Tag: 2021 Week 1

Despite win Oklahoma Sooners dubbed ‘losers’ from week 1

Though the Oklahoma Sooners got the win, their second half play made it much closer than it should have been.

As the second half transpired, the tension level for Oklahoma fans grew with each passing second. A game that was all tied at the end of the first quarter went to halftime with the Sooners up big after a 23-0 second quarter.

As Lincoln Riley described his postgame press conference, his players thought the game was over, and their mentality reflected that. Riley took responsibility fir the way the second half played out, but it left a sour taste in the mouths of a lot of observers.

The Sooners weren’t the only team that disappointed in the Big 12 or across the country. USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerburg picked this weeks “Winners and Losers” and suffice it to say, the Sooners didn’t wind up on the positive end of the ledger.

Too close. Way too close. The No. 3 Sooners sneaked past Tulane 40-35 and raised some eyebrows along the way, especially given the preseason expectations for the OU defense. On the other side of the ball, early Heisman Trophy favorite Spencer Rattler threw for 309 yards but two interceptions, while the Sooners only averaged 3.3 yards per carry. Up 37-14 at halftime, OU brought zero energy out of the locker room and barely survived — Tulane even had the ball with a chance to win before turning it over on downs with just over a minute remaining. – Myerburg

The Sooners have a lot of work to do heading into a week two matchup with Western Carolina. While Tulane certainly made some things difficult, the second half execution on either side of the ball was far from immaculate.

They have a lot of talent, but talent alone isn’t going to carry the Oklahoma Sooners where they want to go in 2021. They need a Jalen Hurts type edge that says, “what we just did isn’t good enough,” even if they win by 40.

That’s the edge that allows a team like Alabama to carry on as the best team in the country even as they send first-round talent to the NFL year in and year out.

It’s just one game, but if the Sooners don’t fix the 30 minute mentality that cropped up in week one, it will be a long season with a lot of tense moments.

5 takeaways from the Sooners week 1 win over Tulane

The Oklahoma Sooners held on to win 40-35 on Saturday. There were some good moment, some bad, but here are five takeaways from the win.

There was a lot to like about the Oklahoma Sooners 40-35. Most of it from the first half. The Sooners scored 37 points in the first half to build a 23 point lead after a dominating second quarter.

There was also a lot the Sooners showed on Saturday that needs work. Rarely is a game perfect, but the Sooners struggled with Tulane in a way that few anticipated.

Spencer Rattler had a bad decision that led to an interception, a bad throw that led to one, and a penalty that overturned an interception. His day was solid, but there were plays he would certainly like to have back. Overall he was 30 of 37 for 304 yards and a touchdown.

With a week two matchup with Western Carolina on the horizon, the Sooners have a lot to clean up heading into week two.

Here are five takeaways from the win.

Sooners’ Lincoln Riley on 2nd half: ‘Our mentality wasn’t right’

After the win over Tulane, Lincoln Riley expressed responsibility for the Sooners’ mentality heading into the second half.

The Oklahoma Sooners went into halftime with the game seemingly out of reach in their season opener with the Tulane Green Wave. With the score 37-14 after a 23 point second quarter, it seemed the Sooners were going to pull away and run away with a blowout win.

The Tulane defense and quarterback Michael Pratt had other ideas as they outscored the Sooners 21 to 3 in the second half to bring the contest to a one-score game. After recovering an onside kick with just over two minutes to go, the Green Wave had a chance for a go-ahead score, but the Sooners came up with a fourth-down stop to essentially win the game.

A win is a win. But one can’t help but feel a bit let down by the Oklahoma Sooners’ second-half performance. In his opening remarks to the media after the game, Lincoln Riley expressed some disappointment in how the final 30 minutes of the game transpired.

Riley said, “In the second half, I think clearly our team felt like the game was over. That’s my job to make sure our mentality was right. I don’t think it was.”

As the second half unfolded, it was evident that the Sooners kept waiting for Tulane to fold, and they never did. As Riley mentioned, they didn’t have the right mentality, and that was clear. They weren’t as locked in or crisp as they were in the second quarter, and Tulane took advantage.

Riley continued, “I think we were playing well at that point, and it separated a little bit in the game, and you could see that we weren’t quite the same team coming out.”

Riley took responsibility for the team’s mentality and the “dumb coaching decisions,” particularly the fourth-down call in the second half. In hindsight, Riley believed it wasn’t a smart call because of where they were on the field.

Though it didn’t go the way he thought it would go, Riley tried to find the positive in the midst of the things they have to work on. Riley praised the way his team finished the game despite things not going well for them for much of the second half.

I’m proud of the way we finished. Football is always a game of momentum. And when it’s going the way it was for us, you’ve got to find your best at the end. And we did a great job of getting the stop defensively and being able to run out the clock with the two runs to finish the game. There’s a lot we’re excited about, plenty we clearly have to improve. That’s the journey. That’s what these seasons are about. They never go exactly like you think.You get this litmus test of where we are. We’re a football team that shows some of flashes of having a chance to be a good team, but we clearly have a ton of work to do, all of us, if we’re going to reach our potential.

