Game Primer: OU vs. Tulane

Saturday, September 14

Norman

2:30 p.m.

University of Oklahoma

Tulane

Tickets

NORMAN, OK - September 07, 2024 - The Oklahoma Football team takes the field during the game between the Houston Cougars and the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. Photo By Johnny Smiley/University of Oklahoma

Photo by: Johnny Smiley/University of Oklahoma

September 13, 2024 | Football

Game Day Central 100 Years of GFOMS Game Day Info

#15/13 Oklahoma

Tulane

Saturday, Sept. 14 / 2:30 p.m. CT / Owen Field

ESPN / Radio / Live Stats / Game Notes

OPENING KICK

• No. 15/13 Oklahoma (2-0) plays its third of four straight home games to open the 2024 season when it hosts Tulane (1-1) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman. The game will be televised by ESPN with Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Taylor McGregor announcing.

• Saturday's game is the last of a three-game series between OU and Tulane that was announced in 2015. The Sooners posted a 56-14 win in 2017 and a 40-35 victory in the 2021 season opener, both in Norman. The 2021 contest was originally scheduled to be played in New Orleans on Tulane's campus, but was moved on Monday of game week due to Hurricane Ida.

• The 2024 season marks the 130th in OU football history. The Sooners lead the nation with their 50 all-time conference championships, 27 11-plus-win seasons (tied), 33 AP top-five finishes and five No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks (tied). They rank second with their seven Heisman Trophy winners (tied), third with seven AP national championships, their 101 weeks as the AP's No. 1 team and 431 total weeks in the AP Top 5, and fourth with their 57 bowl appearances, 31 bowl wins (tied) and 417 NFL Draft picks.

• Saturday's contest will mark the 1,341st in OU history. The Sooners rank fifth in college football annals with their .725 all-time winning percentage (946-341-53 record). They trail Ohio State (.734), Michigan (.734), Alabama (.734) and Notre Dame (.729). Since the end of World War II (1946 season to present), OU leads all programs with 702 wins (31 more than Alabama, the program with the next most) and owns a .767 winning percentage.

• After posting a 51-3 season-opening win over Temple, the Sooners are coming off a 16-12 victory over Houston in which the defense allowed just 318 yards.

• Tulane, which went a combined 23-5 the last two seasons under former head coach Willie Fritz, posted a 52-0 home win over Southeastern Louisiana in week one before falling 34-27 at home to then-No. 17 Kansas State on Saturday. The Green Wave, which led 20-10 against KSU at halftime, held a 491-396 yardage advantage but had two turnovers to the Wildcats' none.

NORMAN, OK - August 30, 2024 - Oklahoma Defensive lineman Gracen Halton (#56) and Oklahoma Linebacker Danny Stutsman (#28) during the game between the Temple Owls and the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. Photo By Brendall Vargas/University of Oklahoma

GAME CAPTAINS

• This week's OU game captains are redshirt sophomore linebacker Kobie McKinzie, redshirt sophomore running back Gavin Sawchuk, junior offensive lineman Jacob Sexton, junior defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings and junior defensive lineman R Mason Thomas.

FOR THE FANS

• Approximately two hours and 15 minutes before each home game (12:15 p.m. this Saturday), OU players and coaches will arrive at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium via team buses and walk to their stadium entrance while being cheered by fans. This year's "Walk of Champions" path has changed and will originate from the Jenkins Ave./Brooks St. intersection just northeast of the stadium (view map here). The team will be led by the Sooner Schooner and OU Spirit.

• Saturday's contest marks OU's 2024 "Stripe the Stadium" game, with fans strongly encouraged to wear white or crimson depending on their section number. Even-numbered sections should wear white, while odd-numbered sections and the OU student section should wear crimson.

• Once again, "Party at the Palace, Presented by Allstate" will be held on the lawn immediately north of Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for fans of all ages, this week running from 10:30 to 2 p.m. Highlights include sponsor giveaways, music, food trucks and other vendors, Devon Energy's innovative STEM program "SportsLabs" and more. Additionally, the Sooner Radio Network (flagship 107.7 The Franchise) originates the start of its pregame show live from Party at the Palace beginning three hours prior to kickoff.

