The first game jitters were out early for the Oklahoma football team. It would have been of the bad variety if there was any drama – yet there wasn’t. The defense was lights out, quarterback Jackson Arnold had some big-time moments, and everybody was breathing fine at halftime. There’s still things to work on, but OU cruised to the 51-3 opening victory against visiting Temple on Friday night in Norman.
On a night when Oklahoma honored the 1974 and 1975 national championship teams – squads that had great defenses – OU’s defense led the way for the Sooners, forcing six turnovers.
Temple took the opening kick, but couldn’t create much before going three and out. That was about as productive as the Owls would be in the first half. The Oklahoma defense forced Temple to punt four times, to go along with four turnovers.
Oklahoma Football versus the Temple Owls – Game Overview
Arnold threw four touchdown passes to lead the 16th-ranked Sooners at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
The Sooners offense looked good in stretches, but with several starters out along the offensive line, there wasn’t much cohesion up front. Arnold was sacked four times, and regularly the Sooners rushing attack was bottled up. A talking point for much of the offseason wasn’t resolved in Week 1, and perhaps has created more questions.
Though the running game produced 217 yards at 6.2 yards per carry, it wasn’t a consistent performance – especially in the first half. Oklahoma ran for 87 yards in the first half and 130 yards in the second.
With this game wrapped up, the Sooners have now won eight consecutive season openers and 14 of their last 15 seasons. Here is a quarter-by-quarter breakdown and some key plays throughout the game.
A Quick Start for the Sooners
In the offense’s first drive, Arnold had a perfect drive. He completed all three of his attempts for 64 yards. Arnold would finish it off with a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bauer Sharp. However, the biggest play was the pass from Arnold to Jalil Farooq, which was a 47-yard connection.
The defensive also got involved for Oklahoma in the first quarter. Defensive end Ethan Downs forced a fumble, which was recovered by DJ Terry. That gave the Sooners quick second possession. From there, Arnold connected with new WR Deion Burks on a 14-yard touchdown pass. The Sooners led 14-0 at the end of the second quarter.
Nothing like your first TD at GFOMS 🔥
📺 ESPN | @deionkburks pic.twitter.com/pBLAk2yjym
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) August 30, 2024
The Second Quarter
Early in the second quarter, Oklahoma safety Robert Spears-Jennings caused and recovered a fumble for the Sooners. The junior has made his presence felt early in the year, and it only bodes well for the Oklahoma football team going forward.
Late in the second quarter, Burks raced to the corner of the end zone and hauled in Arnold’s pass to put the Sooners up 27-0 on the Owls. The Purdue transfer was expected to be one of the biggest weapons in the passing game for OU and he’s shown it early for the team.
.@deionkburks party in the end zone 🥳
📺 ESPN | https://t.co/TzXecI3LCJ pic.twitter.com/rBowTbBLL9
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) August 31, 2024
Slowing Down in the Third Quarter
After scoring 17 points in each of the first two quarters, Tyler Keltner’s field goal was the only scoring for OU in the third quarter.
The Sooners managed just 64 yards in the quarter, with just 20 of those coming through the air. Despite their massive lead up to this point, Oklahoma hadn’t converted on any of their 10 third-down attempts in the game. That included three attempts in the third quarter.
Closing out the Game
The Sooners’ offense hit a bump in the road in the second half, yet the defense and special teams keep humming along.
Linebacker Jaren Kanak scored on a 21-yard fumble return after Temple receiver Dante Wright coughed up a punt return.
Special teams score 🚨
📺 ESPN | @KanakJaren pic.twitter.com/2lHvDg83m2
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) August 31, 2024
At this point in the contest, the Sooners would bring in their backups. Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. and running back Taylor Tatum led the Sooners down the field quickly on a nine-play, 85-yard scoring drive.
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter (and 11 tries later) where the Sooners would finally convert a third-down attempt. That occurred on Taylor’s touchdown run with little more than three minutes remaining in the game.
Oklahoma Football Week 1 Conclusion Thoughts
The Sooners’ first game as an SEC program went exactly how one would think. OU held the Temple Owls to just 197 yards of offense
There was a lot of good, but OU needs to get healthy – and quickly. By the time the first quarter was over, center Branson Hickman and wide receiver Jalil Farooq were out because of injury. Andrel Anthony played one snap in the first half, and sparingly in the second half as OU eases him back into the rotation. The offensive line was being juggled all night.
A first-game pass might be given for Temple, but it has got to be cleaned up versus Houston in Week 2. The receivers and offensive line have got to get better and get healthy – period.