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Oklahoma Sooners hang on to beat Tulane Green Wave 40-25 in season opener

It wasn’t always a clean game for the Oklahoma Sooners, who held on in the final minutes to beat Tulane 40-35.

It wasn’t always pretty on either side of the football. Still, the Oklahoma Sooners got the win on Saturday in a sometimes dominant, sometimes sloppy 40-28 victory over the Tulane Green Wave.

The second quarter was the difference in the football game as the Sooners outscored the Green Wave 23-0. In the other three quarters, Tulane either tied or outscored the Sooners.

After an interception on the opening drive, the Green Wave took a 7-0 lead. They traded touchdowns in the first quarter, highlighted by Spencer Rattler and Caleb Williams 1-yard touchdown runs.

In the second quarter, the Sooners came to life. The defense was dominant, forcing three turnovers, and the offense scored 23 points to take a 37-14 lead into halftime.

However, the second half was a different story as the Tulane Green Wave roared back to life and outscored the Sooners 21 to 3 to make it a game late in the fourth quarter.

The Sooners had a chance to put the game away late in the fourth quarter after Spencer Rattler was bailed out by a pass interference call that overturned an interception.

After scoring with 2:18 left to go, the Green Wave recovered an onside kick that gave them a shot to take the lead in the final minutes.

On the final series of the game for Tulane, the Sooners forced incompletions on the first two plays of the drive. Then after Nik Bonitto and Perrion Winfrey combined for a sack, Tulane faced a 4th and 13.

On the fourth-down play, Michael Pratt was forced to leave the pocket after facing pressure from the Sooners pass rush. As he scrambled to find space, Pratt decided to run for the first down. With about five yards to go, he was tripped up by the Oklahoma defense and was forced to dive for the first down marker, coming up a yard short, turning the ball over on downs to the Oklahoma Sooners.

After picking up the first down, the Sooners were able to kneel on the ball to run down the clock and seal the victory.

Michael Pratt was fantastic in the loss, showing toughness and determination to will his team back from 23 points down. He finished the day 27 of 44 for 296 yards and three touchdowns. Spencer Rattler was 30 of 39 for 303 yards, one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown, and two interceptions.

 

The Oklahoma Sooners have to feel fortunate to come away with the victory. There’s plenty to work on as they get ready to host Western Carolina in what will be their official home opener.

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WATCH: Mario Williams scores first career touchdown as Sooners take 34-14 lead

True freshman wide receiver Mario Williams has been active in his first career game and scores his first touchdown to make it 34-14 for the Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners might have gotten off to a slow start, but they’re rolling now as the defense has taken the ball away twice and Isaiah Thomas has the first sack of the season.

After Caleb Williams scored his first career touchdown in the first quarter, another freshman, wide receiver Mario Williams scored the first touchdown of his young career on a bubble screen.

After driving to the six-yard line after a pitch and catch from Spencer Rattler to Austin Stogner and several nice runs by Kennedy Brooks, Williams took a bubble screen from Rattler. After making a guy miss, along with some fantastic blocking from Jadon Haselwood, Williams dove into the end zone to extend the Sooners’ lead to 34-17.

Williams has been active on the day with five catches for 21 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone. He’s in line for a big day as the Sooners take control of the week one matchup.

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WATCH: Marvin Mims big play leads to Caleb Williams first OU touchdown

The Oklahoma Sooners offense got going on offense as Spencer Rattler hit Marvin Mims for a big play and Caleb Williams scored his first TD.

The Sooners started the gams slowly as Spencer Rattler threw an interception on just his second attempt of the season, a deep ball to Marvin Mims that was undercut by the cornerback. The Tulane Green Wave went on to score on the ensuing drive to lead 7-0.

After an efficient scoring drive that was capped by a Spencer Rattler quarterback sneak, Tulane then scored again to make it 14-7 in favor of the Green Wave.

On the Sooners next drive of the game, Spencer Rattler took advantage of a Green Wave offsides call and found Marvin Mims down the middle of the field. Mims made the catch in traffic, broke a tackle and looked to score to tie the game. After replay review, he was ruled out at the one-yard line.

Lincoln Riley then turned to his true freshman quarterback Caleb Williams. Williams, like Rattler on the drive before, was able to run it in from one-yard out to tie the game for the Sooners. Williams was ranked as the number one dual-threat QB out of high school and she showed why below.

It was the first in what will be many touchdowns for the talented freshman quarterback.

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Oklahoma in crimson, Tulane rocking baby blue for elite uniform matchup

The Sooners and the Green Wave are set to face off in an epic uniform matchup with OU in their home Crimson and Tulane in their baby blues.

