gameday
September 14, 2024
The View, G3 | Player Spotlight, G5 | Scouting the opponent, G7 | Things to Watch, G8
Gameday
1) Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat a 9-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add chopped bacon, and cook, stirring often, until fat is rendered and bacon is almost crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, and set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet.
Ingredients
8 hickory-smoked bacon slices, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
1 (12-oz.) pkg. frozen pretzel bites (such as SuperPretzel), salt packet reserved
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2) Toss together pretzel bites and 2 tablespoons water on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle half of reserved salt packet evenly over pretzel bites, tossing until coated, and set aside. Discard remaining half of reserved salt packet.
3) Stir together cream cheese, Cheddar, Havarti, beer, mustard, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Spoon cheese mixture into skillet, and spread in an even layer. Bake in preheated oven until hot and bubbly around edges, about 15 minutes.
4) While dip cools, bake pretzel bites at 400°F until heated through, about 5 minutes. Arrange pretzel bites around edges of dip in skillet; sprinkle center evenly with chives and reserved bacon. Serve dip immediately with any remaining pretzel bites.
https://www.southernliving.com/skillet-beer-cheese-dip-withpretzel-bites
1 (8-oz.) block sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
1 (7-oz.) block Havarti cheese, shredded (about 1 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup (4 oz.) IPA-style beer
2 Tbsp. whole-grain mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives
THE VIEW
HowOU’scoachingstaffrespondsjustasimportantasplayerimprovement
Maybe the Sooners were lucky to survive a wake-up call right before their schedule gets tougher. Maybe it was exactly what an inexperienced group needed.
Or maybe it’s a troubling sign of what’s ahead in the program’s first season in the Southeastern Conference.
The only way to know will be to see how the team and the coaching staff respond to last Saturday’s win over Houston.
There was ugly play in all three phases at points against Houston. Most concerning, most of the biggest questions about Oklahoma’s offense heading into the season were on full display against a defense that gave up 11 more points to UNLV the week before.
Last season the Sooners had a poor early-season showing against SMU. They led by just three points early in the fourth quarter before scoring two touchdowns to escape with a 28-11 win. They went on to win their first seven games and beat Texas in Dallas.
This doesn’t feel like that, and it isn’t.
That team wasn’t dealing with the injury issues the Sooners face in 2024. They
Oklahoma vs. Tulane
Where: Gaylord Family
— Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Radio: KREF FM 99.3 / AM 1400
didn’t have a young quarterback who is still looking to build confidence as the team’s new leader.
There’s no doubt Oklahoma’s offense played bad enough last week to lose most of the games left on its schedule. They have several players that will likely be game-time decisions on Saturday, but none are going
Paxson Haws | The Transcript
An OU player tackles his opponent during the game against Houston Sept. 7.
Tarik Masri SPORTS COLUMNIST
OU Two-Deep Roster
2
2
0
OU Football Schedule
Oklahoma 51, Temple 3
Oklahoma 16, Houston 12
Sept. 14 vs. Tulane, 2:30 p.m. ESPN or ESPN2
Sept. 21 vs. Tennessee, 2:30-3:30 or 5-7 p.m.