• OU announced a significant expansion of its public tailgating options for its debut football season in the SEC. The university has established new public tailgating areas at prime locations, including Boyd Lawn, along Asp Ave. and near Oklahoma Memorial Union. More details are available here.

• For a full list of OU game day policies, procedures and additional fan information, click here.

KEY STORYLINES

• Oklahoma has won 47 straight games against non-conference opponents unranked in the AP poll. The Sooners' last loss against an unranked non-conference foe came at UCLA on Sept. 17, 2005 (41-24; OU was ranked No. 21).

• Going back to the end of last season, OU has held each of its last three opponents to under 70 rushing yards. It gave up just 29 yards on the ground to Arizona in the Alamo Bowl, 69 vs. Temple in this year's opener and 58 to Houston on Saturday. It's the longest such stretch since the 2007 season. OU is tied for 10th nationally this season by permitting just 1.8 yards per rush.

• After registering 3.5 tackles for loss as a sophomore last season (and 4.5 total over his first two years), OU defensive lineman Gracen Halton has a team-high 3.5 TFLs through two games. That's one off the SEC lead and second among defensive linemen. He had no career sacks entering this season but has 2.5 in two contests for a loss of 20 yards. He was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his effort vs. Houston on Saturday, which included a career-high 2.0 TFLs (11-yard sack and a 5-yard safety).

• Preseason All-America linebacker Danny Stutsman ranks second in the SEC with his 10.5 tackles per game and first (third nationally) with his 7.5 solo tackles per outing. The senior has led OU in tackles each of the last two seasons (125 in 2022 and 104 last season) and is coming off a 15-tackle performance against Houston, tied for his third-highest career output.

• The Sooners have registered eight takeaways through two games, tied for most in the country, and are +7 in turnover margin. They have five fumble recoveries (had six all of last season) and three interceptions. Tulane has forced two opponent turnovers (one fumble and one interception) and is -1 in turnover margin.

• Thirty-three first-year Sooners have played in at least one game so far this season and 14 players (10 offensive and four defensive) have made their first OU starts: offensive linemen Joshua Bates, Geirean Hatchett, Branson Hickman, Febechi Nwaiwu, Michael Tarquin and Jake Taylor, wide receivers Deion Burks and Brenen Thompson, tight ends Bauer Sharp and Jake Roberts, defensive back Dez Malone and defensive linemen Jayden Jackson, R Mason Thomas and Damonic Williams. Among that group, Jackson is a true freshman and Bates is a redshirt freshman.

• Of the 78 players on OU's week 2 depth chart, 25 (or 32%) were freshmen. That includes 18 true freshmen and seven redshirts. Thirty-one true (21) or redshirt (10) freshmen have played in at least one game this season.

• OU has won 15 straight non-conference home games, 22 of its last 23, 42 of its last 44 and 59 of its last 62. The only three such losses going back to the start of the 1999 season, which was Bob Stoops' first as head coach, were in 2005 to TCU (17-10), 2012 to No. 5 Notre Dame (30-13) and 2016 to No. 3 Ohio State (45-24). Current head coach Brent Venables is 6-0 in non-conference home games.

• Despite losing 34-27 to Kansas State on Saturday, Tulane outgained the Wildcats by 95 yards. Through two games under first-year head coach Jon Sumrall, the Green Wave has outgained its opponents 963 yards to 597 (482-299 average). It is averaging 7.9 yards per play and allowing 5.5. Sumrall coached Troy to a 23-4 record the last two seasons, with the 2022 squad (12-2 record) finishing at No. 19 in the AP Poll. He has SEC experience, serving as Ole Miss linebackers coach in 2018 before coaching inside linebackers at Kentucky from 2019-21 (he was co-defensive coordinator in '21).

• The Sooners are 49-10-2 all-time against current members of the American Athletic Conference, with seven of the defeats coming to Tulsa (Oklahoma is 21-7-1 in that series). OU has won its last 23 contests against current American members, with the last loss coming at home to Tulsa in 1996 (31-24).

