The pressure is on for Brent Venables and this offense to find some answers after a concerning effort last week and looking ahead to a bombshell SEC opener a week from now, as No. 15 Oklahoma welcomes Group of Five challenger Tulane in college football’s Week 3 action on Saturday.

Tulane is no slouch: despite a prominent coaching changeover this offseason, the program owns the nation’s longest active road win streak at 10 games, is 24-6 over the last two years, and nearly knocked off a ranked Kansas State team at home last Saturday.

Green Wave tailback Makhi Hughes eclipsed 100 yards rushing last week, and he pairs well with quarterback Darian Mensah, who has turned out a good showing in two games thus far.

Oklahoma pounded Temple in the opener, but played things much closer than expected against a Houston team projected to finish near the bottom of the Big 12, coming out with a 16-12 victory that had Venables suggesting his team may have deserved to lose the game.

What can we expect in the matchup? Here’s what you should watch for as Oklahoma and Tulane square off in this Week 3 college football game, with our updated prediction.

1. Green Wave on the attack. Mensah was overlooked during the preseason, but has earned the No. 1 spot with his play in two games, posting 547 yards passing with 4 touchdowns and coming off a 342-yard effort with 2 scores against K-State. 

He can force the Sooners to spread out their defense, with some solid receivers like former OU transfer Mario Williams who could have the combined effect of opening interior running lanes for Hughes, who had 1,378 yards last fall, to move the chains and extend drives.

2. Sooners’ momentum. OU’s offensive line was an area of concern coming into the season after having to replace all five starters, and the offense failed to generate consistently behind it last week.

Oklahoma totaled just 252 yards and ran for 2.8 yards per touch against a Houston rush defense that allowed almost 200 yards on the ground in its opener. Injuries have played a role on the line and at receiver, but could find angles against a Tulane front allowing almost 5 yards per carry.

3. Going deep. Tulane has defended the pass admirably in two games so far, allowing only two catches of 20-plus yards to opponents, while Oklahoma is tied for the lead nationally with eight forced takeaways and is No. 1 in college football with a plus-7 turnover margin. Both of these defenses present a legitimate challenge when the ball is in the air.

Lines are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Oklahoma: -13.5 (-106)
Tulane: +13.5 (-114)

OU to win: -600
Tulane to win: +430

Over 45.5 points: -118
Under 45.5 points: -104

Expect this to be a game in the fourth quarter, as the Green Wave does present a credible obstacle defending against the pass, combined with what appears to be a legit, multi-varied offensive attack.

But when it comes to being more physical on the line, the Sooners’ defensive front should hold the decisive advantage. It had 7 tackles for loss and held Houston to 1.7 yards per carry.

Maybe the Sooners won’t be that successful against some decent Tulane gainers led by Mensah and Hughes, but turning Tulane’s offense to one dimension will be the final piece in this puzzle.

College Football HQ picks …

More … Oklahoma vs. Tulane score prediction by expert football model

When: Sat., Sept. 14
Time: 2:30 p.m. Central
TV: ESPN network

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