Tag: ou sooners football

Best Photos from Oklahoma Sooners win over Tulane Green Wave

A look at some fantastic photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 34-19 win over the Tulane Green Wave.

The Oklahoma Sooners moved to 3-0 on the season with a 34-19 win over the Tulane Green Wave.

Oklahoma jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first half before Tulane began to find some offense at the end of the first thirty minutes. But Oklahoma’s defense found their footing after Tulane opened the second with a touchdown drive.

It wasn’t pretty, but Oklahoma came away with the win and they looked a lot better on offense than they did a week ago against Houston. Jackson Arnold and R Mason Thomas helped seal the deal late in the fourth quarter and the Sooners stay undefeated to start the 2024 season.

There’s still a lot to clean up before Tennessee comes to town.

Here are some of the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners win over Tulane.

College Football Expert believes the Sooners are on Upset Alert

One College Football Expert believes the Sooners could be on upset alert against the Tulane Green Wave.

The 2-0 Oklahoma Sooners are looking for their third straight win to open up the 2024 season, as they’ll be hosting the Tulane Green Wave in Norman on Saturday.

After wins against Temple and Houston, OU has plenty of questions still to answer, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Oklahoma’s poor offensive performance last Saturday has fans and experts alike predicting another tough contest this week for the Sooners.

One name on that list is 247Sports college football analyst Josh Pate, who hosts “Josh Pate’s College Football Show.” He gave his picks for possible upsets in week three and included the Sooners hosting the Green Wave.

“Tulane is in town the week before Oklahoma welcomes in Tennessee,” Pate said. “Everyone’s already looking at Tennessee at Oklahoma … There’s this this pesky little detail that Tulane is actually who you’re playing this weekend. Tulane tasted it last week, Tulane got close. Tulane in many people’s minds should have beaten Kansas State … They had a really good chance to win and it slipped through their fingertips.”

Pate went on to detail the many injuries that the Sooners are dealing with right now, especially at two important positions.

“Oklahoma is badly banged up,” Pate said. “Offensive line and wide receiver, they are badly banged up. I feel like the collective mentality from our Oklahoma folks is ‘let’s just get through this game, find a way to get through this game, maybe get some guys back and then we’ll take our chances in conference play.’ I’m not saying that’s [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ mentality, I’m saying our Oklahoma folks, that’s their mentality, and if the team’s mentality mirrors that then you could look at a fourth quarter dogfight. You could look at a fourth quarter dog fight no matter what because Tulane’s just good enough. John Sumrall is just a good enough coach, and they’ll have it dialed up here.”

Pate also made the point that converting on third downs and extending drives will be critical to the OU effort this week. The Sooners are 131st out of 134 teams in the country in third-down efficiency heading into week three, which won’t come close to getting the job done for the rest of the season.

It would be in Oklahoma’s best interest to sustain some drives on offense early in the game and let their superior talent and depth begin to lean on the Green Wave. Getting a sold-out crowd excited early with efficiency and consistency on offense could take Tulane out of the game early and avoid a dogfight in the fourth quarter again. Otherwise, the Green Wave have all they need to believe that they can pull off a big-time upset.

More: Broadcast information for Oklahoma Sooners vs. Tulane Green Wave.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Sooners Wire staff predictions for No. 13 Oklahoma vs. Tulane Green Wave

Sooners Wire staff predicts another close matchup as the Oklahoma Sooners get set to take on the Tulane Green Wave.

The No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners (2-0) welcome the Tulane Green Wave (1-1) to Norman on Saturday afternoon. Both teams played Big 12 squads last week in tight ball games.

The Sooners struggled to put away Houston in a 16-12 win, and Tulane nearly pulled off an upset of Kansas State at home but threw an interception in the end zone on what would have been a game-tying touchdown drive in the final seconds.

Week three promises to provide another intriguing matchup in Norman, but who wins? Here’s a look at this week’s Sooners Wire Staff Predictions!

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Oklahoma stays unbeaten at 3-0 in 2024 with another tense win at home.

OU’s defense controls the game for the most part, and the Sooners win the special teams battle for the third game in a row. Field position proves to be critical again, but the OU offense has a better outing than they did against Houston.

Someone from the running back room turns in a solid performance, and the duo of Jackson Arnold and Deion Burks connects enough times to get the job done. The offense is aided by a touchdown from either the special teams or the defense, and OU beats a good Tulane team by 10.

However, there’s still plenty of room for improvement and healing to do during the week before Tennessee comes into Oklahoma riding high on three impressive victories to open the season.

Sooners 24, Green Wave 14

Contact/Follow Aaron Gelvin

 

Up Next: More Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Do the Oklahoma Sooners have a defense that can carry them in the SEC?

Do the Oklahoma Sooners have the makings of an elite defense?

