It’s time for the Oklahoma Sooners to take on the Temple Owls. You’ve spent thirty minutes finding a parking spot, bought an overpriced hot dog, and it’s a balmy 90 degrees even though the sun is down. The unmistakable, electrifying energy of an Oklahoma Friday night football game is in the air.
Sooners Topple Temple With 51-3 Win
The Starting Lineup for Oklahoma
Jackson Arnold, as expected, is starting at quarterback for the Sooners. Gavin Sawchuck is a top-level, injury-prone talent- and he’s OU’s starting running back yet again. Jalil Farooq started at receiver but exited the game after an injury in the first quarter. Bauer Sharp, transferring from Southeastern Louisiana, is starting at tight end. Branson Hickman was at center, but an ankle injury sent him off after a few drives. Jacob Sexton, Michael Tarquin, and Jake Roberts also started on the offensive line.
Damonic Williams, Kip Lewis, Jayden Jackson, David Stone, and Danny Stutsman. All are well-known names by now, and all starting on defense. Tyler Keltner is the Sooners’ kicker for field goals and punts tonight.
The Starting Lineup for Temple
Temple finally decided on a quarterback in Forrest Brock. Joquez Smith is starting at running back. Dante Wright, John Adams, and Landon Morris fill out the receiving core.
On Temple’s defense, Cam’Rom Stewart, Latrell Jean, Javier Morton, Jamel Johnson, and DJ Woodbury are all starting for the Owls. Maddux Trujillo and Dante Atton are providing punt and field goal support tonight.
Stoops Praises The New Sooners
Temple may have started the game on offense, but it certainly didn’t mean much. The Sooners’ defense shut Temple down and forced them to punt. A 76-yard drive, culminating in a lobbed pass out to Sharp for the first touchdown of the season, put Oklahoma on the board early.
Bob Stoops, who was on color commentary, gave his thoughts on the new Oklahoma Sooners football team: “The offense will not be the weak link of this team.” Arnold, Sharp, and Sawchuck were certainly determined to prove him right in this first game. They built upon the defense’s successes to create an early lead. By the end of the first quarter, Oklahoma was up 17-0.
Temple’s Possession Problem
The Temple Owls put on a good showing- at first. Misdirection plays and stretching each run to the sideline gained them early yardage. However, they could not hold on to the football. A counter run in their second drive saw Danny Stutsman knock the ball from Brock’s hands. Da’jon Terry recovered the ball on the Sooners’ 43-yard line. On a 3rd and 11, Brock sent a pass right to Oklahoma’s Kani Walker for an interception. In the second quarter, Brock tried a screen pass on a long 3rd and 7. Defensive back Robert Spears Jennings recovered the ball after the pass was fumbled away. Just before halftime, Temple fumbled it yet again.
Each time, the Sooners offense took advantage and the points gap continued widening. By halftime, Oklahoma was up 34-0.
The Wild, Wild, Midwest
Arnold, true to form, is fast and loose at quarterback. His gunslinging style is nice and flashy for these early games but could get him in trouble later on in the season. Power quarterback runs, diving for extra yardage, and slinging to any nearby receivers, the young quarterback was fast and dangerous all night. A late pass to Andrel Anthony ended in an incompletion and necessitated a fifty-one-yard field goal. Arnold’s favorite receivers of the night were Sharp, Deion Burks, and Brennan Thompson. In the first half, the Sooners seemed to be scoring on every drive. In the second half, however, they began to struggle more.
Oklahoma’s dominance didn’t end, but it was clear that the second half was more about having a good time than playing hard. Big plays, of course, still happened. Sam Franklin, third-string running back, broke away for a big thirty-yard gain in the third quarter. Jaren Kanak, a backup linebacker, recovered a fumble for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Showcasing his speed and elusiveness, Arnold’s quick escapes earned big gains. Temple even prevented the shutout with a field goal in the third quarter. Still, some clear issues were being presented, and in a game like this, they were all Oklahoma’s to bear.
By The Numbers
At the end of the night, Oklahoma put up a total of 378 yards of offense. The Sooners achieved 18 total first downs, and held the ball for 28:28. Arnold came away as the passing leader with 141 yards, while Taylor Tatum came out as the rushing leader with 69 total yards. With a final score of 51 to 3, it’s a great start to the season. Arnold was 17 for 25 on passes completed with four touchdowns. The Sooners’ star player was clearly Deion Burks with a compelling three touchdowns and thirty-six total yards gained.
Temple, on the other hand, put up a total of 197 yards of offense. The Owls achieved 13 first downs but held the majority possession time at thirty-one minutes. Brock ended the night with 12 out of 25 passes completed, and Temple’s lead rusher was E.J. Wilson for thirty-one yards. Brock threw for a total of 130 yards- and if that number doesn’t concern you, it should. Arnold only totaled ten yards higher than that, with a better offensive line and higher-rated receivers, and was sacked far less often.
The fact that Temple was able to get that far with one quarterback is an issue for Sooners football’s Head Coach Brent Venables. Georgia’s Carson Beck regularly put up 200+ yards on every team last year, and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe posted 150+ every week. These aren’t against lesser teams either. Even in a losing effort against Texas, Milroe was able to achieve 255 yards against the Longhorns. That’s just two of the star-studded quarterbacks in the SEC this year. If 141 yards is the best Arnold can do against a team like Temple, this could be a major concern as they advance against the SEC.
Still, Work To Do For The Sooners
The Temple Owls were never going to match up, and the Oklahoma Sooners came out on top tonight. Still, this game exposed some serious concerns. After the game, Venables said just as much to The Franchise, “A good win, but there’s plenty to clean up.” Next week Sooners football is hosting the University of Houston, and hopefully can make some improvements. Houston’s no slouch, which means Arnold and Venables will have to come prepared. Regardless, the Sooners walk away the victors tonight with a dominant 51-3 win over Temple.
