R Mason Thomas, Taylor Tatum headline Studs and Duds from Oklahoma Sooners' 34-19 win over Tulane
The Oklahoma Sooners head into SEC play 3-0, securing a 34-19 win over the Tulane Green Wave. The Sooners jumped out to a huge 21-6 lead heading into halftime before a third quarter lull opened up Tulane's offense. Tulane pulled to a five-point deficit before Oklahoma's offense woke back up and put the hammer down […]
The Oklahoma Sooners head into SEC play 3-0, securing a 34-19 win over the Tulane Green Wave.
The Sooners jumped out to a huge 21-6 lead heading into halftime before a third quarter lull opened up Tulane's offense. Tulane pulled to a five-point deficit before Oklahoma's offense woke back up and put the hammer down to seal the win for the Sooners.
Who were the standout performers from this Week 3 outing?
Stud: EDGE R Mason Thomas
We've been waiting for R Mason Thomas's breakout to happen, but he has battled injuries in his first two seasons. That game finally happened, as Thomas was simply unblockable the entire game.
Tulane couldn't block seemingly anyone on Oklahoma's defensive line without holding, but Thomas was the player of the game. He harassed Darius Mensah repeatedly, forcing multiple errant passes and sacks.
His crowning moment happened on the final two drives, as Thomas completely took over the game. He had three sacks on those two drives, including one that forced a fumble to seal the Sooners victory.
It's been a long time since I've seen a Sooners defender take over a game quite like that. They'll need him to keep it up in SEC play.
Dud: G Heath Ozaeta
I'm really not sure why Ozaeta was in the game as much as he did (maybe an injury that wasn't disclosed?) but he should have been taken out much earlier.
Most of the Sooners' third-quarter collapse on offense was due to Ozaeta missing repeated defenders on blitz pickups. One of these led to Jackson Arnold's pick-six that tightened the game up in the third quarter.
I'm all for trying out multiple solutions to find the best starting five, but nothing about this game suggests Ozaeta is ready to be a part of that just yet.
Stud: RB Taylor Tatum
How many times can I write about this kid? Tatum has strung together multiple strong showings this season, and he looks like the Sooners' best rusher.
As he continues to grow more and more comfortable, Tatum's role should only increase from here. He's a natural runner and receiver and just might be their RB1.
Dud: The passing game
I felt Oklahoma's passing game was called much better this week than the previous two games.
However, in all three games, they've failed to cross 200 yards through the air. Most of that has been just poor execution, whether it's on the receiver, offensive line, or quarterback.
Arnold was confident and decisive through much of the game, but Oklahoma would have a key drop or a pass to an open man batted or a receiver would make a mistake trying to get more yards.
It's just not quite clicking yet for this phase of the offense, which is to be expected given all the new faces, injuries, and coordinator turnover. Arnold made up for it with his legs, rushing for 97 yards and two touchdowns. I'm just not sure how long Oklahoma can hold out for without better results through the air.
