Worrisome signs mounting for Oklahoma ahead of daunting SEC schedule as No. 15 Sooners survive Tulane scare

There's something to be said for finding a way to win, and No. 15 Oklahoma has done that the past two weeks. But the hunt for victories is about to get significantly more grueling for the Sooners, and worrisome signs are mounting as their SEC debut awaits.

Oklahoma followed an offensively anemic 16-12 win over Houston last week by nearly squandering a 21-0 lead against Tulane before using a late defensive surge to beat the Green Wave 34-19 on Saturday. OU must bottle up the best from that inconsistent performance against the Green Wave and apply it in a much more concentrated dose next week.

Otherwise, a visit from No. 7 Tennessee could make for a rude introduction to Oklahoma's new life in the SEC.

Oklahoma entered the Tulane game tied for 89th nationally by allowing pressure on 30.6% of quarterback dropbacks and tied for 108th in sacks allowed with six. The Sooners gave up three more sacks against the Green Wave, which raises serious concerns entering next week's showdown with the Volunteers.

While Tennessee is known for its explosive offense under fourth-year coach Josh Heupel, a legendary former OU quarterback, the Volunteers are also stout defensively. They teed off off on NC State with 13 tackles for loss, including three sacks, in a 51-10 Week 2 victory.

The Sooners struggled to protect Arnold against Temple , Houston and Tulane. Now, they're tasked with protecting him against that front? Tennessee is led by a potential top-10 pick in James Pearce Jr . and rotates a bevy of players on its defensive front with as much talent as any player the Sooners have attempted to block during their 3-0 start.

Even Temple, which fell to 0-3 on Saturday, mustered three sacks in OU's 51-3 Week 1 win over the lowly Owls. Temple has totaled one sack in its two games since.

Oklahoma's protection problems were particularly evident during a run of four straight scoreless possessions in the second half against Tulane. The Sooners generated just one first down over the stretch, flinging the door open for the Green Wave to mount a comeback.

With a linebacker rushing untouched up the middle early in the fourth quarter, redshirt freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold made a hurried throw over the middle that Tyler Grubbs intercepted and returned for a touchdown. The mistake reduced OU's edge to 24-19, and the Green Wave subsequently got the football twice with a chance to take the lead.

It wasn't until Oklahoma's stout defense came up with an interception and a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter — returning the football to the Sooners in Tulane territory — that OU's offense finally produced a couple of much-needed insurance scores.

The silver lining is that Arnold proved to be a willing and effective runner against Tulane, totaling 97 yards and two scores on the ground, including a 24-yard touchdown scamper with 6:05 remaining that put Oklahoma ahead 31-19. He also had runs of 17 and 47 yards.

But running Arnold 10+ times per game, as the Sooners have done in each of their three victories to date, is a risky proposition against this schedule. And if they were forced to resort to running their prized quarterback so often against inferior competition, how often will he be fleeing the pocket over the next couple months?

Six of Oklahoma's nine remaining games are against teams that were ranked in the top-16 nationally entering Week 3. Games at Auburn and against a gamely South Carolina team also dot the slate.

The Sooners have proven they can grind out wins with timely defense against sub-SEC competition. But the search for victories in a new, tougher conference needs to start with OU finding more help from its offensive line.