To most, a day in bed is the perfect remedy for food poisoning.
Danny Stutsman, however, prefers a day of football.
The junior linebacker needed an IV “right up until kickoff” after dealing with food poisoning since Friday morning. Stutsman said he got it from “undercooked pasta” and hasn’t eaten in two days as a result.
“I still do not feel the best,” Stutsman said. “I don’t know if I’m hungry or if I just need to go to the bathroom again. But it’s been a brutal few days.”
None of that was an excuse for Stutsman, who compiled a team-high 10 tackles, two for loss, and recorded OU’s lone sack.
“I haven’t eaten in like two days, I’m kinda hungry,” Stutsman said. “But once it’s gametime, it’s gametime. I’m not going to let an external factor affect the team. There’s much more than myself. I gotta do whatever it takes to get on that field.”
No excuses…haven’t eaten in 2 days lol
— DannyStutsman (@FbStutsman) November 18, 2023
When BYU had possession with under 10 minutes left in a 24-24 tie game, Stutsman sacked Cougars’ quarterback Jake Retzlaff and forced a fumble, which redshirt senior defensive lineman Jacob Lacey recovered. OU scored the go-ahead touchdown on the ensuing possession.
Stutsman admits the idea of not being able to play crossed his mind. With so much left for the Sooners to play for, however, he knew he’d be able to power through.
“When you get those thoughts, you have to keep pushing,” Stutsman said. “…I’m not gonna let some food get between us and a Big 12 Championship.”
Redshirt freshman running back Gavin Sawchuk during the game against BYU on Nov. 18.
Gavin Sawchuk established as lead back
After searching for over half a season, the Sooners have found their lead running back.
Redshirt freshman Gavin Sawchuk rushed for 107 yards on 7.6 yards per carry and scored a touchdown. Sawchuk has now rushed for over 100 yards in three consecutive games after accumulating 45 yards in his first five contests.
“He is playing his best football,” Lebby said. “Proud of him for just staying the course and look forward to continuing to lean on him when we need him.”
Without redshirt senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who exited with an “upper body injury”, for the entire second half, Lebby relied on his run game to close out the game.
After Stutsman’s forced fumble in the fourth quarter, Sawchuk gave the Sooners the go-ahead score after bouncing off multiple tackles en route to a 16-yard touchdown run.
“I don’t think the first guy tackled him all day,” offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said. “He got better as the game went on, and with the situation we were in, we needed that.”
Fifth touchdown of the season for @G27football 💪 #OUDNA | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/w897RfV4ya
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) November 18, 2023
Redshirt junior kicker/punter Zach Schmit during the game against Oklahoma State on Nov. 4.
Zach Schmit’s struggles continue
For the third time this season, redshirt junior kicker Zach Schmit could’ve cost OU a win.
Schmit’s season has been rough, to the point where the Sooner faithful hold their breath anytime he lines up for a kick not considered a gimme.
In OU’s win over BYU, he even missed one of those.
In a 24-24 tie, the Sooners drove 59 yards on nine plays in their first drive of the fourth quarter, seemingly enough to take the lead. Schmit, however, missed a 28-yard field goal, his first miss from inside 30 yards this season.
Missing in crucial situations has been the story of Schmit’s 2023 campaign. His 45-yard attempt against Texas, which would’ve given the Sooners a 10-point lead with eight minutes left, fell well short of the uprights, and the Longhorns responded with a game-tying touchdown before OU’s late heroics. The next game against UCF, he missed from 38 and 43-yards out in a game that came down to a failed potential game-tying 2-point conversion by the Knights.
Schmit has made 12 of 18 kicks for the second season in a row. His 66.7% field goal percentage is the worst by an OU kicker since then-freshman Jimmy Stevens made 8 of 12 kicks in 2008, matching Schmit’s 66.7% mark.
Schmit is 1 for 4 on 40-plus yard attempts and 5 for 10 on field goals over 30 yards. While Venables didn’t comment about his kicker after the Sooners’ win over the Cougars, he expressed his unwavering trust in Schmit earlier this season.
“I got great confidence in Zach,” Venables said following the Sooners’ 31-29 win over UCF. “He’s having a little rough patch but man, I believe in him. I’ve seen him at practice over and over and over deliver.”
Oklahoma (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) will play its last game of the regular season against TCU (5-6, 3-5) at 11 a.m. Friday in Norman on Fox.