21
22
24 Samuel Omosigho LB 6-2 236 So.
25 Andy Bass RB 5-11 208 Fr.
25 Michael Boganowski DB 6-2 211 Fr.
26 Kani Walker DB 6-2 205 R-Jr.
27 Jayden Rowe DB 6-2 223 R-So.
27 Gavin Sawchuk RB 5-11 200 R-So.
28 KJ Daniels WR 5-9 152 Fr.
28 Danny Stutsman LB 6-4 241 Sr.
29 Casen Calmus DB 5-10 196 R-Fr.
29 Gabe Sawchuk RB 5-10 185 Fr.
30 Trace Ford DL 6-2 246 R-Sr.
31 Cale Fugate DB 5-10 190 R-Fr.
31 Ashton Logan P 6-2 217 R-So.
32 R Mason Thomas DL 6-2 240 Jr.
33 Phil Picciotti LB 6-3 239 R-Fr.
34 Adepoju Adebawore DL 6-4 251 So.
34 Zach Schmit K/P 5-10 196 R-Sr.
35 Liam Evans K 5-7 181 Fr.
35 Jakeb Snyder DB 5-8 180 R-Fr.
36 Josh Plaster K/P 6-0 187 R-Sr.
38 Owen Heinecke LB 6-2 227 R-So.
39 Peter Schuh DB 5-8 184 R-So.
40 Ethan Downs DL 6-4 265 Sr.
41 Emmett Jones III DB 6-0 182 R-Fr.
42 Wyatt Gilmore DL 6-4 245 Fr.
44 Taylor Wein DL 6-4 267 R-Fr.
45 Hampton Fay TE 6-5 245 R-Jr.
45 Mykel Patterson-McDonald DB 5-10 172 Fr.
46 Dax Noles DB 6-0 192 Fr.
47 James Nesta LB 6-3 216 Fr.
48 Luke Elzinga P 6-4 229 R-Sr.
48 Jocelyn Malaska DB 6-1 186 R-So.
50 Ben Anderson LS 6-5 240 R-So.
51 Branson Hickman OL 6-2 301 R-Sr.
52 Troy Everett OL 6-3 308 R-Jr.
52 Damonic Williams DL 6-1 319 Jr.
54 Febechi Nwaiwu OL 6-4 339 R-Jr.
55 Eddy Pierre-Louis OL 6-3 305 Fr.
Sept. 28 at Auburn, 2:30-3:30 p.m. BYE WEEK
Oct. 12 vs. Texas, 2:30 p.m. ABC or ESPN
Oct. 19 vs. South Carolina, 11-Noon Oct. 26 at Ole Miss, 11-Noon
Nov. 2 vs. Maine, 1:30 p.m. ESPN+ or SECN+
55 Ashton Sanders DL 6-1 295 R-Fr.
56 Eugene Brooks OL 6-3 336 Fr.
56 Gracen Halton DL 6-2 291 Jr.
57 Gunnar Allen OL 6-0 297 R-So.
58 Spencer Brown OL 6-6 321 R-Sr.
58 Ethan Lane LS 5-11 230 R-Sr.
61 Kenneth Wermy OL 6-5 305 R-Fr.
64 Joshua Bates OL 6-3 309 R-Fr.
65 Jayden Jackson DL 6-2 300 Fr.
65 Ty Kubicek OL 6-2 294 R-Fr.
66 Geirean Hatchett OL 6-5 312 R-Sr.
70 Michael Tarquin OL 6-6 317 R-Sr
71 Logan Howland OL 6-6 317 R-Fr.
72 Josh Aisosa OL 6-3 323 Fr.
73 Isaiah Autry-Dent OL 6-6 310 Fr.
74 Evan McClure OL 6-4 275 Fr.
75 Daniel Akinkunmi OL 6-6 321 Fr.
76 Jacob Sexton OL 6-6 322 Jr.
77 Heath Ozaeta OL 6-5 318 R-Fr.
79 Jake Taylor OL 6-6 309 R-So.
80 Josh Fanuiel TE 6-3 250 R-Jr.
80 Bergin Kysar DL 6-3 245 Fr.
81 Zion Ragins WR 5-8 145 Fr.
82 Ivan Carreon WR 6-6 223 Fr.
83 Major Melson WR 5-10 187 R-Sr.
85
Nov. 9 at Missouri, 2:30-3:30 or 5-7 p.m.
BYE WEEK
Nov. 23 vs. Alabama, 2:30-3:30 or 5-7 p.m.
Nov. 30 at LSU, 2:30-3:30 or 5-7 p.m.
‘He’s
just in a different place’
Venables praises Spears-Jennings in 2nd half against Houston
TARIK MASRI TRANSCRIPT SPORTS EDITOR
Two back-to-back plays early in the second half nearly sucked the air out of Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and could’ve easily led to the Sooners’ first loss of the season.
After a first half in which both defenses dominated, Houston’s Donovan Smith took a shot down field with Joseph Manjack IV one-onone with Woodi Washington. The Sooners’ veteran cornerback came down with an impressive catch, but was called for a controversial defensive pass interference penalty.
Plenty of time elapsed before the next play as the officials discussed the call and marked off 15 yards for the Cougars’ offense. But when the ball was set, the Cougars wasted no time getting to the line and took a deep shot to the other side
line, where Manjack was left wide open for a 44-yard touchdown.
