The regular season officially began in Norman, Oklahoma, and the Sooners started it with a bang. We beat the Temple Owls with an elite defense and... an offense. Overall, I'm happy we won the game. We need to resolve some issues, but we will dive into those later in the post. Returning to the format we used for part of last year, I (Chris) will write the offensive paragraphs and the other stats. My brother, Sam, will write the defensive paragraphs.
1st Quarter
The game couldn't have started much better offensively. Jackson Arnold had a couple of beautiful passes on the opening drive, including a bomb to Jalil Farooq and a perfect pass to Bauer Sharp for the season's first touchdown. On the next drive, we saw a perfect mix of running and passing, ending with the first of three touchdown passes to Deion Burks. The rest of the quarter? Not great. We had a net loss of one yard on the following two drives. The second drive of those two ended with a field goal because we intercepted a pass in Temple territory. But hey, a 50-yard field goal? Do we have a kicking game again? You won't see me complaining. Unfortunately, the woes on those two drives were signs of troubles yet to come.
Score at the end of this quarter: 17-0 OU
2nd Quarter
The second quarter was a bit more of the same offensively. We started with a field goal and completed several touchdown passes to Deion Burks throughout the quarter. So why aren't I more excited? Because we could not convert on third down. And it did not get better throughout the game. Our first drive of the second quarter was a 12-play, 34-yard drive because we couldn't convert on third down. We had to settle for a field goal. We only went to third down one more time. And we couldn't gain three yards. One of our many turnovers on defense allowed us to get another touchdown before the half. However, the offensive line had stopped protecting Jackson Arnold, and they weren't consistently opening holes in the run game. We would break off a 20-yard run, then lose two yards on the next two runs. The inconsistency was... frustrating. All that said, Jackson Arnold looks good. Really good. The issues with our offense came from the offensive line. Arnold was accurate, and Deion Burks has the potential to win the Biletnikoff. Jackson Arnold ended the half with four touchdown passes.
The first half was characterized largely by stellar defensive line play and a strikingly alert secondary. Temple QB Forrest Brock was unable to complete a forward pass until the first play of the second quarter, despite having four drives prior to that one. Ultimately, that drive ended in a turnover. In fact, 3 of Temple’s first 5 drives ended in turnovers. Pressure and penetration from true freshman DT Jayden Jackson and transfer DT Damonic Williams created some healthy chaos that turned into opportunities for the Sooner offense. Junior DT Gracen Halton got in on the first half action as well, completing a key fumble recovery near the end of the first half and wreaking havoc on the Owls’ offensive line.
Score at the end of this quarter: 34-0 OU
3rd Quarter
I wish there were more to celebrate offensively in the third quarter, but they didn't do too much. Most of our celebration came from the defensive play. We went the first three quarters without converting on third down. We went three and out on two of our three drives in the third quarter and got down to the five on the other. Couldn't convert. Not much to go into in the third quarter. My main point of emphasis is that we couldn't convert on third down against Temple. When you look at our schedule this year, that is a big red flag.
Score at the end of this quarter: 37-3 OU
4th Quarter
We finally converted a third down! Was it our last real drive of the game on the last play of the drive? Maybe. Regardless, we finally converted on third down. Our offensive line started consistently blocking, allowing our run game to dominate. Taylor Tatum is exactly as advertised (the #1 running back in the country in the 2024 class). We saw a glimpse of Michael Hawkins Jr., and I would hate to have to race him. His ability with his arm is raw and untapped, but he could win the Heisman with some development. If not at OU, he will win it somewhere. He is also as advertised (top 10 QB in the 2024 class). Did I mention we got a special teams turnover/touchdown? Pretty nice.
The second half was not much different from the first. Different levels of depth rotated in and continued to take advantage of the many opportunities Temple presented for OU’s defense to make a positive impact on the game’s trajectory. Halton got back in on the action with another sack, while some younger guys took advantage of some chances as well. True freshman Mike Boganowski was all over the field, putting out signature hit-stick clobberings, while RS Freshman DT Markus Strong tallied back-to-back sacks on the final drive of the game.
All told, the Sooners defense walked away having caused 5 turnovers (the 6th on the stat line was a special teams turnover) and earned 6 sacks against a penetrable Temple offensive line. Youth and experience rotated effectively, and there were few opportunities that Temple presented upon which OU did not capitalize. The qualifier to this performance is that it was Temple of all teams, but the cohesion, size, and opportunism displayed by the Sooners is something that should be all at once inspiring and terrifying; for the Sooner faithful, the former, and the latter for their eventual SEC opponents.
Final Score: Temple 3, Oklahoma 51
Observations
Our defense is a monster. An absolute monster. I'll be shocked if they don't end the year as a top 20 defense (maybe even top 10).
Our defensive line will be one of the best in college football. Our linebackers will be some of the best in college.
This true freshmen class will get a lot of meaningful snaps this year on both sides of the ball. Absolutely elite talent in this class.
Our offensive line is terrible.
The issues that were reported about Jackson Arnold in the offseason were not because he is bad, but because the offensive line is... well. See above.
Gracen Halton. Beast.
Jackson Arnold and Deion Burks will have a Baker Mayfield and Deedee Westbrook in 2016 type of season if the offensive line can get better.
Deion Burks can win the Biletnikoff.
We have a kicker again! We made a 50 yard field goal for the first time since 2021.
There is a lot of potential on this team. But I'm worried about what year one in the SEC holds.
Key Players
Jackson Arnold: 17-25, 141 yards, four touchdowns. 11 rushes, 34 yards.
Deion Burks: Six catches, 36 yards, three touchdowns. Three rushes, 14 yards.
Bauer Sharp: Five catches, 47 yards, one touchdown.
Danny Stutsman: Six tackles, three solo.
Gracen Halton: Three tackles, two solo, 1.5 sacks, one tackle for loss
Other Stats
Offense: 19-29, 158 yards, 5.4 yards per pass, four touchdowns. 36 rushes, 220 yards, 6.1 yards per rush, one touchdown. 1-12 on third down, 3-3 on fourth down, 18 total first downs.
Defense: 4-13 on third down, 0-0 on fourth down, 5.2 yards per pass and 1.9 yards per run—13 first downs.
I am both ecstatic about the first game and annoyed. We dominated, and we struggled. The defense played lights out, but the offense... didn't. We scored 51 points yet still struggled offensively. I am very hopeful but also slightly worried about the season. That said, I believe our coaching staff will make the changes needed for us to dominate all year. Boomer!
All stats above courtesy of ESPN, The Athletic, and the Apple Sports App.
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