DALLAS -- Let's set the scene for Oklahoma: The Sooners and their second-year coach are in need of a signature win, with the rival Longhorns providing a golden opportunity. A smooth, lefty quarterback delivers the victory that springboards him into the Heisman Trophy race and the team into the national title discussion.
The year is 2000, coach Bob Stoops and QB Josh Heupel have dismantled Texas 63-14 and end up winning it all that season.
On Saturday, the Sooners didn't blow Texas out of the water in their 34-30 win. But a year after suffering the biggest loss to the Longhorns in school history, a 49-0 humiliation, this year's lefty signal-caller, Dillon Gabriel, landed a devastating knockout blow with a five-play, 62-second game-winning touchdown drive that delivered a statement of its own: The Sooners have their swagger back, and it feels an awful lot like it did 23 years ago.