Oklahoma grinds out a narrow victory against Houston

Here's a riddle. What has 36 transfers and 63 new faces on a roster and took the #15 ranked team in the nation down to the wire Saturday Night?

The answer, Willie Fritz and the rebuilding Houston Cougars.

In a game of survival, OU held on for a 16-12 victory. The Sooners lethargic offense only generated 249 total yards.

In dire need of Nic Anderson's return, Oklahoma continued to struggle on third down conversations, going just 4 of 13. They are now a combined 5 for 26 on third down conversions this season.

A large area of concern continues to be the struggles of running the ball between the tackles. Someone will need to ask "why" QB Jackson Arnold is rushing the ball a dozen times. For the night, Arnold finished with 25 yards rushing and only 174 yards in the air during his third career start.

The Sooners opening TD came one play after a muffed punt on a 10-yard TD reception from Brenen Thompson. Thompson has filled in admirably for Nic Anderson who's been battling an undisclosed injury in recent weeks.

Even with the lackluster performance, expect them to the Sooners to remain in the Top 15, perhaps even gaining a little ground with the likes of Notre Dame, Michigan, Kansas and Iowa all falling in various upsets.

On the positive front, Lewis Carter continues to impress on special teams and Danny Stutsman continues his bid for a Butkus Award registering once again double-digit tackles for the 11th time in his illustrious career.

Up next for OU will be Willie Fritz's former team, the Tulane Green Wave who nearly pulled off an upset of their own, narrowly coming up short vs Kansas State. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT next Saturday