COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Oklahoma 34, Tulane 19

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NORMAN, Okla. - Jackson Arnold ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as No. 15 Oklahoma beat Tulane 34-19 on Saturday.

Arnold passed for 169 yards and ran for 97. 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 (3-0) won its final tune-up before it plays its first Southeastern Conference game next Saturday at home against Tennessee.

Oklahoma expected a battle. 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 the Green Wave 40-35.

Darian Mensah completed just 14 of 32 passes for 166 yards for Tulane. Makhi Hughes ran for 71 yards and caught a touchdown pass for the Green Wave (1-2).

The Sooners held Tulane to 279 yards and ended the Green Wave’s 10-game road win streak.

Oklahoma took a 21-0 lead in the second quarter, but 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.

THE TAKEAWAY

Tulane: For the second straight week, the Green Wave found themselves in the game in the fourth quarter against a high-level Power Four opponent and couldn’t finish the deal. Tulane had no turnovers through three quarters, but two in the fourth.

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.

Oklahoma athletics press release

September 14, 2024