“Certainly happy with the win. Like I told them in the locker room, all wins are hard. Our goal for a long time here was to play very well here early in the season and go 3-0 in non-conference and this team has accomplished that. That’s something we’re excited about going into Big 12 play. Started off a little bit slow tonight. Didn’t score on the first drive offensively, gave up a couple drives there defensively. I thought it took us a little time to settle in against their option attack. Missed a few tackles; guys just got out of the gaps a little bit. I thought our response defensively was awesome and kind of sparked the team on after giving up those first two touchdown drives. We didn’t give up another point the rest of the game and we also scored one on Parnell Motley’s interception. Very excited about the kind of poise our guys kept. We know we’ve got to play better early but when you can respond like that when some things don’t go your way, you’ve got a chance. So, proud of those guys. Offensively, a little up and down the whole night. Played better after the first series, decent in the middle part of the first half. Disappointing not to get the first one in right after half after we got that stop but after that we were decent. At times, got a little bit too aggressive between Baker and I, but made up plays and guys really settled in and ended up finishing it off in convincing fashion. Excited about the win and ready to move on to Big 12 Conference play.” – Lincoln Riley general comments
“I think just settling in. The option attack is tough. You card up everything you see, but they do it 365 days a year. Our scout team does it four days a year. It’s hard. I think just the speed of it initially on the first series and when you don’t stop it the first time sometimes you try to start doing things on your own and that’s when you really, really get in trouble and there was some of that certainly on the second drive. Our coaches just did a good job keeping their poise. We knew we had a good plan against it if we just settled in and just did our job and once we got that interception returned, that got our confidence going and we played more aggressively after that.” – Riley on defending the option
“We were getting disoriented, guys out of gaps. They were giving us a lot of different formations and looks. We just didn’t have guys in the right spots and nothing out of the ordinary that they don’t do … a lot of different looks and kept us off balance and didn’t execute some blitzes right. – Mike Stoops on adjusting after the first half
“I didn’t necessarily make the wrong reads, the throws were there, I just missed them. It was kind of an off night for me, I’m not sure about the stats and completion percentage but I know just based on how I was throwing it on some of those deep balls that it was just not like me. But I’ll figure that out before next week. Those guys are making plays so that’s even more the key for me, just giving them a chance. They’re making a lot of plays in traffic, competitive catches, which is what we challenged them to do all off-season and camp and the start of the season so far. Just have to keep giving them chances.” – Baker Mayfield on his performance
“We all just drive each other. Every day in the meeting room we all make sure everybody is on their task and everybody is focused on what they have to do. We all just work with each other and get it done every week.” – Marcelias Sutton on the competition among the running backs.
“I just thought ‘good ball’”. I was just happy he threw it like that. Kyler and I practice that pass a lot. We call it big post. We have been talking about it all week.” – Marquise Brown on his touchdown reception
“He’s a great football player. I told you all before you have to watch for him, that was big. That’s a big momentum change. We needed that. We expect that out of P. Mott, we expect a lot more from him.” – Neville Gallimore on Parnell Motley’s interception
“It was great getting a start. I just had to pretend that it was not my first time being out there. I just went out there, tried to keep calm, and do my responsibilities.” – Kahlil Haughton on his first start
Game Notes
• The Sooners have now won 13 straight games, the longest active win streak in the nation. It’s the ninth longest win streak in program history and the longest for OU since winning 14 straight over the 2002-03 seasons.
• Saturday was the first ever meeting between Oklahoma and Tulane. OU is 33-10-2 all-time against programs currently in the American Athletic Conference and has won 25 of its past 27 dating back to 1970.
• The Sooners are 3-0 to start a season for the fourth time in the last five years.
• Lincoln Riley became the fifth head coach in Oklahoma history to start his career 3-0, joining V.L. Parrington (1897-98), Jam Mackenzie (1966), Howard Schellenberger (1995) and Bob Stoops (1999).
• OU is 66-16 all-time as the AP’s No. 2 team, including 31-5 in home games. OU has won 16 straight home contests as the No. 2 team.
• Oklahoma held Tulane to just 54 passing yards, the fewest allowed by OU since 2015 (45 at Kansas State).
• With an 82-yard touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield to CeeDee Lamb in the first quarter and an 87-yard passing touchdown from Kyler Murray to Marquise Brown in the fourth quarter, Oklahoma recorded multiple pass plays of 80 or more yards in the same game for the first time in program history.
• Baker Mayfield threw for 331 yards, on 17-of-27 passing, with four TDs and no interceptions. He has eight games in his OU career with at least four TD passes.
• Mayfield as thrown a touchdown pass in 29 straight games, extending his own school record. He’s thrown at least two TD passes in 16 consecutive games.
• He has thrown 15 touchdowns since his last interception, which came in the third quarter at West Virginia last year.
• With 331 passing yards, Baker now has 8,711 in his OU career to move ahead of Sam Bradford (8,403) for second in Oklahoma history.
• He recorded his 25th career 200-yard passing game and 15th career 300-yard passing game, giving him sole possession of second place in OU history in both categories.
• Saturday was Mayfield’s 29th straight, tying Bradford for the fourth longest streak in OU history. His 29th career start at OU ties him with Thomas Lott for ninth
in OU history.
• Mayfield also tied Jimmy Harris for fifth in OU history with 25 career victories.
• Abdul Adams finished with eight rushes for a career-high 93 yards and two receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown. It was the first multi-reception game of his career.
• Adams caught a 20-yard TD reception in the second quarter for his first career score.
• Mark Andrews’ four receptions gives him 63 for a career, which surpasses Joe Jon Finley for sixth in OU history among tight ends.
• His 76 receiving yards gives him 1,040 for his career, becoming the 34th Sooner and fifth OU tight end to reach 1,000 career receiving yards. He is tied with Jarrail Jackson for 33rd in OU history in career receiving yards.
• Maqruise Brown set career highs in receptions (6), receiving yards (155) and scored his first career touchdown on a career-long 87-yard reception.
• CeeDee Lamb recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game with four catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
• He became the first freshman in OU history to record at least 100 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions in one game.
• Lamb had 107 receiving yards in the first quarter, becoming the second freshman in OU history to record 100 receiving yards in one quarter (Joe Mixon registered 115 yards in the 3rd quarter vs. Akron in 2015).
• He set an OU record for receiving yards in a half by a freshman with 131 (record was 115 in the second half by Mixon against Akron).
• Lamb’s 82-yard TD reception in the first quarter was the longest by an OU freshman in school history. The previous mark belonged to Ryan Broyles, who had a 77-yard reception against Washington in 2008.
• Trey Sermon recorded his first career rushing touchdown.
• Jordan Smallwood recorded his first career TD reception on a 11-yard catch in the fourth quarter.
• Marcelias Sutton ran for a career-high 63 yards, on seven carries, and scored on a 9-yard TD run in the third quarter for his second career rushing touchdown.
• Corner Parnell Motley recorded a 77-yard pick-six in the second quarter for his first career touchdown.
• Motley has both of Oklahoma’s interceptions on the season.