RECAPPING THE WIN OVER HOUSTON

• On a night in which Oklahoma's offense struggled to sustain drives and put points on the board, the Sooners' defense carried the load in a 16-12 home win over Big 12 opponent Houston on Saturday. OU managed only 249 yards of total offense and just 15 first downs, but held the Cougars to 318 total yards and a 4-of-15 third-down conversion rate while registering seven tackles for loss and a key, late safety to improve to 2-0 on the year and 4-1 in the series.

• The Sooners held Houston to 58 yards on 35 carries, or 1.7 yards per rush. Senior linebacker Danny Stutsman recorded a game-high 15 tackles (tied for his third-highest career output), 12 of them solo.

• After registering six takeaways in the opener against Temple, OU had two more against UH. The first was a Lewis Carter recovery of a muffed punt following the Sooners' first possession and led to a 10-yard Jackson Arnold touchdown pass to wide receiver Brenen Thompson on the next play for a 7-0 lead. The other was a fourth-quarter interception by defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings, the first of his career.

• Arnold's other touchdown pass was an 11-yarder early in the second quarter that went to redshirt senior tight end Jake Roberts and gave the Sooners a 14-3 lead. For Roberts, a Norman product who transferred from Baylor in the offseason and earned his first career OU start, it was his first TD as a Sooner. He finished with three catches for 51 yards.

• Arnold finished 19 for 32 passing for 174 yards, two TDs and his first interception of the season. Redshirt junior wide receiver Deion Burks caught a game-high nine passes for a team-high 53 yards.

• Junior defensive lineman Gracen Halton only logged two tackles, but both were big plays that went for losses. The first was an 11-yard sack in the third quarter and the second was five-yard stuff on a run play with 1:42 remaining in the fourth quarter that resulted in a safety and gave the Sooners a 16-12 lead.

• Sophomore linebacker Sammy Omosigho finished with five tackles and two TFLs, both career highs.

• Sixth-year player Luke Elzinga averaged 44.0 yards on his eight punts, with five of them downed inside the 20-yard line, three inside the 10 and two inside the 5.

NORMAN, OK - September 07, 2024 - Oklahoma Tight end Jake Roberts (#87) during the game between the Houston Cougars and the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. Photo By Morgan Givens/University of Oklahoma

OU-TULANE SERIES HISTORY

• The Sooners are 2-0 in their series with Tulane, posting 56-14 and 40-35 home wins in 2017 and 2021, respectively. OU was ranked No. 2 in the AP poll in both games while the Green Wave was unranked.

• In the 2017 meeting, sophomore cornerback Parnell Motley intercepted a pass and returned it 77 yards for a touchdown to break a 14-14 tie and springboard the Sooners to the 42-point victory.

• After allowing touchdowns on Tulane's first two possessions, OU did not surrender any more points. The Green Wave amassed 157 yards in the first quarter (7.9 per play), but was held to 134 yards the rest of the night (2.5 per play). In the second half, OU allowed just 67 yards on 31 plays (2.2 average). Meanwhile, the Sooners averaged 10.2 yards per play, which at the time was their most ever in a game on Owen Field.

• OU quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray combined to complete 20 of their 30 pass attempts for 434 yards and five TDs without an interception. Mayfield was 17-for-27 for 331 yards and four scores, while Murray was 3-for-3 for 103 yards and a TD. Each had a completion of more than 80 yards, marking the first time in school history OU had two passes go for 80-plus yards in the same game.

• Sophomore receiver Marquise Brown recorded game highs of six catches and 155 receiving yards, as well as an 87-yard touchdown, the fifth longest in OU history and second longest in a home game. His 141 receiving yards after halftime set a Sooners record for receiving yards in a second half.

• Freshman receiver CeeDee Lamb had a banner day despite getting ejected in the second quarter for targeting while delivering a block. Lamb, who caught TD passes of 82 and 22 yards from Mayfield, finished with four receptions for 131 yards. He became the first OU freshman to record at least 100 receiving yards and two TD catches in a game.

