On face value, Oklahoma's 51-3 win over Temple was pretty much what what you would expect from a mismatch of this sort and was in line with how other ranked teams fared against much lesser opponents.
To put it another way, there was no realistic way the Sooners were going to lose this game. It was one of those games on the nonconference portion of the schedule that really had no business being played other than the nice pay day received by the visiting team.
Nevertheless, you can still learn from games like this. Although there were some strong individual performances and an outstanding team showing by the Sooner defensive unit, there also were a few notable areas where this team is going to have to grow and get better if it is going to win games in the highly competitive SEC.
It is also necessary in breaking down the Week 1 Oklahoma win to recognize that there will always be opening-game nerves and getting used to game speed after a long offseason. It is also important to realize that because of the level of competition, the Sooners played it fairly vanilla on offense, holding back a lot of the playbook for when the competition becomes considerably more challenging.
Hats off!
This veteran OU defense is the real deal...and deep
There were reports throughout the offseason calling the defense the strength of OU Team 130. The season-opener with Temple gives us one piece of evidence, anyway, that those claims were spot on. The Sooner defense graded out at an A at all levels.
The defensive line, made up of TCU transfer Damonic Williams, freshman Jayden Jackson and Gracen Halten on the interior and defensive ends Ethan Downs and R Mason Thomas was downright nasty throughout the contest. The guys up front kept the pressure on Temple QB Forrest Brock all night, disrupting his timing and decision making.
The linebackers and defensive secondary held Brock and the Owls to just 12 pass completions in 25 attempts and picked off two errant throws. Collectively, the defense recorded six takeaways, six sacks and nine tackles for loss and limited Temple to just 197 yards of total offense. That was the lowest total by an OU defense since allowing 178 total yards to Western Carolina in 2021.
"I loved how aggressive and confident out guys were moving around and flying to the ball and being aggressive and knocking the ball loose," head coach Brent Venables said in his postgame interview session.
"Fantastic job by the defense."Head coach Brent Venables
Jackson Arnold looks the part in his second career start
All eyes were understandably on OU starting quarterback in this one. The former five-star prospect started the night completing a 47-yard pass to WR Jalil Farooq and ended up completing 17 of 25 throws for 141 yards and four touchdowns. He would not complete another pass of more than 14 yards. Not because he couldn't, but because he didn't have to under offensive coordinator Seth Littrell's highly conservative game plan. Arnold might have had four more completions, but they were dropped by the receivers. He also gained 34 yards on the ground on 11 carries. Arnold was good (by design) but not great.
"I think he managed the game well," Littrell said. "We didn't push the ball down the field as much as we would have liked," he said, but the circumstances didn't call for it. He had some excellent throws, and the one to Farooq to open the game was an absolute dime.
WR Deion Burks shines in his Oklahoma debut
Three of Arnold's four touchdown passes ended up in the arms of Purdue transfer Deion Burks, who led the Oklahoma receivers with six catches on seven targets. Burks, who had never caught more than two touchdowns in the same game in his career, shined in the spring game with two touchdown catches, and he continued to show out in the Sooners' season opener with a hat trick.
With the Sooners battling through several injuries in its wide receiver corps, the addition of Burks is proving to be a valuable addition. His contributions as a top target for Jackson Arnold become even more valuable because of serious injuries to both Farooq (in this game) and a season-ending knee injury. Plus, another leading receiver, Andrel Anthony, is just now getting back from an ACL tear suffered last season.
50-yard field goal? No problem for new kicker Tyler Keltner
Oklahoma has had a few issues with field-goals the last couple of years. Florida State transfer Tyler Keltner was three for three against Temple, including nailing a 50-yarder in his very first attempt in a Sooner uniform. He also was successful from 42 and 24 yards and converted all six of his point-after attempts.
Needs more work
Offensive line a valid critical concern
Oklahoma went into the season with concerns on the offensive line. O-line coach Bill Bedenbaugh had to replace all five starters from a year ago, which he deep picking up five starters out of the transfer portal. Although all five have had starting experience at their previous schools, this group has never played together and that lack of chemistry and communication showed up in a concerning way in the Friday night season opener.
And to add injury to insult, perhaps the best of the offensive line transfers, center Branson Hickman from SMU, went down early against Temple with an apparent ankle injury
The Temple defensive line didn't seem to have much difficulty pushing their way into the Oklahoma backfield and applying pressure to Jackson Arnold. The Sooner quarterback was sacked four times, and because the OU offensive line was getting pushed around and not completing blocks, the Sooner running backs had little room to get roam and nowhere to go.
RBs Gavin Sawchuk and Jovantae Barnes had six and five carries, respectively and looked average at best. One good note for the future, however, true freshman Taylor Tatum ran for 69 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown run, and averaged close to 14 yards on five carries.
Injuries taking their toll
Before the season started, the Sooners were blessed with a wealth of riches in a deep receiving corps. Andrel Anthony was rehabbing from a torn ACL, but the talent and competitive depth in that position group made it one of the strengths of the team.
Anthony has been cleared to play, but is not 100 percent, but the Sooners have lost Jayden Gibson, who was expected to have a big role this season, for the season in preseason training camp with a knee injury. Nic Anderson, one of the team's leading receivers a year ago, is battling an undisclosed injury and was not available against Temple, and Jalil Farooq, went down with a fractured foot early in Friday night's game and will be lost for six-to-eight weeks.
These are significant losses and major contributors, and in their absence, someone other than transfer Deion Burks is going to have to step up, earn Jackson Arnold's trust and fill the void.