It may not have been the cleanest performance for the Oklahoma Sooners, but when you win by 48, there’s a great deal to feel good about.
On both sides of the ball, there were standout performances that should provide the building blocks for what will be a memorable season for the Oklahoma Sooners. After one week, the Sooners found themselves in the top 15 of ESPN’s updated power rankings.
[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] threw for four touchdowns in his first regular-season start, and the Sooners forced six turnovers in a season-opening rout of [autotag]Temple[/autotag]. Oklahoma coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] said Arnold played “really efficiently.” But the offensive story belonged to wide receiver [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag]. The Purdue transfer notched three scores before halftime in his Oklahoma debut, becoming the fifth Sooner in program history to register three touchdowns in a half. – Eli Lederman, ESPN
The offense didn’t have to work too hard in the win because the defense provided a number of short fields. Still, Oklahoma scored on six of its eight possessions in the first half and seven of 10 stretching into the second half. That’s a number that will work.
If there’s an area of concern, it’s up front, where OU did little to allay any concerns along the offensive line. But it will get starting right tackle [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] back this week and will likely have [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag], who missed much of Week 1 with an ankle injury suffered in the first quarter.
But for the first time in forever, the defense was the story. Zac Alley’s unit forced six turnovers and sacked Temple quarterback Forrest Brock six times. Defenders were flying around, showing a different level of confidence and physicality under Oklahoma’s new defensive coordinator.
Week 1 will not tell the whole story for the Sooners, who will have greater challenges ahead, but there was a lot to be encouraged about from their week one performance.
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