It was a clear busted coverage. Cornerback Kani Walker let Manjack run down the sideline, clearly expecting safety Robert Spears-Jennings to cover him over the top.
It was a troubling sign that the side of the ball the Sooners’ had been solely relying on throughout the game was starting to show cracks.
But head coach Brent Venables said at Tuesday’s press conference that the blame for that touchdown should be placed on the coaching staff.
Plenty of time elapsed between Washington’s penalty and the next snap as officials discussed the play and counted off 15 yards for the Cougars. However when the ball was set, Houston’s offense snapped the ball within five seconds.
There were signs of trouble
Paxson Haws | The Transcript
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SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
SoonerswaryofTulaneafterstrugglingtobeatHouston
CLIFF BRUNT ASSOCIATED PRESS
NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma coach Brent Venables opened his weekly media session by rattling off several of Tulane’s accomplishments over the past few years.
Among them was the Green Wave’s 10-game road win streak — the third best active run in the country behind Georgia and Michigan — and their 24-6 record over the past two seasons.
He stayed on the most recent achievements the longest —- the Green Wave outgained Kansas State by 95 yards last week and led the 17th-ranked Wildcats 20-10 at halftime before losing 34-27 in New Orleans.
Venables considers the fact that the Green Wave play in the American Athletic Conference irrelevant. What matters to him is that Tulane beat Southern California in the Cotton Bowl two seasons ago, went 11-3 last season and already has shown itself capable against a ranked opponent this season.
The 15th-ranked Sooners (2-0) are next up for the Green Wave (1-1) on Saturday.
“We’ve got to put together a great game plan, and our guys will be excited to play,
Matthew Hinton | Associated Press
Tulane running back Makhi Hughes (21) runs against Kansas State safety Jordan Riley (6) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in New Orleans, Saturday, Sept. 7.
and it will be a great challenge for us,” Venables said.
Tulane running back Makhi Hughes has been a key piece of an offense that averages 481 yards per game. He ran for 128 yards and a touchdown against Kansas State. Last season, he rushed for 1,378 yards and seven touchdowns and was the American Athletic Conference’s Rookie of the Year.
While Tulane’s offense has been strong, Oklahoma’s has sputtered a bit with first-year starting quarterback Jackson Arnold. The Sooners
gained just 249 yards as they squeaked out a 16-12 win over Houston last Saturday.
Venables said Arnold is going through growing pains behind an offensive line that is dealing with numerous injuries.
“He’s a mature, tough guy, and so he’s handled all of it really well,” Venables said. “Again, has had great selfawareness and has taken ownership where he’s needed to, and that’s allowed him to take the next step as far as his progression and development.”
KANSAS ST 34, TULANE 27
K-State 3 7 10 14 — 34
Tulane 7 13 0 7 — 27
First Quarter
KSU — FG Tennant 48, 3:05.
TULN — Hughes 3 run (J.Barnes kick), :49.
Second Quarter
TULN — Bauman 36 pass from Mensah (J.Barnes kick), 13:20.
KSU — Swanson 7 pass from A.Johnson (Tennant kick), 10:16.
TULN — FG J.Barnes 40, 4:57.
TULN — FG J.Barnes 41, 1:01.
Third Quarter
KSU — FG Tennant 28, 7:49.
KSU — Giddens 45 pass from A. Johnson (Tennant kick), 2:26.
Fourth Quarter
TULN — Bauman 13 pass from Mensah (J.Barnes kick), 14:01.
KSU — D.Edwards 13 run (Tennant kick), 11:20.
KSU — Fabris 60 fumble return (Tennant kick), 8:13.
A — 25,034.
