Oklahoma football has gotten off to an undefeated start in their inaugural SEC season. While they have yet to face an in-conference opponent, the Sooners are now 2-0, defeating non-SEC opponents during these past two weekends. On Saturday, they're scheduled to face Tulane in hopes of further extending their winning streak.
Their first game, in particular, was a blowout…well, “blowout” may even be an understatement. Oklahoma completely destroyed Temple with a final score of 51-3. Jackson Arnold was on target, throwing four touchdown passes to open up his first season as QB1. Three of those passes were scored by Deion Brooks, who looked sharp in his debut with the Sooners. On defense, Danny Stutsman led the way once again as Oklahoma limited Temple to just 69 yards on the ground.
This past Saturday, however, the Sooners had to scrape and claw for win number two against Houston. Their offense was marred with errors as they struggled to advance the ball, resulting in a total of eight punts. Oklahoma had just 249 total yards as opposed to Houston's 318. The Sooners also went scoreless in the second half, with both of their touchdowns occurring in the first 30 minutes. In fact, only one of their TDs was the result of a drive. The other was due to a fumble by Houston on a punt, setting up the Sooners — who recovered the ball — for a 1st-and-goal score in the ensuing play. At the end of the day, the win was largely due to the Oklahoma defense.
Brent Venables will certainly address these concerns, as his squad will be facing a competitive Tulane team that's hungry to bounce back after a narrow loss. The Green Wave are 1-1, nearly besting Florida State on the road last weekend after a landslide victory over Southeastern Louisiana.
So how will Oklahoma fare in their third game? Here are a couple of predictions.
The Sooners' running game gets back on track
If there's a chance for Oklahoma football to regain momentum, it's this coming weekend. Tulane has been hot on offense, but the same can't be said for the Green Wave's defense. Sure, they did hold Southeastern Louisiana to zero points. But then again, Southland Conference opponents aren't exactly the same as SEC teams.
Against Florida State, Tulane gave up 396 total yards, 215 of which were on the ground. The Green Wave have allowed 4.88 yards per carry this season, which gives Gavin Sawchuk and Co. the perfect opportunity to get their groove back. Sawchuk emerged as Oklahoma's RB1 last year, but he's been quiet so far, totaling 19 yards in 10 carries these past two weeks. His fellow RB Jovantae Barnes has 73 yards but is still scoreless. Freshman Taylor Tatum is showing promise, but his reps have been limited. Against Houston, the Sooners rushed for just 75 yards as a team.
Taking into consideration Tulane's sub-par run defense, Brent Venables will likely give his running backs plenty of carries. And not just that, he'll also give them reps so they can find their rhythm in time for the Sooners' fourth game. After Tulane, Oklahoma is scheduled to face Tennessee — their first SEC opponent this year. The Vols are a formidable foe, so all aspects of the Oklahoma offense have to be sharp by then.
Expect the Sooners' running backs to deliver plenty of yards this Saturday.
The Oklahoma defense will be tested, but will ultimately prevail
As good as Danny Stutsman and the defense have been, they'll be in for a tough battle against Tulane. The Green Wave are led by QB Darian Mensah, who's already thrown for 547 yards and four touchdown passes while completing 70% of his passes. Targets of his, such as receiver Mario Williams and tight end Alex Bauman, have been two big reasons why Tulane's passing game is on point.
If Oklahoma decides to focus on stopping the pass, that would give space for Tulane RB Makhi Hughes, who scored a touchdown in each of the Green Wave's first two games. With how Tulane has varied points of attack, it's going to be a tricky puzzle for the Sooners' defense.
Still, Tulane hasn't faced a defense like Oklahoma's yet. In two games, the Sooners already have 16 tackles for loss, eight sacks and three interceptions. Given a scenario where the Sooners' pass rush keeps up their play, life will be hard for Mensah in the pocket, and the QB will ultimately try utilizing Hughes. However, this may not work either, as Oklahoma has held their opponents to just 63.5 rushing yards per game this season.
The Sooners' defense is just an overwhelming unit and their physicality will likely throw Tulane off on Saturday.
Oklahoma football emerges victorious
The Green Wave will compete, but Oklahoma will win this in a close one, with the Sooners' defense being the difference maker. And not to mention, wide receiver Nic Anderson — who tallied 798 yards last season — could potentially make his return from injury, giving Jackson Arnold another quality weapon this Saturday (per Sports Illustrated's Dekota Gregory). That, in turn, makes the likelihood of a bounce-back performance for the Oklahoma offense even higher.
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