• The 2021 season-opening contest, which marked the 1,300th game in Oklahoma history, was originally scheduled to be played in New Orleans but was moved on Monday of game week to Norman due to Hurricane Ida. OU outscored Tulane 23-0 in the second quarter and withstood a late Green Wave rally in the five-point triumph.

• The Sooners trailed 7-0 and 14-7 before outscoring Tulane 30-0 the rest of the first half to lead 37-14 at intermission. The Green Wave chipped away in the second half and pulled to within five at the 2:18 mark of the fourth quarter, but after Tulane recovered an onside kick, OU came up with a fourth-down stop to help seal the victory.

• Quarterback Spencer Rattler completed 30 of 39 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown and ran for a one-yard score. Receiver Marvin Mims caught five passes for a game-high 117 yards while running back Kennedy Brooks rushed 14 times for 87 yards and a TD in his first contest since the 2019 season.

• Safety Delarrin Turner-Yell recorded a game-high and career-high-tying 10 tackles. He paced an OU defense that forced and recovered three Tulane fumbles. The three recoveries came in the first half and matched OU's total from all of the 2020 season.

• Kicker Gabe Brkic tied an FBS record with his three field goal makes of at least 50 yards (51, 56 and 55) and was named Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week. No Sooner had ever made more than one 50-plus-yard field goal in a game and no Sooner had ever made a 50-yarder in a season opener. Brkic also made a 26-yarder and finished the day 4-for-5, tying a school record for makes in a game. His 56-yarder to end the first half tied as the third-longest in school history and was the longest since 1977.

HOME IS WHERE THE "W" IS

• Oklahoma is 142-13 (.916) at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since the start of the 1999 season, giving the Sooners more conference championships during the period (14) than home defeats. It is the best home winning percentage in the country over the last 25-plus seasons (Boise State [.904] and Ohio State [.897] are next). OU has outscored its opponents by an average of 43-18 in those games.

• Including this week's game, OU has sold out 155 straight originally scheduled home contests, dating back to the start of the 1999 season (Bob Stoops' first as head coach). Only Nebraska has a longer current streak.

DEFENSE OFF TO STRONG START

• The Sooners rank 15th in the country by permitting just 7.5 points per game through two contests. They gave up three points to Temple and 12 to Houston.

• Oklahoma also ranks 15th nationally in rushing defense, permitting only 63.5 yards per game on the ground. It held Temple to 69 rushing yards (1.9 per carry) and Houston to 58 (1.7). The Sooners are tied for 10th in the country and third in the SEC by allowing just 1.8 yards per rush.

• OU has allowed only four scores on its opponents' 26 possessions, three of them field goals. The only opponent touchdown was by Houston on the opening drive of the second half in the second game. The defense has forced 12 punts and recorded seven takeaways and a safety.

• OU's defense made big strides in year two under Brent Venables in 2023, and many analysts predicted the improvement to continue this season. That includes Phil Steele, who this summer ranked OU's linebacker and defensive back units each as second best nationally and No. 1 in the SEC.

NOTING THE OFFENSE

• Sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold, whose lone career starts have come in Oklahoma's last three games, has completed 36 of 57 pass attempts (62%) for 315 yards and six touchdowns versus one interception in two games this season. His six passing TDs rank sixth nationally and third in the SEC. He has also gained a team-high 88 rushing yards, although he ranks third in net rushing with 62 yards.

• Redshirt junior wide receiver Deion Burks ranks third in the SEC with his 15 receptions through two games and is tied for second with his three receiving touchdowns, which all came in the first half against Temple. Burks became the first Sooner to register three receiving TDs in his OU debut. The Purdue transfer, who entered the season with seven career receiving TDs (all in 2023), has a team-high 15 targets this year (the next most is six).

• Freshman running back Taylor Tatum leads the team with his 75 rushing yards despite only having six carries (averaging 12.5 yards per run). He scored on an 8-yard rush vs. Temple. He is followed by junior Jovantae Barnes, who has rushed 17 times for 73 yards (4.3 average).

• Redshirt sophomore running back Gavin Sawchuk has started each of the first two games but has been held to 19 yards on 10 carries. Sawchuk ran for over 100 yards in each of the last five games in 2023.