KSU TULN
First downs 19 21
Total Net Yards 396 491
Help could be on the way for Arnold. Oklahoma’s top returning receiver, Nic Anderson, has not played this season while recovering from an undisclosed injury. Venables said during the SEC teleconference that the 6-foot-4 sophomore could return on Saturday after practicing during the week. Anderson had 38 catches for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
Rushes-yards 33-215 37-149
Passing 181 342
Punt Returns 0-0 1-2
Kickoff Returns 1-10 6-152
Interceptions Ret. 1-0 0-0
Comp-Att-Int 15-23-0 19-29-1
Sacked-Yards Lost 0-0 5-36
Punts 5-39.0 4-43.25
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-1
Penalties-Yards 7-55 9-80
Time of Possession 26:49 33:11
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Kansas St., Giddens 19-114, Edwards 4-54, A.Johnson 8-40, K.Johnson 1-8, (Team) 1-(minus 1). Tulane, Hughes 21-128, A.Barnes 5-18, Thompson 1-9, Clayton-Johnson 2-3, Mensah 8-(minus 9).
PASSING: Kansas St., A.Johnson 15-23-0-181. Tulane, Mensah 19-29-1342.
RECEIVING: Kansas St., Giddens 4-63, K.Johnson 3-51, Swanson 2-18, Spivey 2-12, Brown 1-17, Loftin 1-12, Oakley 1-10, Edwards 1-(minus 2). Tulane, Mar.Williams 6-128, Hughes 5-37, Fleming 4-97, Bauman 2-49, Y. Brown 2-31.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: Kansas St., Tennant 53.
STORMY WEATHER
Tulane once again found itself trying to dodge bad weather before playing Oklahoma.
In 2021, the game scheduled to be played in New Orleans was moved to Norman because of Hurricane Ida.
This time, tropical storm Francine is forcing changes in plans. The Green Wave don’t have an indoor practice
Past Meetings
2021 (Norman) — 45-35, OU
2017 (Norman) — 56-14, OU
facility, but the New Orleans Saints accommodated them on Tuesday so they could get work in.
That was just one of several adjustments Tulane had to make.
“Practice isn’t the number one focus,” Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said. “Health and safety is.”
FAMILIAR FACE
Former Oklahoma receiver Mario Williams will play his former team for the first time.
Williams left the Sooners for Southern California, then transferred to Tulane. He said he still has several close friends at Oklahoma and looks forward to facing them.
“I’m definitely not worried about the environment or going back there or trying to do do more or do less, you know?” he said. “I’m just trying to be me and go out there
THINGS TO WATCH
ColoradoneedswintoquellnegativevibeinwakeoflosstoHuskers
ERIC OLSON AP COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRITER
Did Shedeur Sanders throw his offensive line under the figurative bus in his comments after Colorado got clobbered at Nebraska?
Was it poor form for Deion Sanders to post pictures of himself on social media the next day?
And did “Coach Prime” really instruct the CU band to hold off playing the fight song after quarterback son Shedeur scores a touchdown so the song Shedeur recorded, “Perfect Timing,” can be played over the Folsom Field loudspeakers? The university issued a statement to say that wasn’t true; Sanders called the notion “idiotic.”
With the Buffs coming off their ninth loss in 11 games, and the Sanders brand the identity of the program, those were the subjects debated this week by their frustrated fans and the haters.
The bottom line is that CU (1-1) looks pretty much the same as last season’s fourwin team and fans’ patience could be wearing thin. Now comes the Rocky Mountain Showdown against Colorado State (1-1), a rivalry game with a nasty history that will be played in Fort Collins on
Rebecca S. Gratz | Associated Press
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, right, talks with quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) on the sideline between plays against Nebraska during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, in Lincoln, Neb.
Saturday for the first time since 1996.
CSU led last year’s game in Boulder 28-17 with eight minutes left in regulation and ended up losing 43-35 in overtime. Things got ugly when Rams safety Henry Blackburn, who is still on the team, received death threats for a late hit that sent Travis Hunter to the hospital with a lacerated liver. Blackburn and Hunter went bowling
together a couple weeks later to show there were no hard feelings.
Last week’s game at Nebraska was billed as a referendum on the jobs second-year coaches Deion Sanders and Matt Rhule are doing, and the way they are going about them. Advantage Rhule. The 28-10 loss raises the stakes for the Buffs’ short trip to Fort Collins. CU is a 7 1/2-point favorite, according
to BetMGM Sportsbook. There are three other important in-state rivalry games.
No. 9 Oregon (2-0) visits Oregon State (2-0) and Washington (2-0) visits Washington State (2-0) for their first meetings since the disintegration of the Pac-12. If it seems early for the Apple Cup and the formerly named Civil War, you’re right, and both Oregon State and Washington State would love nothing better than grabbing bragging rights this particular season.
