Oklahoma vs. Tulane Prediction: Sooners Hope to Avoid Scare From Green Wave After Rough Outing

Oklahoma and Tulane both experienced plenty of change this offseason. The Sooners, of course, made the jump to the SEC alongside rival Texas, bolstering college football’s deepest league. Tulane saw the departure of Willie Fritz, the best coach in modern Green Wave history, for Houston. They made a very solid hire, bringing in Troy head coach Jon Sumrall to keep momentum going for the AAC program.

Tulane saw its former head coach nearly pull a significant upset against Oklahoma just last week, as Houston fell 16-12. The Cougars defense held the Sooners to just 249 yards of offense, rendering them horribly inefficient in both the pass and run game. The Green Wave, meanwhile, nearly pulled off an upset of their own , falling late to Kansas State at home, 34-27.

Saturday’s game will be the third matchup between the Sooners and Green Wave. Oklahoma has won both previous matchups, with the most recent being a tight 40-35 game in 2021.

Oklahoma vs. Tulane

Location: Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla.
Kickoff: Saturday, Sept. 14 at 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: Oklahoma -13
Over/Under: 46.5
Announcers: Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Taylor McGregor

Why Oklahoma Will Win

Tulane’s defense presents an opportunity for the Sooners to get their run game and offensive line on track. The Green Wave have struggled to contain opposing running backs, allowing 4.88 yards per carry so far this season. The defense has also recorded just two sacks through two games, a welcome number for OU quarterback Jackson Arnold, who has been taken down six times already this season. The Sooners may have something in freshman running back Taylor Tatum who leads the team with 75 yards on just six carries. That would open things up for the passing game that struggled mightily against Houston. Arnold should also get one of his main weapons back, as Nic Anderson (798 yards, 10 touchdowns in 2023) hopes to play for the first time this season. That should help against a strong Green Wave secondary.

Tulane running back Makhi Hughes is a dynamic player for the Green Wave offense, but the Danny Stutsman-led Oklahoma defense is one of college football’s best against the run. Tulane QB Darian Mensah has blown past all expectations, but he is prone to some youthful mistakes when pressured.

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Why Tulane Will Win

Mensah was treated as the likely third-stringer at quarterback during the offseason, but has been a revelation for Sumrall’s team so far this year with 547 yards and four touchdowns through two games. Combined with running back Makhi Hughes (187 yards, two touchdowns) and a slew of receivers led by former Oklahoma transfer Mario Williams (10 receptions, 252 yards), and the Sooners will face one of the more dynamic Group of 5 offenses. Tulane will make Oklahoma’s defense defend the whole field, which they hope will give Hughes, who had nearly 1,400 yards a year ago, room to run. The Green Wave defense has been good against the pass this year, allowing just two receptions of 20 or more yards so far this season. The secondary should be a real test for Arnold, who struggled last week.

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Final Analysis

Oklahoma should take some steps forward from the Houston game and win this one at home, but Tulane has retained its pluckiness from the Fritz era. This game will be a battle into the fourth quarter.

Prediction: Oklahoma 28, Tulane 21

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