OU football doesn't have much history with BYU, but Dillon Gabriel definitely does

PROVO, Utah — Ty Detmer was at the pinnacle of the college football world in December 1990.

But on the day Detmer won college football’s highest individual prize — the Heisman Trophy — the quarterback was half a world away from New York’s Downtown Athletic Club.

Instead, Detmer was in Honolulu, Hawaii, where his BYU team hoped to end their season on a high note and keep their national-championship hopes alive.

But that night at Aloha Stadium belonged to Garrett Gabriel and Hawaii, who walloped Detmer’s Cougars 59-28.

More than 30 years later, Gabriel’s son, Dillon, will quarterback OU in their first visit to Provo.

The Sooners and Cougars play at 11 a.m. CT Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Dillon Gabriel is plenty familiar with the rivalry, having watched tapes of his dad’s performances.

“I didn’t even know what it was called back in the day. I don’t even know what the conference was called,” he said. “But BYU would play Hawaii. I don’t know if it was a non-conference game. I don’t know. But I just watched a bunch of UH football and BYU’s on their schedule. So, just a familiar opponent.”

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There’s been a long connection between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Hawaii. BYU even has a satellite campus in Oahu and the church owns the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu.

The teams were rivals in the Western Athletic Conference from 1978-98.

BYU was just a few years removed from their 1984 national championship when Detmer flew into the national spotlight in 1989, setting passing records all over the place.

But that season, Garrett Gabriel set a school record with 440 passing yards to give the Rainbow Warriors their first victory over the Cougars since 1974 as Hawaii won 56-14.

Gabriel’s numbers in 1990 weren’t near what they were the year before, as he threw for 159 yards, but he threw for three touchdowns in another blowout.

Dillon Gabriel also has history with the Cougars.

In 2020, when Gabriel was at UCF, the Knights were matched up with BYU in the Boca Raton Bowl.

Gabriel couldn’t match the heroics of his father in that game, throwing for 217 yards and two touchdowns as UCF fell to BYU 49-23. It was his second-lowest passing total of his career to that point.

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“I think they’re really good,” Gabriel said of BYU, though they enter Saturday’s game on a three-game losing streak where they’ve been outscored 117-26. “Obviously played BYU before so I know what they’re about. They’re very physical and have played well together. Had a tough stretch but shoot, that place is special, different and kind of unique in college football.”

Gabriel is coming off perhaps the best all-around performance of his career, throwing for 423 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for three more in last week’s win over West Virginia.

Both of his father’s wins over the Cougars came in Honolulu as Hawaii rarely played road games in that era.

Now, Dillon Gabriel will get a chance to do something his dad never got a chance to — win in Provo.

He’ll also get a chance to add to his revenge tour.

Three of the Sooners’ eight wins this season, including last week’s, have come against teams Gabriel hadn’t yet beaten in his collegiate career.

He lost twice to Tulsa at UCF. The Sooners beat the Golden Hurricane 66-17 earlier this season.

Gabriel’s Knights lost twice to Cincinnati while he was there. OU beat the Bearcats 20-6 on Sept. 23.

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Last season, Gabriel and the Sooners fell to West Virginia. He beat them 59-20 with his monster game.

Now, he’ll get a crack at adding BYU to that list.

Gabriel isn’t the only Sooners player familiar with BYU.

Defensive lineman Jonah Laulu twice played the Cougars when he was in Hawaii.

Laulu also grew up in the LDS church and has family in Utah.

“A lot of Polynesian people are Mormon,” Laulu said. “But I mean, I never thought of going to BYU growing up. … I have a couple friends that went there. They had a great experience. They have a great community, a great fan base and everything, but it was just not for me.”

Even having played at Hawaii, Laulu wasn’t familiar with Gabriel’s father’s achievements against the Cougars.

“So there’s a little family thing going on there with Dillon and his dad,” Laulu said when told of the elder Gabriel’s accomplishments. “Keep that going.”

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football lacks much history with BYU, but Dillon Gabriel does