No. 15 Oklahoma wary of talented Tulane after struggling to win as heavy favorite vs. Houston

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma coach Brent Venables opened his weekly media session by rattling off several of Tulane's accomplishments over the past few years.

Among them was the Green Wave's 10-game road win streak — the third best active run in the country behind Georgia and Michigan — and their 24-6 record over the past two seasons.

He stayed on the most recent achievements the longest —- the Green Wave outgained Kansas State by 95 yards last week and led the 17th-ranked Wildcats 20-10 at halftime before losing 34-27 in New Orleans.

Venables considers the fact that the Green Wave play in the American Athletic Conference irrelevant. What matters to him is that Tulane beat Southern California in the Cotton Bowl two seasons ago, went 11-3 last season and already has shown itself capable against a ranked opponent this season.

The 15th-ranked Sooners (2-0) are next up for the Green Wave (1-1) on Saturday.

“We’ve got to put together a great game plan, and our guys will be excited to play, and it will be a great challenge for us,” Venables said.

Tulane running back Makhi Hughes has been a key piece of an offense that averages 481 yards per game. He ran for 128 yards and a touchdown against Kansas State. Last season, he rushed for 1,378 yards and seven touchdowns and was the American Athletic Conference's Rookie of the Year.

While Tulane's offense has been strong, Oklahoma's has sputtered a bit with first-year starting quarterback Jackson Arnold. The Sooners gained just 249 yards as they squeaked out a 16-12 win over Houston last Saturday.

Venables said Arnold is going through growing pains behind an offensive line that is dealing with numerous injuries.

“He’s a mature, tough guy, and so he’s handled all of it really well,” Venables said. “Again, has had great self-awareness and has taken ownership where he’s needed to, and that’s allowed him to take the next step as far as his progression and development.”

Help could be on the way for Arnold. Oklahoma’s top returning receiver, Nic Anderson, has not played this season while recovering from an undisclosed injury. Venables said during the SEC teleconference that the 6-foot-4 sophomore could return on Saturday after practicing during the week. Anderson had 38 catches for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.

Stormy weather

Tulane once again found itself trying to dodge bad weather before playing Oklahoma.

In 2021, the game scheduled to be played in New Orleans was moved to Norman because of Hurricane Ida.

This time, tropical storm Francine is forcing changes in plans. The Green Wave don't have an indoor practice facility, but the New Orleans Saints accommodated them on Tuesday so they could get work in.

That was just one of several adjustments Tulane had to make.

“Practice isn’t the number one focus," Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said. "Health and safety is.”

Familiar face

Former Oklahoma receiver Mario Williams will play his former team for the first time.

Williams left the Sooners for Southern California, then transferred to Tulane. He said he still has several close friends at Oklahoma and looks forward to facing them.

“I’m definitely not worried about the environment or going back there or trying to do do more or do less, you know?" he said. "I’m just trying to be me and go out there and have fun."

Talented replacement

Longtime Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt is now on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad, and Darian Mensah has stepped in and been a playmaker.

He passed for 342 yards and two touchdowns against Kansas State, but he had two key turnovers in the fourth quarter, including a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and an interception that ended the Green Wave's final threat.

“He’s got to know when the journey is over," Sumrall said. "You know, like, hey, sometimes the show’s over. Just go down or get it out. And we learned the hard way in a couple of those.”

Turning them over

Oklahoma is tied for the national lead with eight forced turnovers and leads the nation in turnover margin at plus 7.

“They attack the ball and the ball carrier,” Sumrall said. “They swarm, they run with great energy to the football and they got guys that can make plays. And like I said, they put you in binds with what they do schematically.”

Close call

In 2021, Oklahoma was heavily favored, but the Green Wave had the ball near midfield in the closing minutes before losing 40-35 to the second-ranked Sooners in Norman.

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Cliff Brunt, The Associated Press