Quarterback to Back: Alan Bowman, Dillon Gabriel to Square Off for Final Bedlam Bragging Rights

Regardless of which Bedlam quarterback commands the most headlines, the winner on Saturday will earn a rare type of bragging rights.

Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel has been the talk of college football while OSU’s Alan Bowman is quietly leading the Big 12’s hottest team. The two will square off for the final scheduled edition of an in-state rivalry that’s been played for well over a century.

Before we get into this weekend’s Bedlam QB matchup, here are the numbers.

QB2B	Bowman	Gabriel
Att.	246	252
Comp.	141	180
Pct.	57.3%	71.4%
Yds	1580	2302
Yds/Att	6.4	9.1
TD	8	19
INT	5	4
Rating	117.93	169.87
QBR	59.0 (71st)	85.1 (3rd)
Rushing TDs	1	8

Gabriel mustered a Bedlam win in Norman last year, going just 20-for-40 for 259 yards, two TDs and a pick. It was the Sooners’ only win in their last five tries, but it was enough to get them bowl eligible.

This will be Bowman’s first Bedlam, but not his first time to play the Sooners. He was 0-2 against OU at Texas Tech. But in one of those games, he threw just four passes, completing all four.

Gabriel and the Sooners hit the ground running in 2023 and were unbeaten until a narrow loss at Kansas last weekend. Gabriel has spent a good chunk of this season as a Heisman contender; he’s still eighth in odds according to Vegas despite last week’s loss to Kansas.

Quietly, Bowman and the Cowboys enter Bedlam in a five-team tie for the Big 12 lead thanks to a league-best four-game win streak.

Gabriel is widely considered the league’s top QB and has put up some impressive numbers captaining its best offensive. The Sooners boast the No. 4 scoring offense in the country, scoring nearly 42 points per game. Meanwhile, the Cowboys didn’t break 30 until October.

Gabriel has blossomed into the Heisman candidate OU fans were hoping for (most of them anyway), while Bowman has taken what defenses have given him and, most importantly, handed the ball off to Ollie Gordon II, the nation’s top rusher. He’s been content to sail one over the sideline instead of forcing the issue — sometimes to groans inside BPS — but it’s been effective.

Although Gordon has been the star of OSU’s offense, if the Cowboys want to send the Sooners packing to the SEC with an L, they’ll also need a big-time from their QB. He may not go down as one of the best QBs in Bedlam history, but Bowman can go down as the one that capped the rivalry with an OSU win.