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The Oklahoma Sooners cruised to a 51-3 victory over Temple in their Southeastern Conference debut. Sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold threw four touchdown passes, three of which went to transfer wide receiver Deion Burks. Oklahoma’s defense dominated, forcing six turnovers and limiting Temple to just 197 yards of total offense.
What Went Well
- Dominant defensive performance. Temple had less than 200 total yards of offense. The Sooners recorded six sacks, recovered four fumbles, and had two picks. Of Oklahoma’s 51 points, 33 came off the six turnovers recorded by the defense.
- The defensive line. Yes, we bragged about the defense already, but the line deserves its own bullet point. The Sooners had complete control of the line of scrimmage from start to finish.
- Zero turnovers! That’s a great way to get the bad taste from the Alamo Bowl out of their mouths.
- Deion Burks was a touchdown machine. I’ve got some more thoughts about the receivers coming, but Burks was as good as we thought he would be. The best part is that after Farooq’s injury, Temple knew that Arnold would be looking for Burks and they still couldn’t stop him.
- Kendel Dolby showed why he won the position battle for the Cheetah position. He was a difference maker.
- Tyler Keltner brought stability to the kicking game. I’m not a big fan of the fact that the Sooners had to settle for three field goal attempts, but I do like that Keltner was 3-for-3, including a 50-yarder that he absolutely drilled.
What’s Concerning
- The offensive line may be worse than we thought. The Sooners never seemed to find a rhythm with the running backs and Jackson Arnold was sacked three times. Losing starting center Branson Hickman in the opening series certainly didn’t help matters. Hickman has an ankle sprain and will need to be examined further.
- Nic Anderson was missed. For all of the preseason talk we gave about Oklahoma’s receivers, the unit was a bit of a disappointment. Losing Farooq had a lot to do with that but Brenen Thompson and J.J. Hester struggled with drops.
- Jalil Farooq’s injury. The Sooners were already without Nic Anderson and now Farooq is out for six to eight weeks. What was thought to be a deep and talented receiver room may not be as deep as we thought it was.
- 1-12 on third down. Wow!! That’s awful, especially considering the competition.
- The running game never really got going. Yes, the Sooners had 217 yards on the ground but four different running backs, two quarterbacks, and a receiver carried the ball. Gavin Sawchuk and Jovantae Barned combined for 48 yards on 11 carries.
The Future is bright
- Taylor Tatum! Four carries for 66 yards and a score. There’s really nothing else to say.
- Michael Hawkins Jr. is very talented.
Your Thoughts:
These are just my initial thoughts on Oklahoma’s victory over Temple. What do you think? What did I miss? Share your opinions in the comments below.
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