The Ducks are coming off close calls against Idaho and Boise State and have lost the last two times they visited Corvallis. The Huskies have won their first two games under new coach Jedd Fisch, but the emergence of Cougars quarterback John Mateer makes the trip to Pullman tricky.
No. 12 Utah (2-0) has allowed a combined 12 points in two games heading into its game at Utah State (1-1), which lost 48-0 at No. 11 Southern California last week and will be playing back-toback Top 25 opponents for the first time since 2013.
BEST GAME
No. 20 Arizona (2-0) at No.
14 Kansas State (2-0), Friday, 8 p.m. ET (Fox)
Yes, Arizona is in the Big 12 now, but this meeting and next year’s in Tucson will be nonconference games. The home-and-home series was put on the schedule eight years ago, and neither school could find replacement nonconference games after Arizona was invited to join the Big 12 in August 2023.
This is the first big test for first-year Arizona coach Brent Brennan. QB Noah Fifita and star WR Tetairoa McMillan will be a handful for a K-State pass defense that allowed 342 yards against Tulane last week.
HEISMAN WATCH
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe, who led his team to four straight fourth-quarter touchdowns to break open a close game with South Florida, can become a serious contender with a strong performance at Wisconsin.
Milroe, sixth in 2023 Heisman Trophy voting, has accounted for nine touchdowns for the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide. His four rushing TDs are most by any FBS quarterback, and his five through the air rank fourth.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
9 — Teams averaging at
least 50 points per game through Week 2, including four from the SEC. 47 — Oklahoma’s consecutive wins against unranked nonconference opponents entering its home game against Tulane.
106 — Previous meetings between Pittsburgh and West Virginia, with the Panthers leading the Backyard Brawl rivalry 62-41-3.
1968 — The last time Indiana, which visits UCLA, played in the Rose Bowl stadium.
1992 — The last time Florida (1-1), which hosts Texas A&M, lost two of three games to open a season.
UNDER THE RADAR
The fact Florida State coach Mike Norvell is facing Memphis, the school he left in 2020, makes for an interesting matchup. The fact the Seminoles are in desperate need of a win adds to the intrigue.
The Tigers head to FSU as 6 1/2-point underdogs and 2-2 in their last four games against power-conference opponents.
Memphis fourth-year starting quarterback Seth Henigan won’t be intimidated at Doak Walker Stadium.
OU’s Robert Spears-Jennings makes a tackle during the Sooners’ game against West Virginia, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
SPOTLIGHT
CONTINUED FROM G5
before the play even started as several players were clearly trying to communicate to each other what their roles are. Venables said the playcall came in late from the sidelines.
Spears-Jennings was trying to communicate with linebacker Danny Stutsman as the ball was snapped and never had a chance to cover the outside receiver.
But the defense didn’t crumble after the touchdown. Moments later they
forced an incompletion on the two-point conversion that would’ve tied the game.
“I loved our humility and edge,” Venables said. “… the defense was confident coming out of the game, but they knew they left some meat on the bone when it comes to their performance.”
Houston wouldn’t score again for the rest of the game and would actually get out-scored by the Sooners’ defense 2-0 the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Sooners’ offense wasn’t getting anything going, producing eight-straight scoreless drives to end the game.
Through two games Oklahoma’s defense has allowed just 15 points and one touchdown. They’ve allowed 257 yards per game, forcing eight turnovers, though one came from a muffed punt on special teams.
There’s still been plenty of room for improvement, particularly against the pass.
The Cougars completed 86% of their 28 passes and averaged 10.8 yards per completion.
Houston held the ball for 35:03 of game time and prevented the Sooners’ offense from getting on the field and finding a rhythm.
“At times we tried to do a little bit too much last week,” Venables said. “As I said, i felt the end result was pretty good defensively, but they had one drive that was like seven and a half minutes and they went 20 yards, and that’s frustrating.”
Last season, Venables said Spears-Jennings may have let t he touchdown get him down, but his growth in maturity was on display on Saturday.
Early in the fourth quarter the Cougars faced a third-and-16 and Smith tried to take shot up the seam. Spears-Jennings read
the play the whole way and jumped in front of the pass for his first career interception.