Today marks the first real weekend of the 2021 college football season. In a little more than an hour, the Oklahoma Sooners will kick off their national title hunt against the Tulane Green Wave on ABC.

It’s finally here.

The game was originally scheduled to play in New Orleans, but adjustments needed to be made after Hurricane Ida devastated much of the Southeast last week. So the game will now take place in the Sooners’ backyard at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

As Oklahoma Sooners’ athletic director Joe Castiglione mentioned when speaking to the media yesterday, the Tulane Green Wave will be the home team. The University of Oklahoma stated through their Twitter account that all proceeds would go to Tulane in the wake of Hurricane Ida.

In what will be a non-traditional home game, the Sooners will still be wearing their crimson jerseys as Tulane made an elite choice from the color wheel themselves.

I don’t know about you, but some of my favorite uniforms in sports are the powder or baby blue jerseys. Similar to what Kenneth Murray and the Los Angeles Chargers wear on Sundays in the NFL.

Jan 4, 2020; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Tulane Green Wave safety Larry Brooks (31) intercepts a pass in the third quarter against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

It’s just another unique twist in the Sooners’ season opener that turned out to be at home but isn’t really a home game. In addition to the proceeds heading to Tulane, the Sooners athletic department and field staff provided a touching tribute to the Green Wave by adding their logo to Owen Field ahead of today’s game.

The game begins at 11:00 a.m. on ABC. Lincoln Riley is undefeated in season openers since taking over in 2017. Those wins have come by at least 48 points, and the Sooners have averaged 54 points per game in those contests.

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3 Defensive keys as the Oklahoma Sooners vs. Tulane Green Wave

The defense faces its first test of the year in the Tulane Green Wave. Here are the defensive keys to the game.

OU head coach Lincoln Riley turns 37 on Sunday. A complete performance and a dominant win in Saturday’s game versus Tulane is the best early birthday present the Sooners could give him.

Oklahoma’s offense is expected to be great this season. And why shouldn’t it? Even with last-minute transfers and injuries at receiver, the Crimson and Cream have the firepower needed to light up any defense.

But as we’ve seen so many times, Oklahoma’s offense is not capable of hoisting a national championship trophy by itself. That’s why the improvement of Alex Grinch’s defense has many convinced the Sooners will finally break their glass playoff ceiling in 2021.

The defense faces its first test of the year in the Tulane Green Wave.

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Oklahoma vs Tulane: Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

As the Oklahoma Sooners kick off the 2021 season with the Tulane Green Wave, our Sooners Wire staff provides their predictions.

It’s Christmas Eve for Oklahoma Sooners football. Time to finish up that last-minute tailgate shopping or wrap up those chores that might try to invade your Saturday and get ready for the start of the 2021 college football season.

We made it!!!

While week zero provided some action, Ohio State and Minnesota kicking off on Thursday night and the Sooners taking on the Green Wave in a little more than 24 hours, feels like the real start of college football season.

We’ll be doing this every week throughout the year, so follow along as our staff predicts every game throughout the Oklahoma Sooners 2021 season. So, let’s kick it off with what our Sooners Wire staff says about who will win — and why — when the Sooners host the Tulane Green Wave.

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Oklahoma Sooners release official depth chart for Saturday’s matchup with Tulane

Ahead of the 2021 season opener against the Tulane Green Wave, the Oklahoma Sooners released their first official depth chart of the season.

The Oklahoma Sooners officially welcomed in the 2021 college football season with the release of their first official depth chart for their week one matchup with the Tulane Green Wave.

On the depth chart is the familiar “or” signifying the team’s desire to rotate players at certain positions. Specifically, those positions that are still up for grabs or has several players that could be considered starters like Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray at running back.

As Riley noted in his press conference yesterday, Tyrese Robinson has won the starting right tackle job, while Chris Murray slides in to play right guard. Marquise Hayes will man his familiar left guard spot, but the center and left tackle positions are still up for grabs.

Three of the spots along the defensive front are spoken for with Isaiah Thomas (defensive end), Perrion Winfrey (nose guard), and Nik Bonitto (rush linebacker) solidified as starters for Alex Grinch’s defense.

Linebacker will be led by the three-headed monster of David Ugwoegbu, Brian Asamoah, and DaShaun White.

At cornerback, Woodi Washington has one spot locked down, while D.J. Graham appears to have the edge on Jaden Davis. While at safety, veterans Pat Fields and Delarrin Turner-Yell will lead the way for the Sooners secondary.

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to play the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. CST, the depth chart is an ever-evolving document. As players continue to battle in practice and in games, guys will move up and down the depth chart. There will be several guys who start in the Big 12 championship game that weren’t week one starters for the Sooners. Woodi Washington in 2020 is the prime example.

Washington didn’t get a significant role in the secondary until his breakout game against the Texas Longhorns. Washington took that opportunity and didn’t look back on his way to becoming one of the more important players on Alex Grinch’s defense.