It’s been a long time since the Oklahoma Sooners’ strength was on the defensive side of the ball. It’s a welcomed sight, but nobody anticipated the Sooners offense struggling with Houston like they did on Saturday night.

But here we are. Oklahoma has a defense that can not only keep them in games while the offense is struggling but can win them football games like they did in week two.

Oklahoma’s offense was shutout for more than two and a half quarters, and the defense responded by allowing just six points in the second half. That score came on a communication breakdown that led to a coverage bust. Oklahoma stopped the ensuing two-point conversion attempt. After that, the defense rose to the occasion, forcing stop after stop to preserve the win.

After the Cougars touchdown to open the second half, Oklahoma’s defense responded by forcing Houston to go punt, interception, punt, safety, and then the end of the game stopped their final drive. That’s five drives where Houston couldn’t put points on the board.

On the four drives before the final one, where Oklahoma was in prevent mode, the Sooners held the Cougars to 35 yards on 21 plays.

That’s how you bounce back after a letdown. That’s what elite defenses do. If they can build on that this week against a game Tulane program, it’ll provide a lot of confidence heading into their week four matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers.

Tulane’s is arguably the best Group of Five program in the nation and will give the Sooners a test this Saturday afternoon. They’re averaging 286 passing yards and 195 rushing yards per game through the first two game of the season. Last week against Kansas State, the Green Wave 491 yards, but they also lost the turnover battle 2-0 to the Wildcats.

Can the Sooners put together another strong defensive performance to help OU stay undefeated heading into SEC play? If they do, it’ll give Oklahoma a chance to keep the game close so that the offense can find its running game and Jackson Arnold can find their rhythm. And if the offense can get things going, Oklahoma will be just fine because of its elite defense.

OU is tied for first in the nation in turnovers forced. They’re No. 15 in the nation in points per game. But bigger challenges are coming for the Sooners.

Of the top 20 scoring offenses in the nation after week two, six of those teams are on the Oklahoma Sooners schedule. Ole Miss and Tennessee are No. 1 and 2. Now, it’s just two weeks into the season, but there are significant challenges ahead for Oklahoma’s defense.

But through two games, Brent Venables’ squad looks like a team capable of playing with some of the best around the nation. The question will be, can they hang for 60 minutes, and can they get offenses to support their efforts? We’ll begin to find out in a week and a half, but first, the Sooners have to take care of business against Tulane.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Oklahoma star has high praise for Sooners tight ends

Oklahoma’s tight ends have been a bright spot for the Sooners offense to start 2024.

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] is carrying quite a heavy load on the OU offense right now.

The Sooners struggled to move the football in a 16-12 victory over Houston last week, as there was no part of the offense that looked in sync in a tough outing. Offensive coordinator [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag]’s unit has been behind the eight-ball two weeks into the season, forcing OU’s defense and special teams to pick up the slack.

Part of the reason for the issues is the myriad of injuries the Sooners are facing on offense. In the offensive line room, Geirean Hatchett is out for the season, while Branson Hickman, Jake Taylor, and Troy Everett are all working their way back from injuries. One of OU’s best offensive linemen, Jacob Sexton, might be playing out of position due to all of the injuries, and the Sooners are down to their fourth-string center in Joshua Bates and a backup tackle in Spencer Brown. The other tackle, Michael Tarquin has played on both sides of the line, and because of all of the shuffling, the only player excelling in one spot up front is right guard Febechi Nwaiwu. These are just the beginning of the issues for an offensive line that has struggled through two weeks.

There are similar issues at wide receiver. Jayden Gibson is done for the year. Jalil Farooq is still two months from returning. Andrel Anthony has been extremely limited as he attempts to return from his injury, and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] hasn’t played yet in 2024. Anderson is expected to be back “sooner rather than later,” but until he is, OU will be hurting at wide receiver.

Burks has been the only player at the position who can provide quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] with a reliable, open target in the passing game, as the unit has struggled with getting separation and with drops. Brenen Thompson, J.J. Hester, and Jaquaize Pettaway haven’t been what Sooner fans had hoped for so far in 2024. True freshmen Zion Ragins, Zion Kearney, and Ivan Carreon will be asked to step up even more if the injury issues continue. If OU wants to improve in the air, they need other options to step up until Anderson returns and Anthony is healthy enough to have an impact.

Enter the tight ends.

[autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] and [autotag]Jake Roberts[/autotag] have each had one excellent performance and one so-so performance so far in 2024, but luckily for the Sooners, they came on opposite nights.

Against Temple in week one, Sharp stepped up alongside Burks to five passes and a touchdown. He was reliable over the middle of the field and got open for Arnold. He didn’t have a catch against Houston, dropping a key third-down pass, but his running mate picked up where he left off.

