The 2-0 Oklahoma Sooners will seek their third straight win to begin the 2024 season as they host the Tulane Green Wave in Norman on Saturday.
After wins over Temple and Houston, OU still has a lot of questions to answer, especially on offense. With Oklahoma’s poor offensive performance last Saturday, fans and experts are predicting another tough contest for the Sooners this week.
One name on that list is college football analyst Josh Pate of 247Sports, who hosts “Josh Pate’s College Football Show.” He gave his tips for Possible surprises in week three and included the Sooners hosting the Green Wave.
“Tulane is in town the week before Oklahoma Tennesseesaid Pate. “Everyone’s looking at Tennessee at Oklahoma… There’s this annoying little detail that Tulane is actually who they’re playing this weekend. Tulane tried last week, Tulane was close. Tulane should have beaten Kansas State in a lot of people’s opinion… They had a really good chance to win and it slipped through their fingers.”
Pate then went into detail about the many injuries the Sooners are currently battling, particularly at two key positions.
“Oklahoma is banged up,” Pate said. “Offensive line and wide receiver are banged up. I feel like the collective mentality of our Oklahoma guys is, ‘Let’s just get through this game, find a way to get through it, maybe get some guys back and then we’ll take advantage of our opportunities in the conference.’ I’m not saying that’s Brent Venables’ mentality, I’m saying that’s our Oklahoma guys, and if the team’s mentality reflects that, then it could be a fierce battle in the fourth quarter. It could definitely be a fierce battle in the fourth quarter because Tulane is just good enough. John Sumrall is a just good enough coach and they’re going to have it here.”
Pate also stressed that third-down efficiency and extending drives will be critical to OU’s performance this week. The Sooners rank 131st out of 134 teams in the country in third-down efficiency through week three, which isn’t nearly enough for the rest of the season.
It would be in Oklahoma’s best interest to maintain some offensive moves early in the game and project their superior talent and depth to the Green Wave. If they can wow a sellout crowd early with efficiency and consistency on offense, it could put Tulane out of the game early and avoid another tough fourth quarter battle. Otherwise, the Green Wave have everything they need to believe they can pull off a major upset.
More: Broadcast information for Oklahoma Sooners vs. Tulane Green Wave.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on on facebook. to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: College Football Expert Believes the Sooners Are in Surprise Alert
