The Oklahoma Sooners and Tulane Green Wave faced off in a climactic matchup tonight (9/14). This game was pivotal for Oklahoma‘s hopes this season, and Tulane needed the momentum boost to stay on track. Unfortunately, only one could walk away as the victor and Oklahoma was able to overcome Tulane.
Oklahoma’s Defense First Strategy
The Oklahoma Sooners haven’t had a lot of luck on offense this year. Numerous injuries, and a lack of confidence, have been difficult to overcome. Last week’s near loss to Houston is proof enough of this struggling offense.
The Sooners’ defense, on the other hand, has been very strong. Playmakers Danny Stutsman and Robert Spears Jennings, along with the guys on the line, have made it incredibly difficult to move the ball against Oklahoma. Head Coach Brent Venables made the snap decision to make the defense the focal point of this Sooners team this week. Defensive coordinator Zac Alley continues to prove why that focus is well-earned.
In the first coin toss win of the season, Oklahoma opted to go on defense first. Stutsman and Jennings shut down Tulane’s first drive in decisive fashion. The subsequent drives in the first half didn’t perform much better. If names like Stutsman and Jennings aren’t being talked about when it comes to defensive awards this year– that conversation needs to change.
Oklahoma’s Offensive Woes?
Another issue plaguing Oklahoma this season has been the dreaded third down. Before this game, Oklahoma was perhaps the worst in the nation when it came to converting on third downs. This was a weakness that Houston took full advantage of. In addition, the Sooners lacked confidence when they needed it most. A few errors or failed drives virtually broke the team last week.
But not in this game.
Oklahoma finally figured out how to correct the issue against Tulane. Venables clearly spent a lot of time working with Jackson Arnold and the offense this week. Instead of wildly slinging the ball, Arnold has started taking his time. Then, when it comes time to run, he ducks his head and charges forward. A struggling offense transformed on the back of short routes and various run plays.
The Sooners have also focused on their ground game. Counter runs, two back, and even leaving Arnold alone in the backfield, were the primary choices for Oklahoma tonight and it worked almost every time. Gavin Sawchuck and Javonte Barnes kept up the tempo by charging through the line and making forward progress on nearly every play. In the first half, Sawchuck put up more yards as a receiver than a running back. Arnold’s other favorite targets were Bauer Sharp and Deion Burks.
Tulane Takes It To The Limit
If the first half was an Oklahoma domination, the second half is when Tulane came alive. At halftime, the score was 21-6 with Oklahoma leading. Ty Thompson replaced Darian Mensah for Tulane’s sole score just before halftime. Mensah delivered a touchdown in the third quarter that brought the Green Wave even closer. Tyler Grubbs then intercepted a pass from Arnold for a pick-six that brought the game to 24-19 in the fourth quarter. A failed two-point conversion kept the teams apart. If it weren’t for a critical misstep on fourth and inches, Tulane might have pushed this game down to the wire.
Oklahoma Pulls Away From Tulane
On fourth and inches, where do you go? The quarterback sneak, or even a halfback draw, are popular choices. Typically, most teams stick to the run and force the defense to give ground. Mensah and Tulane, however, thought differently.
Oklahoma’s Billy Bowman was there to snatch the ball out of the air. This then set up Arnold for a breakaway twenty-four-yard run into the endzone. R Mason Thomas almost single-handedly kept Mensah and the Tulane offense down from then on out.
By The Numbers
Last week, the Sooners barely scraped by with 249 yards of total offense. Against Tulane, they ran away with 358 yards of total offense. Arnold put up 169 passing yards. The young quarterback was also the lead rusher of this game with 97 yards on the ground. in his first big game of the season, Taylor Tatum followed behind him at 27 yards. The Sooners held majority possession with 31 minutes.
Tulane, in comparison, lagged behind tonight with 269 total yards of offense. Mensah achieved 166 total passing yards. Makhi Hughes was their leading rusher at 61 total yards, while Dontae Fleming was the leading receiver at 59 yards. Tulane had possession of the ball for just over 28 minutes.
On the Horizon
Next week, Oklahoma hosts Tennessee for their first SEC conference game. The Sooners built upon their strengths and adjusted for their weaknesses, but this is just the beginning. When speaking to The Franchise after the game, Venables acknowledged that fact, “We showed improvement more than anything else. This is a developmental game and we know we got to get better.”
With the SEC on the horizon, they’ll need to get better quickly. Houston and Tulane kept it closer than anyone prefers. While Oklahoma was able to overcome Tulane, the SEC is notoriously not as forgiving. Until then, it’s time to officially take the Oklahoma Sooners off of upset alert and let them bask in their victory.