“A year ago he would’ve still been on the bench holding his head (after the penalty),” Venables said. “His mental toughness going on his third year, he’s just in a different place. I don’t know if most players (have) that.”
On the Cougars’ next drive he made back to back tackles including a tackle for loss on second-and-3. The Sooners’ defense stopped them again on third down to force a punt.
The junior from Broken Arrow was tied for third on
the team in total tackles with five. Through two games he’s second on the team with nine total tackles with a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception. Spears-Jennings entered the year with 21 games played, but no takeaways.
The Sooners have now forced an interception in eight straight games and in 24 of their 28 games under Venables.
Tarik Masri is the sports editor for The Transcript covering OU athletics and area sports. You can reach him by emailing tarik@normantranscript.com
The Transcript FIle Photo
KeystatsforOklahoma’sgameagainstHouston
TARIK MASRI TRANSCRIPT SPORTS EDITOR
2
It seemed likely that the Sooners’ tight ends would see an increased role under the team’s new coordinators, but the difference has been drastic in the first two games.
Jake Roberts scored the Sooners’ second receiving touchdown of the season by a tight end. Bauer Sharp caught the other against Temple. The Sooners have now matched their total number of receiving scores caught by tight ends last season.
Sharp and Roberts have combined to catch nine passes for 103 yards. Roberts also hauled in a key 28-yard catch late in last week’s win.
5
WATCH
CONTINUED FROM G8
The question is whether FSU’s struggling DJ Uiagalelei will feel comfortable in front of the antsy home fans.
HOT SEAT
It was only three years ago Baylor won the Big 12 championship and was in the top 10 after going 12-2 under Dave Aranda. The next two years saw the Bears col-
TULANE
CONTINUED FROM G7
lapse the second half of the season, and they go into Saturday’s home game against Air Force with losses in 10 of their last 14 games. Air Force traditionally causes problems because of its rarely seen triple-option offense. The good news for Aranda is that this does not appear to be a vintage Falcons ground game. Air Force had only two plays from scrimmage go for more than 8 yards in a loss to San Jose State.
Just go down or get it out. And we learned the hard way in a couple of those.”
5
Over the last 30 games here are the top four programs in total wins — Georgia (30), Michigan (29), Washington (27) and Alabama (25). Tulane is next with 24 wins over that span. Now under a new head coach, the Green Wave still believe they can earn a spot into the College Football Playoff.
70
This is the first time since 2007 that Oklahoma has held three consecutive opponents to 70 yards rushing or fewer. Houston finished with
Through two games Arnold has completed 36 of 57 passes (63%) with six touchdowns and one interception. However, 58% of his completions have gone to just two receivers — Deion Burks (15) and Brenen Thompson (six). The Sooners other receivers have caught just five passes through two games. One was caught by Jalil Farooq who will miss significant time due to injury. Another was Andrel Anthony who played limited snaps in the opener and not at all against Houston. Zion Ragins (two) and Ivan Carreon (one) are the only other receivers that have caught a pass this season.
58 yards on the ground and the Sooners held Temple and Arizona to 69 and 29 yards rushing respectively. They’re currently 15th nationally in rushing yards allowed per game (63.5) and are 11th in yards per carry allowed (1.79).
25
According to OU’s communications department, the Sooners’ Week 2 depth chart consisted of 25 freshmen and 18 true freshmen. Through two games the Sooners have already played 32 freshmen.
47
Oklahoma hasn’t lost to a non-conference unranked opponent since 2005 (UCLA). Fittingly, the Sooners reached the mark on a night they were
honoring Bud Wilkinson and a different 47-game winning streak.
This game is the third and final game scheduled between the two programs that was first announced in 2015. The Sooners won both meetings in Norman in 2017 and 2021. The 2021 game was originally scheduled to be played in New Orleans, but it was moved to Norman due to Hurricane Ida. A Green Wave was painted on the 25 yard line of Owen Field for the game as a sign of support.
Tarik Masri is the sports editor for The Transcript covering OU athletics and area sports. You can reach him by emailing tarik@normantranscript.com
and have fun.”
