Tulane Green Wave at Oklahoma Sooners
· NCAA - FootballJackson Arnold runs for 2 scores, passes for another as No. 15 Oklahoma tops Tulane 34-19
Arnold passed for 169 yards and ran for 97. Freshman running back Taylor Tatum caught a touchdown pass and ran for a score, and Deion Burks caught seven passes for 80 yards to help lead the Sooners.
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables liked how the Sooners responded after struggling to beat Houston 16-12 in their previous game.
“You go into a week where there’s a lot of questions and concern, if you will, and they did a great job of managing the week and focusing on what they need to do to improve and get better and take another step forward," Venables said.
The Sooners (3-0) won their final tune-up before playing their first Southeastern Conference game next Saturday at home against Tennessee.
Oklahoma expected a tough game against the Green Wave. Tulane was coming off a 34-27 loss to then-No. 17 Kansas State last week. And the Sooners remembered the close call in 2021, when No. 2 Oklahoma held on to beat Tulane 40-35.
The Green Wave (1-2) again challenged the Sooners and came up just short. Darian Mensah completed just 14 of 32 passes for 166 yards, and Makhi Hughes ran for 71 yards and caught a touchdown pass.
“Very disappointed in the outcome today," Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said. "Frustrated with a lot of things I think we could have done better. Hat’s off to a good opponent. They’re a quality football team. They’re very talented in a lot of spots and they’re well coached.”
The Sooners held Tulane to 279 yards and ended the Green Wave’s 10-game road win streak.
Oklahoma defensive end R. Mason Thomas dominated down the stretch. In a little more than four minutes late in the game, he had three sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. His biggest play was his last one — he sacked Mensah, stripped the ball and recovered it to shut down Tulane’s final threat with 1:40 remaining.
Early on, it didn't appear Thomas' heroics would be necessary. Many fans left early when the Sooners went up by three touchdowns.
Tulane stayed in it when backup quarterback Ty Thompson connected with Reggie Brown for a 7-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds left in the second quarter. The extra point failed, and the Sooners led 21-6 at halftime.
The Green Wave hung tough. Hughes' 8-yard touchdown catch on fourth down was upheld upon review, and Tulane cut Oklahoma's lead to 24-13 in the third.
Tyler Grubbs' 22-yard interception return for a touchdown to start the fourth quarter threw a scare into the Sooners. The Green Wave missed the 2-point conversion, and Oklahoma's lead was cut to 24-19.
Arnold's second TD run, a 24-yarder, put the Sooners up 31-19 with 6:05 to go.
“Against a team like that, it’s almost impossible to dig yourselves a 21-0 hole and think you’ve got any chance to come back and win," Sumrall said. "So very disappointed how we started. That falls on me. Didn’t didn’t get us ready to play the game early the right way.”
Oklahoma: The defense was good again, but the passing game has yet to produce 200 yards in a game. The Sooners have made up for their aerial struggles with timely plays on offense and an opportunistic defense.
Williams caught 35 passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns for the Sooners in 2021. He transferred to USC and caught 69 passes for 936 yards and seven touchdowns in two seasons with the Trojans. He entered Saturday’s game with 10 catches for 252 yards this season.
Oklahoma: Hosts No. 7 Tennessee in its Southeastern Conference opener next Saturday.
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How To Watch
How can I watch Tulane Green Wave vs. Oklahoma Sooners?
- TV Channel: Green Wave at Sooners 2021 College Football, week 3, is broadcasted on ESPN.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Matchup Prediction
Scoring Summary
TD | 1st Period 7:36 | Jackson Arnold 1 Yd Run (Tyler Keltner Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 10:02 | Taylor Tatum 9 Yd pass from Jackson Arnold (Tyler Keltner Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 3:39 | Taylor Tatum 1 Yd Run (Tyler Keltner Kick) | |
TD | 2nd Period 0:19 | Reggie Brown 7 Yd pass from Ty Thompson (Ethan Head PAT failed) | |
FG | 3rd Period 9:20 | Tyler Keltner 29 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 3rd Period 4:45 | Makhi Hughes 8 Yd pass from Darian Mensah (Ethan Head Kick) | |
TD | 4th Period 14:20 | Tyler Grubbs 22 Yd Interception Return (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed) | |
TD | 4th Period 6:05 | Jackson Arnold 24 Yd Run (Tyler Keltner Kick) | |
FG | 4th Period 2:55 | Tyler Keltner 39 Yd Field Goal |
Statistics
TULN | OU | |
---|---|---|
16 | 1st Downs | 23 |
5-15 | 3rd down efficiency | 8-16 |
1-2 | 4th down efficiency | 0-0 |
279 | Total Yards | 349 |
173 | Passing | 167 |
15/33 | Comp/Att | 19/30 |
5.2 | Yards per pass | 5.6 |
106 | Rushing | 182 |
34 | Rushing Attempts | 45 |
3.1 | Yards per rush | 4.0 |
9-60 | Penalties | 6-45 |
2 | Turnovers | 1 |
1 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
1 | Interceptions thrown | 1 |
28:18 | Possession | 31:42 |
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