On Saturday afternoon, the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners survived a mega upset bid by the Tulane Green Wave after narrowly going on to a 40-35 season opening win. With the win, OU extended their winning streak to nine games and started the 2021 campaign 1-0. Still, this team clearly has a lot of souls ahead of them.
1️⃣-0️⃣#OUDNA pic.twitter.com/HgwHQq8Amp
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 4, 2021
A poor decision from Spencer Rattler resulted in an interception on the first drive of the game, but redshirt sophistication returned for a respectable half. Overall, it was not the best performance for Heisman, as he eventually finished the competition completing 30 of 39 passes (76.9%) for 304 yards, one touchdown and two INTs.
🚨TOUCHDOWN🚨
— Sooner Gridiron (@soonergridiron) September 4, 2021
Congrats to @MarioWill00 on his first Oklahoma touchdown. 💯#OUDNA | #BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/4Jwcj5Chcg
It was an inauspicious start for Sooners, who started the game with negative play and turnover. Meanwhile, Tulane took an early lead of 14-7 with successive touchdown drives. Oklahoma would eventually claim their dominance, scoring 30 straight points to close the first half.
In the second half, OU looked to lose once again, except this time the issues spread to either side of the ball. The defense consistently dropped plays in the middle, and showed poor tackles from start to finish. On offense, Tulane suffocated Rattler and company, and just seemed like a more prepared, more prepared team. Amazingly, Green Wave trounced the Sooners 21-3 in the final two quarters, and if it weren't for a miraculous halt in fourth place, Oklahoma could very well have opened the season with a terrifying loss.
Redshirt Junior placekicker Gabe Brikic, the only bright spot for Lincoln Riley's squad on Saturday, showed why he's a two-time Lou Groza Awards semifinalist. That day, the Chardon, Ohio Product made four of his five field goal attempts, three of which made good from outside 50 yards.
🚨BRKIC FOR HEISMAN🚨
— Sooner Gridiron (@soonergridiron) September 4, 2021
Gabe Brkic with absolute 💣 from 5⃣6⃣. #OUDNA x @GabeBrkic pic.twitter.com/XynwEjUvbg
Next, on Saturday, September 11, Oklahoma welcomes the Western Carolina Catamounts to Norman. Kick-off is scheduled for 6 pm. whistle, and the game will only be available on pay-per-view through Fox Sports.