TALENTED REPLACEMENT
Longtime Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt is now on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad, and Darian Mensah has stepped in and been a playmaker. He passed for 342 yards and two touchdowns against Kansas State, but he had two key turnovers in the fourth quarter, including a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and an interception that ended the Green Wave’s final threat.
“He’s got to know when the journey is over,” Sumrall said. “You know, like, hey, sometimes the show’s over.
TURNING THEM OVER
Oklahoma is tied for the national lead with eight forced turnovers and leads the nation in turnover margin at plus 7.
“They attack the ball and the ball carrier,” Sumrall said. “They swarm, they run with great energy to the football and they got guys that can make plays. And like I said, they put you in binds with what they do schematically.”
CLOSE CALL
In 2021, Oklahoma was heavily favored, but the Green Wave had the ball near midfield in the closing minutes before losing 40-35 to the second-ranked Sooners in Norman.
Paxson Haws | The Transcript OU football players celebrate a play during the game against Houston Sept. 7.
MASRI
CONTINUED FROM G3 AP Top 25
to suddenly flip the switch on their issues from last week if they play.
This is the offense head coach Brent Venables has at his disposal going into his third season and first in the Southeastern Conference.
“Bill Bedenbaugh knows better than anybody, nobody wants to hear that that’s your fourth center,” Venables said on Tuesday. “Nobody cares about that and that’s cool.
“ ... That’s really the focus. Focusing on the things we can control and keep getting better.”
The Sooners can improve and the expectation absolutely should remain that they do. It isn’t just the players, the Sooners’ coaching staff faces a unique challenge with the personnel that they have available and need to adjust the offense accordingly.
How they approach that challenge will determine a lot about the Sooners’ season.
“Just try to call it how it is and try to support in all the ways that you can,” Venables said. “We should rely on the strength of our team. Every year it’s going to be a little bit different. You try to help the areas that need help and get everybody better.”
The team they just played had their quarterback running for his life in the season opener against UNLV. They went from allowing six sacks to the Rebels to allowing two to the Sooners.
While improvement likely
1. Georgia (54) 2-0
2. Texas (4) 2-0
3. Ohio St. (5) 2-0
4. Alabama 2-0
5. Mississippi 2-0
6. Missouri 2-0
7. Tennessee 2-0
8. Penn St. 2-0
9. Oregon 2-0
10. Miami 2-0
11. Southern Cal 2-0
12. Utah 2-0
13. Oklahoma St.
14. Kansas St. 2-0
15. Oklahoma 2-0
played a role in getting more protection for Donovan Smith, the adjustments they made allowed him to showcase his ability. He finished 24-28 through the air for 260 yards.
The Cougars were clearly outmatched on that side of the ball, but their offense gave their team a better chance to win by how they controlled the ball.
Oklahoma’s offensive approach against Tulane will be far more interesting than either of the two previous games. The Sooners didn’t show much of their playbook, but may need to prepare for more with a tough Tulane team coming to town.
Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell may also decide to keep the offense simple to account for
16. LSU 1-1
17. Michigan 1-1
18. Notre Dame 1-1
19. Louisville 2-0
20. Arizona 2-0
21. Iowa St.
22. Clemson 1-1
23. Nebraska 2-0
24. Boston College 2-0
25. Northern Illinois 2-0
Others receiving votes: Illinois
101, Boise St. 77, Texas A&M 68, Syracuse 63, Memphis 38, Washington 27, Iowa 24, Kansas 22, Vanderbilt 18, South Carolina 10, Liberty 9, Wisconsin 9, UNLV 7, North Carolina 7, California 3, BYU 2, UCF 1, TCU 1.
the group’s inexperience. Without major improvements it doesn’t seem likely the Sooners can continue doing what they’re doing and expect to remain unbeaten.
“It’s a little bit of everything,” Venables said after the game. “So, got to go back and reevaluate a lot of things, but there’s some opportunities there in the game that allowed us to get a rhythm, and we missed some of those opportunities, so we’ll have to go back and look at that. We have to get a whole heck of a lot better, quickly.”
Tarik Masri is the sports editor for The Transcript covering OU athletics and area sports. You can reach him by emailing tarik@normantranscript.
Paxson Haws | The Transcript
OU’s Dez Malone celebrates a play during the game against Houston Sept. 7.
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