• Oklahoma tight ends have scored two touchdowns this season (one by Bauer Sharp vs. Temple and one by Jake Roberts vs. Houston), already matching the total number of TDs scored by OU tight ends last season (one each by Austin Stogner and Blake Smith).

• Similarly, OU's tight ends combined for 20 catches for 252 yards in 13 games last season. This year they have already totaled nine catches for 103 yards.

• Redshirt sophomore receiver Nic Anderson has yet to play this season because of injury but could return soon. Anderson earned 2023 freshman All-America honors from The Athletic after catching 38 passes for 798 yards and a team-high-tying 10 TDs. He averaged 21.0 yards per catch to rank fifth nationally.

• OU's offensive linemen who have played this season have combined for just 15 career starts as Sooners. Six of the seven who have started at least one game this season had never started at OU prior to this year (Jacob Sexton started one game in 2022 and four last season).

A GLANCE AT SPECIAL TEAMS

• After winning the primary placekicking job, Florida State transfer Tyler Keltner went 3 for 3 on field goals and 6 for 6 on extra-point attempts against Temple in the opener to earn SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He spent his first four seasons at East Tennessee State, where he was 56 for 74 on field goals (76%) and 131 of 131 on PATs, and three times earned All-Southern Conference honors.

• Redshirt senior Zach Schmit served as OU's placekicker the last two seasons and has made 28 of his 40 career field goal attempts (70%) and all 124 of his PAT tries. His streak of 124 made extra-points is the fourth-longest in program history. Schmit handled kickoffs the first two games this season.

• Super seniors Josh Plaster and Luke Elzinga split punting responsibilities the first six games last season, with Plaster taking the field in longer situations and Elzinga serving as the team's short-field specialist. Elzinga took over full punting responsibilities in game seven vs. UCF and averaged 45.1 yards on his 27 kicks on the year (long of 58; 13 inside the 20-yard line; eight fair catches). So far this season he is averaging 43.9 yards on his 12 punts (long of 54; six inside the 20; four fair catches). Plaster is the team's primary holder, after serving in that capacity all of last season.

• Sophomore Peyton Bowen ranks 23rd nationally by averaging 12.3 yards on his three punt returns.

TAKEAWAYS NO GIVEAWAYS

• The Oklahoma coaching staff preaches "takeaways, no giveaways" with its players and the Sooners have turned that message into reality so far in 2024, as OU is tied with Cal and Illinois for first nationally with a +3.5 turnover margin per game. The Sooners had six takeaways and no giveaways against Temple in the season opener and had two takeaways and just one giveaway vs. Houston.

• OU has registered five fumble recoveries so far this season, which is one less than it had all of 2023. The five recoveries lead the nation, with no other team having more than three.

• Five different Sooners have each registered one fumble recovery, and three different players have each logged one interception.

• OU is outscoring opponents 41-0 off turnovers through two games.

• Last season, OU ranked second nationally with 26 takeaways (20 interceptions) and with 111 points off takeaways (ranked first with 8.5 points per game).

• Points off turnovers were a telling stat in 2023. In OU's 10 wins last season it outscored opponents 98-17 off turnovers. In its three losses it was outscored 44-13.

NORMAN, OK - September 07, 2024 - Oklahoma Defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings (#3) during the game between the Houston Cougars and the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. Photo By Brendall Vargas/University of Oklahoma

SEC UP NEXT

• Next Saturday will mark Oklahoma's first conference game as an SEC member when it hosts Tennessee, which is coached by former Sooner All-America quarterback and Heisman Trophy runner-up Josh Heupel. Heupel led OU to a 13-0 record and national title in 2000. Other league home games will be against South Carolina (Oct. 19) and Alabama (Nov. 23). The first SEC edition of the Red River Rivalry against Texas in Dallas is scheduled for Oct. 12 at the Cotton Bowl, with OU serving as the designated home team.

• The Sooners are no strangers to their new SEC foes as Oklahoma has a 161-112-13 (.586) record against the league's current member schools, including fellow new entrant Texas. Not including the Longhorns, OU owns a 110-49-8 (.683) all-time record against current SEC programs.

