Do the Oklahoma Sooners have a defense that can carry them in the SEC?

It’s been a long time since the Oklahoma Sooners’ strength was on the defensive side of the ball. It’s a welcomed sight, but nobody anticipated the Sooners offense struggling with Houston like they did on Saturday night.

But here we are. Oklahoma has a defense that can not only keep them in games while the offense is struggling but can win them football games like they did in week two.

Oklahoma’s offense was shutout for more than two and a half quarters, and the defense responded by allowing just six points in the second half. That score came on a communication breakdown that led to a coverage bust. Oklahoma stopped the ensuing two-point conversion attempt. After that, the defense rose to the occasion, forcing stop after stop to preserve the win.

After the Cougars touchdown to open the second half, Oklahoma’s defense responded by forcing Houston to go punt, interception, punt, safety, and then the end of the game stopped their final drive. That’s five drives where Houston couldn’t put points on the board.

On the four drives before the final one, where Oklahoma was in prevent mode, the Sooners held the Cougars to 35 yards on 21 plays.

That’s how you bounce back after a letdown. That’s what elite defenses do. If they can build on that this week against a game Tulane program, it’ll provide a lot of confidence heading into their week four matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers.

Tulane’s is arguably the best Group of Five program in the nation and will give the Sooners a test this Saturday afternoon. They’re averaging 286 passing yards and 195 rushing yards per game through the first two game of the season. Last week against Kansas State, the Green Wave 491 yards, but they also lost the turnover battle 2-0 to the Wildcats.

Can the Sooners put together another strong defensive performance to help OU stay undefeated heading into SEC play? If they do, it’ll give Oklahoma a chance to keep the game close so that the offense can find its running game and Jackson Arnold can find their rhythm. And if the offense can get things going, Oklahoma will be just fine because of its elite defense.

OU is tied for first in the nation in turnovers forced. They’re No. 15 in the nation in points per game. But bigger challenges are coming for the Sooners.

Of the top 20 scoring offenses in the nation after week two, six of those teams are on the Oklahoma Sooners schedule. Ole Miss and Tennessee are No. 1 and 2. Now, it’s just two weeks into the season, but there are significant challenges ahead for Oklahoma’s defense.

But through two games, Brent Venables’ squad looks like a team capable of playing with some of the best around the nation. The question will be, can they hang for 60 minutes, and can they get offenses to support their efforts? We’ll begin to find out in a week and a half, but first, the Sooners have to take care of business against Tulane.

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