After being used mainly in a blocking role against Temple, Roberts burst onto the scene in week two against Houston. He caught three passes, with two going for key first downs and one going for a touchdown. He was the only player on OU’s roster aside from Burks who had multiple receptions in a lackluster overall offensive performance.

During post-practice media availability Monday night, reporters asked Burks about the emergence of the two tight ends. Josh Callaway, who covers OU for 247Sports, shared Burks’ response on social media.

‘Them guys is leaders,” Burks said. “They come in every day with the same mindset, bring everybody’s energy up; energy is contagious, honestly. They’ve got reliable hands and stuff like that as well, just dudes you can rely on, so it’s a great thing when we go with the “21” personnel and run two tight ends and stuff like that as well, so I think it’s great.”

https://twitter.com/JoshMCallaway/status/1833600765166031255

As Oklahoma readies for Tulane, and anticipates the return of Anderson to boost the passing game alongside Burks, look for even more emphasis on the two tight ends who have been one of very few positives early this season for the OU offense.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Last time Oklahoma faced Tulane, the Sooners barely escaped

The Oklahoma Sooners were nearly upset by the Tulane Green Wave in their 2021 matchup. Can they avoid a similar fate this week?

The Oklahoma Sooners are 2-0 to begin the 2024 season. Year 3 under head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] started off with a 51-3 win over the Temple Owls and a 16-12 win over the Houston Cougars.

OU plays its third straight home game to open up the year on Saturday when they host the Tulane Green Wave in Norman. It’s the third of four non-conference matchups for Oklahoma, with the finale coming in November.

After a mostly encouraging 48-point win on a Friday opener against Temple, the Sooners struggled mightily on offense, escaping with the four-point win over Houston on Saturday. Oklahoma had just one full offensive drive that was productive, and they relied heavily on their defense and special teams to get the job done.

Tulane presents a much tougher test after the Green Wave almost defeated Kansas State last week. But Sooner Nation will likely have another near-upset on their minds as well as they watch this game.

Oklahoma and Tulane have met twice in their history, and both games have been played in Norman. The first meeting came in 2017, when the Sooners won in decisive fashion, 56-14. Oklahoma was on its way to a third straight Big 12 title that year during their run of six in a row.

The Sooners also made the College Football Playoff for the second time in three years (and the first of three in a row in the midst of four out of five) that year. One of the best offenses in college football history overwhelmed a Green Wave team that went 5-7.

However, the most recent matchup between these two programs was almost a disaster for OU.

In 2021, the season opener was supposed to be played in New Orleans, but it was moved to Norman due to Hurricane Ida. In the first sign of trouble in [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag]’s final season at OU, the highly-ranked Sooners couldn’t put the Green Wave away, barely hanging on for a 40-35 victory.

The game opened with a Spencer Rattler interception down the left sideline before the Sooners found their footing to jump out to a 37-14 halftime lead.

However, the Sooners took the foot off the gas in the second half and were outscored 21-3, as OU’s defense couldn’t contain Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt. After cutting the lead to five, the Green Wave recovered an onside kick with just over two minutes left, but Pratt’s run on 4th and 13 was stopped a yard short, and Oklahoma survived with the five-point win.

Fast forward to 2024, the Sooners don’t seem to have a defense that would surrender 35 points at home against Tulane. However, they certainly don’t resemble a team on offense that can put 40 points on the board, either.

A total of nine players from that 2021 team remain on the roster in 2024, and key leaders on this year’s team (especially on defense) certainly remember that afternoon three years ago and what Tulane is capable of as a program.

Even as Jon Sumrall takes over in New Orleans for the departed Willie Fritz (now the head coach at Houston), the Green Wave will be the best team the Sooners have faced so far this season.

Oklahoma has to get more production from their offense if they want to stay unbeaten heading into the final nine games of the regular season, eight of which will come against conference opponents.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Tom Brady honors former Sooner after week one performance

Tom Brady selects former Sooner for one of his three stars in the first week of NFL action.

Former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag] has been on a journey since the Cleveland Browns took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. After stops with Carolina and Los Angeles, Mayfield has found a home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He had a really good season last year, helping lead the Bucs to the playoffs and a 32-9 win over the Eagles in the wild card round. Well, he’s off to a great start with Tampa Bay after signing a three-year contract to remain the quarterback of the Buccaneers.

On Sunday, facing the Washington Commanders and Heisman winner from the LSU Tigers, Jayden Daniels, Mayfield was 24 of 30 for 289 yards and four touchdowns. He also carried the ball three times for 21 yards. Mayfield’s 80% completion rate was second in the NFL for week one.

For his efforts, the former Sooner earned one of Tom Brady’s three stars of the week. Brady is now part of the NFL on Fox broadcast team.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Brady said, “Baker, I wish I would have taken you in fantasy.”