• Oklahoma and Texas officially joined the Southeastern Conference on July 1 after 28 years in the Big 12 Conference. OU won half of the Big 12's football championships (14 of 28) since the league began in 1996 (six of the last nine) and posted a 187-61 (.754) record against conference competition (includes an 11-1 record in Big 12 Championship games).

• Oklahoma's 14 Big 12 titles were 10 more than the program with the next most (Texas won four). From 2010 through 2023, OU won eight Big 12 titles and was followed by Baylor (three), Kansas State (two) and Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas (one each).

ONE TOUGH SCHEDULE

• Oklahoma's 2024 schedule is not for the faint of heart. The Sooners will face six opponents that were ranked in the top 15 of the preseason AP poll — tied with Florida for the most nationally — and eight total teams that made bowl games last year, including College Football Playoff participants Alabama and Texas. OU's opponents in the preseason AP top 15 were No. 3 Texas (in Dallas), No. 4 Alabama (home), No. 6 Ole Miss (road), No. 11 Missouri (road), No. 13 LSU (road) and No. 15 Tennessee (home). All six squads made bowl games last season, as did Auburn and Tulane (both are receiving votes in the AP poll).

• For just the seventh time in program history, OU will play seven home games in 2024. The Sooners are also the designated home team for the Allstate Red River Rivalry against Texas in Dallas on Oct. 12. The other six seasons in which Oklahoma played seven home games were: 1991, 2001, '03, '07, '18 and '21.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S BEST

• During the modern era of college football (since the end of World War II), the Sooners are the nation's No. 1 team with more wins (702) than any other program (next most is 671 by Alabama).

• Oklahoma has finished in the top 5 of the AP poll a nation-leading 33 times (Ohio State is second with 30).

• OU leads all FBS programs with 50 all-time conference championships. The rest of the top five includes Nebraska (46), Michigan (44), Ohio State (39) and USC (37). The Sooners' 14 league titles since 2000 are the most among Power Five programs (Ohio State ranks second with 11).

• No program has more all-time 11-win seasons than Oklahoma's 27 (Alabama also has 27). And since the start of the 2000 season, OU and Ohio State have produced a nation-leading 18 seasons of at least 10 wins.

• Since former head coach Bob Stoops arrived in Norman in 1999, OU leads the country with its 12,845 points scored, which is 588 more than second-place Boise State (12,257) and 894 more than third-place Oregon (11,951).

• OU's 80 consensus All-Americans since 1950 lead the nation (Alabama ranks second with 77 and Ohio State third with 73). Since 2000, OU has produced 30 consensus All-Americans, second only to Alabama.

• Oklahoma is tied for the national lead with five No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks. OU has produced three No. 1 overall picks in the last 15 years alone. No other school has produced more than one during that period.

EXTRA POINTS

• Oklahoma is 9-5 all-time as the No. 15-ranked team in the AP poll (6-1 at home). Prior to last week when the Sooners were also ranked 15th, their last game played as the 15th-ranked team was in 2015 (44-24 victory over West Virginia in Norman). OU's last loss as the AP's 15th-ranked team came in 2006 (34-33 at No. 18 Oregon). Its only home loss as AP No. 15 came to No. 7 Kansas in 1995 (38-17).

• In their 12 wins since the start of the 2023 season, the Sooners have outscored opponents 139-17 off turnovers. In their three losses during the same span, they have been outscored 44-13 off turnovers.

• Of the Sooners' 127 players, 40 are scholarship newcomers. That includes 27 December high school signees and 13 transfers. Thirty-two of the 40 (20 freshmen and 12 transfers) enrolled at OU in January and participated in spring practices. Twenty-four of the 40 scholarship newcomers are offensive players and 16 are defensive players.

• OU has won its last 86 games when holding opponents to 22 or fewer points. Its last loss under the circumstance came at Nebraska in 2009 (10-3).

• Since the start of the 2012 season, OU is 90-7 when scoring at least 35 points and 79-4 when scoring at least 40.