Game Recap: Tulane

Wow. What a finish. In 2022, the fourth quarter was our worst quarter of the game each week; this week, we won the game in the fourth quarter. I will get my first R Mason Thomas appreciation sentence here now. What a performance.

1st Quarter

Except for one drive where we went three and out, the offense was solid in the first quarter. They looked better here than they have all year. Three third-down conversions on the opening drive, a consistent running game, good pass protection, and accurate passes from Jackson Arnold. Some questionable play calls resulted in a three-and-out, but they put together another nice drive afterward. I reiterate this was the best our offense has looked all season. The running game left something to be desired, as they had trouble consistently passing the linebackers. That said, this was an excellent start to the game.

The Sooners' defense set the tone early, dominating the first quarter and setting the stage for a strong performance. They forced three consecutive three-and-outs, allowing just one first down and 36 total yards. Tulane's offense struggled to find any rhythm, with freshman phenom Jayden Jackson and the Sooners' defensive line consistently penetrating the backfield and disrupting the Green Wave's running game. Tulane RB Makahi Hughes was held to just seven yards on four carries, and quarterback Darian Mensah was unable to get much of anything going through the air. The Sooners' secondary blanketed Tulane's receivers and limited them to just two completions for 10 yards.

Score at the end of this quarter: 7-0 OU.

2nd Quarter

Our coaches saw how well the offense played in the first quarter and said, "Hey, let's do that again." Two beautiful touchdown drives in the second quarter ignited an extra level of excitement for Taylor Tatum. That kid will be fun to watch through the next couple of years. My main complaint in the second quarter on offense was more of a special teams/coaching blunder. We had an opportunity to sink a 50-yard field goal (which, when he tried it, went through), but the coaches not calling a timeout to prevent a delay of game knocked us out of field goal range. It looked for quite some time like that would come back to haunt us. Thankfully, it didn't. That said, the offensive line continued to dominate, and Jackson Arnold continued to dominate the Tulane defense. Something we all learned today: QB1 has some wheels. It was looking like OU might hang half a hundred on them. Unfortunately, this was the end of the consistently good offensive production.

Tulane found its footing during the second quarter. Our run defense remained strong, but the passing game opened up. Towards the end of the quarter, they engineered an 11-play, 75-yard drive to cut the lead to 21-6 heading into halftime. Overall, the Sooners' defense still managed to limit the damage with a bend-but-don’t-break quarter of ball.

Score at the end of this quarter: 21-6 OU.

3rd Quarter

The offense started great in the third quarter, but the pass protection began to collapse. While going 2-3 on third down on the opening drive, the drive stopped when Jackson Arnold was sacked for the first time. On top of this, the run game (both RB and QB run games) was beginning to shut down. We would have the ball only one more time in the third quarter, which had the same ending as the first drive: a sack allowed on third down. At this point, our run game was non-existent, and Jackson Arnold had no time to go through more than one read at a time. Eventually, Jackson Arnold decided he was done getting shut down by Tulane. In a bold move on third and eleven after a Billy Bowman interception, Jackson Arnold ran like a grown man for the end zone. The defense won the rest of the quarter. After a lackluster second half offensively, the offense finished strong (enough).

The defense lapsed to start the second half, allowing Tulane to score on a nine-play, 75-yard drive. The Sooners' defense struggled with tackling, missing several opportunities to stop Tulane's ballcarriers for minimal gains. Despite this, they continued to pressure Mensah, forcing several errant throws later in the quarter. As the quarter progressed, the Sooners' defense adjusted, stiffening back up against the run and forcing Tulane into passing situations that played to their strengths.

Score at the end of this quarter: 24-13 OU.

4th Quarter

The first half of the fourth quarter was... terrible. The OU offense did everything possible to squander the 21-0 lead they held late in the first half. Our first real play of the quarter (the first play didn't count due to a penalty) was a terrible pick-six. Tulane sent a four-man rush, one of whom went unblocked, which caused the throw. Our next two drives were both three-and-outs, resulting in a net loss of a yard. The elite offense we had in the first half was gone and forgotten. Jackson Arnold was sacked for the third time in the second half. The run game had nowhere to run. The offensive line wouldn't block anyone. The offense had fallen apart.

The Sooners' defense regained their form late in the game, forcing two crucial turnovers that sealed the win. Billy Bowman and R Mason Thomas earned their stripes as the players of the game. Billy Bowman intercepted Darian Mensah, setting up a game-sealing touchdown run by Jackson Arnold. On an ensuing drive, R Mason Thomas got a critical strip-sack on Mensah and recovered the fumble, ending any real hopes of a Tulane comeback. The defense held Tulane to just 27 yards and zero points over their next four drives after the third-quarter scoring drive.

Final Score: 34-19 OU.

Observations

• R Mason Thomas is a monster. He finally got loose, and he would not be denied.

• Danny Stutsman's somehow better than last year? He was running wild.

• Jackson Arnold is FAST.

• Despite how they looked much of the second half, the offensive line is improving. They looked better than they did against Houston or Temple by a mile.

• Taylor Tatum is everything we hoped he would be.

• This defense will win us games we shouldn't win this year.

• We have an elite rush defense.

• Our pass defense has a lot of work to do.

• Our receivers are getting better. They have a lot of work to do. But there's something there they're beginning to figure out.

Another week, another defensive masterclass by Zac Alley and company. It wasn’t perfect at points toward the middle of the game, but through most of it, the defense created chaos with unique pressure schemes and excellent coverage across the wide field Tulane wanted to leverage. It was all capped off by R Mason Thomas’s emergence as the leader of the defensive line late in the game. Overall, this was a very successful game for the defense, only allowing 12 points by Tulane’s offense.

Key Players

• R Mason Thomas: Three tackles (all solo, all sacks), one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one pass deflection.

• Deion Burks: Seven catches, 80 yards.

• Danny Stutsman: 12 tackles, six solo.

• Robert Spears-Jennings: Seven tackles, six solo.

• Billy Bowman: Three tackles (all solo), one interception.

• Jackson Arnold: 18-29, 169 yards, one touchdown, one interception. 14 rushes, 97 yards, two touchdowns.

• Taylor Tatum: Nine rushes, 27 yards, one touchdown. One catch, nine yards, one touchdown.

Other Stats

• Offense: 19-30, 167 yards, 5.6 yards per pass, one touchdown, one interception. 45 rushes, 182 yards, four yards per rush. 8-16 on third down, 0-0 on fourth down, 23 total first downs.

• Defense: 5-15 on third down, 1-3 on fourth down, 5.1 yards per pass and 3.1 yards per run—15 first downs.

Once again, Oklahoma aged us by 40 years with their play but found a way to win (and cover the spread!). The offense is improving, but we face a daunting task against Tennessee next week. Let's hope our offense is healthy and ready to go, that our defense continues its dominance, and let's celebrate OU being 3-0 to start the year. Boomer!

All stats above courtesy of ESPN and the Apple Sports App. Photo of Gracen Halton courtesy of The Oklahoman.