, Oklahoma State would go to the championship game if all teams were to win their remaining games. If Oklahoma State loses and both Kansas State and Oklahoma win out then Oklahoma will go to the championship game.
