Three Quick Takeaways From Oklahoma's Victory Over Tulane

The No. 15-ranked Sooners survived a tight fourth quarter to overcome the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday.

Sep 14, 2024; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Jaydan Hardy (14) reacts during the second quarter against the Tulane Green Wave at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

NORMAN — It was ugly late, but OU notched another win. 

Seven days ago, No. 15-ranked Oklahoma held on for a 16-12 win over Houston on Owen Field. 

Saturday, hosting much better opposition in the Tulane Green Wave, OU’s offense took some steps forward in the first half. 

A pick-six to start the fourth quarter cut Oklahoma’s lead down to one score, and the defense had to shut Tulane down the rest of the way to hold out for a 34-19 win at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

Here are three quick takeaways from Oklahoma’s third victory of the year:

A Tale of Two Halves 

Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold rushes for a touchdown against the Tulane Green Wave. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold received plenty of criticism after completing 19-of-32 passes for 174 yards, two scores and an interception last week. 

His response against Tulane (1-2) was great initially.

Arnold got wide receiver Deion Burks involved early, and he drove the offense 69 yards in 14 plays on the offense’s opening possession. 

In the first half, Arnold connected on 12-of-18 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown, and he also added another score on the ground to help OU (3-0) take a 21-6 advantage into the locker room.

But things faded as the game wore on. 

Oklahoma added a field goal on its first possession of the second half, extending its lead to 24-6, before things got interesting. 

Tulane scored and forced OU to punt, then Arnold threw the ball straight to Green Wave linebacker Tyler Grubbs, who sprinted 22 yards to cut the lead down to 24-19 after Oklahoma lead the game 21-0.

The Sooner offense was unable to get back on track on their next series, forcing the defense to produce another stop to stay in front at the start of the fourth quarter. 

Tulane sacked Arnold three times in the second half as the Green Wave defense appeared to wear down Bill Bedenbaugh’s offensive line. 

Arnold’s 24-yard touchdown run with 6:05 left in the game finally gave the Sooners some breathing room, but OU still has a ton of ground to make up offensively to compete with No. 7 Tennessee next Saturday.

The sophomore ended the game 18-of-29 through the air for 169 yards, one passing touchdown and the lone interception.

Defensive Anchor

Oklahoma Sooners defensive end R Mason Thomas pressures Tulane Green Wave quarterback Darian Mensah. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Saturday won’t be the last time OU relies on its defense to get across the finish line. 

There were a pair of lapses on either side of halftime, but otherwise Brent Venables’ unit continues to thrive in Year 3. 

Linebacker Danny Stutsman finished with another 12 tackles to lead the team, and OU forced Tulane to punt on six of its 12 possessions. 

Momentum finally flipped back into Oklahoma’s favor with 8:31 remaining. 

Facing third-and-1 at Tulane’s 35-yard line, OU cornerback Kani Walker tipped Green Wave quarterback Darian Mensah’s pass. 

The ball seemingly hung in the air forever before falling into the hands of veteran safety Billy Bowman, who set the Sooners up with great field position. 

Arnold’s 24-yard run turned Bowman’s pick into seven points.

From there, the defense didn’t let off the gas. 

Defensive end R Mason Thomas blew up Tulane’s first play on the next drive with a sack, immediately knocking the Green Wave off schedule. 

On third down, Thomas tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage, and then he closed the drive out with a sack on fourth-and-14 to end any hopes of a Green Wave comeback. 

Most of Oklahoma’s damage through the first two games came from the interior of the defensive line, so Thomas’ arrival late in the fourth quarter was a welcome sight for Venables and defensive coordinator Zac Alley. 

Thomas added another massive play for good measure, forcing a fumble and recovering the ball to add an exclamation point to his stellar fourth quarter performance with 1:47 left in the game.

More Moves Up Front

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold throws as Tulane Green Wave linebacker Dickson Agu defends during the first half at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Two drives into the game on Saturday, Bedenbaugh shuffled the cards again along Oklahoma’s offensive line. 

Left tackle Logan Howland got pushed straight into Arnold on third-and-5 with 4:59, allowing a decent hit on OU’s quarterback. 

The next drive out, Howland was withdrawn and Jacob Sexton bounced from left guard to left tackle and Heath Ozaeta was inserted between Sexton and center Joshua Bates. 

The results were mixed. 

Oklahoma rushed for 182 yards, a massive improvement over last week’s 75-yard effort.

Those gains were largely down to Arnold’s legs, however. 

The sophomore led OU with 97 rushing yards, and he finished the game with a pair of touchdowns on the ground. 

Jovantae Barnes rushed for the most yards out of Oklahoma’s running back room, as he finished with 53 yards, and true freshman Taylor Tatum added another 27 yards and a score. 

Tatum also caught a nine-yard touchdown pass to close out his day. 

There has been a major shuffle in each of OU’s first three games, but unless center Branson Hickman returns against Tennessee, the unit of Sexton, Ozaeta, Bates, Febechi Nwaiwu and Michael Tarquin is likely to roll out against the Volunteers.