Tag: Tulane Green Wave

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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Isaiah Thomas, Sooners defense take over in the second quarter

Watch the first-half defensive highlights that have led to a commanding Sooners lead.

The opening 15 minutes had Sooners fans a little nervous as the Tulane Green Wave looked sharp and polished on two touchdown drives. But the defense buckled down to start the second quarter and has helped OU take a commanding 37-14 lead into intermission.

Nik Bonitto started Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt’s misfortune by torpedoing himself onto a botched snap that led to a short field and a Sooners’ field goal.

On the very next drive, Isaiah Thomas introduced himself to Pratt by erasing a nine-yard rush and creating another turnover.

The pressure began to mount on the Green Wave as they became buried underneath 23 unanswered points from the Sooners offense. Thomas would then force a punt on Tulane’s next drive with a critical sack on 3rd and 12.

That sack would set the stage for fellow pass rusher Reggie Grimes to land one last punch for the defense before intermission.

With the Sooners firing on all cylinders on offense, defense, and special teams; this game is poised to become the blowout it was expected to be.

The second half is now underway on ABC.

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Oklahoma Sooners lead Tulane Green Wave at halftime 37-14

After a slow start the Oklahoma Sooners lead the Tulane Green Wave 37-14 at halftime.

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a slow start in their week one matchup with the Tulane Green Wave but took a commanding 34-14 lead into the half.

After an interception on Spencer Rattler’s second attempt of the season, the Tulane Green Wave scored on their first possession. Tulane used misdirection to confuse the Sooners and some miscommunication allowed the Green Wave to take a 7-0 lead.

The Sooners bounced back with a methodical drive, capped off by a Spencer Rattler quarterback sneak for a one-yard touchdown.

Tulane answered with their own drive that led to a touchdown, where again, the Sooners’ defense got lost in the play design.

On the Sooners third possession, Spencer Rattler bounced back from his early interception to hit Marvin Mims for a big catch and run that took the Sooners to the Tulane 1-yard line. Caleb Williams finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown for the first of his career.

From that point, the defense took over, forcing three turnovers and not allowing the Green Wave to score for the rest of the half. The Sooners scored 30 straight points to end the half and take a commanding lead.

Marvin Mims has been electric, leading the Sooners wide receivers with four catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. Jadon Haselwood, starting on the outside has three catches for 36 yards.

Though Eric Gray (five carries 19 yards, one reception -6 yards) got the start, Kennedy Brooks is leading the way for the Sooners with six carries for 62 yards and a touchdown.

After the early interception, Spencer Rattler settled in nicely and is 20 of 25 for 213 yards, one passing, one rushing touchdown, and one interception.

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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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Oklahoma painted Tulane’s Angry Wave logo on the field in a classy move, and it looks really good

A nice gesture.

The No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners were supposed to open their 2021 football season on the road at Tulane in New Orleans this weekend. But as Louisiana continues to recover from the devastation brought by Hurricane Ida earlier this week, the game was moved to Norman.

It’s not how either team expected to start their seasons, but the Sooners did a little something extra for the Green Wave, which were still considered the home team for Saturday’s matchup.

Opposite the two Big 12 logos on the 25-yard lines, Oklahoma painted two of Tulane’s Angry Wave logos on the field. It was a really classy gesture by the Sooners, and it actually looks pretty good.

(Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)

And, of course, Tulane loved it.

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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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Owen Field getting a makeover as OU hosts Tulane’s ‘home opener’

In a touching tribute, Owen Field gets a makeover for the Oklahoma Sooners and Tulane Green Wave home opener.

The Oklahoma Sooners and Tulane Green Wave have dealt with unusual circumstances leading into their season opener tomorrow. The two teams were originally scheduled to play in New Orleans but had to adjust on the fly as Hurricane Ida made landfall last week.

With the game moving to Norman, the Sooners will play host to the Tulane Green Wave. Speaking to the media on Friday, athletic director Joe Castiglione shared how the University of Oklahoma is viewing this game.

And the Sooners are putting their money and time where their mouth is. In preparation for tomorrow’s opener, the Sooners are painting the Green Wave logo on the Owen Field.

This is a touching tribute to Tulane and to a fanbase that has been rocked by Hurricane Ida. There will be a lot of recovery to come after the game, but for a team that has their schedule and lives turned upside down in the last week, it’ll be a fun moment running onto Owen Field and seeing their logo.

It’s such a great decision by Joe Castiglione and the athletic department. It shows a lot of camaraderie and heart. They could have very well gone with the status quo, but this thoughtful decision shows their support for Tulane, its players, and is a symbol of the brotherhood of college football.

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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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