Three Things We Learned from Oklahoma’s Victory over Tulsa

The fourth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners moved to 2-0 on the season with a 52-7 victory over in-state foe Tulsa. There were many impressive performances in the game.

Trevor Knight looked great again with his two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. Plus, he was one yard shy of 300 passing yards, finishing with just 299.

Sterling Shepard was able to open up the passing game more, something that OU could not do consistently last week. He had eight receptions for 177 yards, and one touchdown catch as well as an impressive 54-yard gain on the game’s first play.

With this one in the books and OU looking ahead to Tennessee, it’s time to look at three things we learned from the game:

1. Trevor Knight’s deep ball is still a work in progress.

This is not a criticism. Knight has done a great job. He has learned how to slide and avoid the big hit, and his mid-range and short throws are spot on for the most part.

But in against Tulsa, he had about four or five long balls that he under threw, forcing his receivers to slow down and adjust. There was one 50-yard pass to Shepard when the Sooners were backed up at their own goal line, but Knight still underthrew it.

If he could’ve lead Shepard better, who knows if Sterling takes it to the house. Don’t get me wrong, Knight’s been great and made great strides since last season, but it’s a weakness that could bite OU later on in the year.

2. Oklahoma has established themselves as a run-first team.

The Sooners had 261 rushing yards today with four scores on the ground. Alex Ross was the leading rusher with 90 yards on five carries, an average of 18.0 yards per rush. To be fair, he did have an 80 yard rushing touchdown to help boost that average, but the other backs also contributed in a big way.

Keith Ford was probably the most effective back today, rushing  for 87 yards and two touchdowns. For the past few years, the Sooners relied heavily on the passing game, with Sam Bradford and Landry Jones in the fold. Having guys like Ryan Broyles and Kenny Stills also helped with that. Now, the Sooners seem to be focusing on establishing the run first with a mobile QB and more dangerous backs.

3. Oklahoma Sooners not safe from injury bug.

Oklahoma didn’t really have any health concerns going in to Saturday’s game. That changed after Zack Sanchez went down in Tulsa. According to head coach Bob Stoops, Sanchez should be fine, but he is one of the team’s best options at cornerback. Facing a talented Tennessee wide receiver corps, the Sooners need to be at full strength in their secondary.

While the front seven is still solid, OU defensive tackle Charles Walker suffered a sprained knee and will likely miss the next 2-3 weeks. Plus, Sterling Shepard and Durron Neal both walked off hurt, though they returned soon after.

Week 2 was another dominating win for the Sooners. The first two weeks were just a tune-up, though. Now, OU moves on to week three where the undefeated Oklahoma Sooners will face the undefeated Tennessee Volunteers in a Big 12 vs. SEC matchup. Kickoff is set for 6:00 pm CT on either ABC, ESPN, or ESPN 2.