After bouncing between head coaches, offensive coordinators, and cities in his first eight seasons in the league, Mayfield has found stability with Tampa Bay. And he’s already off to a magical start after his week one performance.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Still no clear timeline for return of key Sooners

Brent Venables couldn’t provide a definitive answer on the return from injury for two key Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been hit, run over, and backed over by the injury bug to start the 2024 season. They lost another key piece on Monday when Brent Venables revealed that offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett would be out for the season due to a torn biceps.

The offense has been eagerly awaiting the return of standout wide receiver [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] and starting center [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag]. During Venables weekly press conference, he shared that there’s no clear picture on a return for either Anderson or Hickman but reiterated they’re improving.

On Hickman, Venables said, “I’m literally not being evasive. I don’t know,” We could use a guy that’s started 34 games.”

Anderson, who had 798 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 38 receptions in 2023, was projected to start for the Sooners in 2024. However, he’s been dealing with a hamstring injury that’s kept him out of the first two weeks of the season.

Hickman, who brought with him a ton of experience from SMU has been battling a high ankle sprain since fall camp. He reaggravated the injury in the week one win over Temple. With Hatchett, Hickman, and fellow veteran interior offensive lineman Troy Everett out against Houston, [autotag]Josh Bates[/autotag] started for the Sooners against the Cougars.

Bates had some good moments but also showed several moments of his youth and inexperience. He was also playing banged up. Venables stated he is playing with one arm.

Bates’ unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the final minute of the game gave Houston way more time than they would have had when the clock stopped after he ripped off his helmet. He got a lot of experience from which he can continue to develop, but Bates, along with the rest of the offensive line have to be better this week against Tulane.

The Sooners need both Anderson and Hickman back sooner rather than later, but until then the coaching staff has to look into best utilizing the talent that they have available.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Oklahoma offensive lineman out for remainder of 2024 season

Oklahoma will be without a key offensive lineman for the rest of the season.

The injury woes continue to pile up for the Oklahoma Sooners. Another key player on the offensive side of the ball has been ruled out for the rest of the season.

According to head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] on his Monday coach’s show, offensive lineman [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag] has undergone surgery for a bicep injury and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season. Hatchett stepped in for the injured [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag] at center in OU’s first game against Temple, but was clearly not fully healthy. Hatchett and Hickman both missed Saturday’s contest against Houston, leading to [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag] earning his first career start. [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], another key name in the interior of the line, is still dealing with an injury as well.

Hatchett was a member of the 2020 recruiting class at Washington, sitting for two seasons before playing in every game in 2022. Hatchett missed three games for the Huskies last year due to injury, but returned to play in the final four games of the season. Washington went all the way to the national championship game, but fell short of a title.

Offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] convinced Hatchett to come to Norman this offseason, but he’s never been fully healthy since becoming a Sooner. He was hoped to provide veteran leadership for the Sooners this year while OU tries to rebuild the offensive line as a redshirt senior with championship experience.

Oklahoma will instead be relying on more inexperience at another key position, as the offense tries to bounce back after an abysmal performance against Houston. Up next for the Sooners are the Tulane Green Wave, who will make the trip to Norman for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Sooners defensive tackle named SEC Defensive Player of the Week

Oklahoma defensive tackle earns SEC Defensive Player of the Week.

The Oklahoma Sooners moved to 2-0 on the season with their 16-12 win over Houston. It wasn’t the offensive performance that they would have liked, but the defense picked up the slack, keeping Houston from sustaining drives.

Oklahoma needed several late stops to secure the victory and with just under two minutes to play in the game, OU got the stop they needed to seal the deal.

After Luke Elzinga’s punt was downed at the Houston five-yard line, the Cougars had first and 10 but were down just two points. A field goal could have earned Houston the upset. On first down, Cougars quarterback Donovan Smith handed off to Stacy Sneed, who was immediately met at the goalline by defensive tackle [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag], who earned the first safety of his career and extended Oklahoma’s lead to four and got the ball back for the Sooners offense to take more time off the clock.

By the time Houston got the ball back, there wasn’t enough time to mount a serious drive for a go-ahead touchdown. And it was all because of Halton’s impressive penetrating ability.

Along with his first career safety, Halton had two tackles for loss and a sack in the game. For his efforts, he was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week. It’s the second weekly award of the season for the Sooners after Luke Elzinga earned Special Teams Player of the Week in the SEC last season. This is the first weekly honor of Halton’s career, signaling a strong start to the season for the former 2022 four-star signee.

https://twitter.com/OU_Football/status/1833174719710757012

Halton currently leads the team with 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He’s been incredibly disruptive for the Sooners in his rotational role and is the second highest-graded player on the Sooners, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s second among defensive tackles in snaps through two games.

It’s a great start to the season for Halton and as Oklahoma get set to host Tulane, they’ll need more from the standout defensive tackle from San Diego, California.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.