Oklahoma Sooners' Keys to the Game in Season Opener Against the Temple Owls

The Oklahoma Sooners kick off their 2024 season tonight, squaring off against the Temple Owls. This will be the Sooners' first year in the SEC and they get an opportunity to hit the ground running with a softball across the plate to start.

What are the keys to the game to beat this Temple squad?

Key #1: Show Up?

Every G5 school should be an underdog to a blue-blood, but calling this Temple squad an underdog is generous. Being quite honest: this roster stinks. The Owls could be one of the worst teams in the country and almost certainly will be at (or near, shoutout to Charlotte) the bottom of the American Athletic Conference this season.

I am puzzled at the direction Temple head coach Stan Drayton took the team this offseason. He has plenty to prove after back-to-back three-win seasons but enters year number three with a vapid and uninspiring roster with a lackluster transfer class coming in to boost the product.

Their best defensive player, pass rusher Diwun Black, will not play in the opener. Teammate Tra Thomas was productive last season, but relied largely on cleanup and schemed up pass rush opportunities and posted just a 4.9% pass rush win rate per PFF.

Related: Oklahoma Sooners release first depth chart of the season ahead of Week 1 against Temple

To make matters even worse, the Owls lost plenty of other defensive talents. Top DT Jerquavion Mahone graduated. All three members of their linebacking trio last year are gone. The Owls had nine defensive backs log at least 150 snaps last year, and seven of them are no longer with the program.

It's even worse on the offensive side.

Productive starting quarterback E.J. Warner transferred to Rice. Rutgers transfer Evan Simon was brought in to replace him, but I have a hard time imagining him being anywhere close to as productive as Warner was.

The Owls also lose two of their top three running backs from last season, as well as their leading receiver in Amad Anderson Jr. The offensive line lost its best players as well, further casting this offense into the shadow realm.

Quite frankly, Oklahoma could probably play just its freshmen class and walk out of this game with a win. It's hard to imagine this game is competitive for very long, if it ever is.

Oklahoma just has to show up and not trip all over itself and they should cruise out of their season opener with a comfortable blowout victory.