Editor's note: This addition to OU Insider VIP is in Year 3 and is set to be the best series yet! Each week I put a bow on the previous game then transition to the upcoming game. This edition is only meal-prep since it is the season opener!

Per usual, there will be “bold predictions” at the bottom and I implore you to add your own in the message board replies. Each year the comments immediate ask “Where are the recipes, Grill Boy??”. Well, this year I am giving you just that! Each week I will be filming a step-by-step tutorial on how to make a dish that coordinates with the opponent for that week. This will live on the OUInsider YouTube Channel.

1. Should I just start every review with the offensive line? That seems like a good plan. I thought the offensive line played better this week. Getting Bates and Taylor back (although both not near 100%) proved helpful.

Starters: Tarquin/Sexton/Bates/Nwaiwu/Taylor

After Taylor went out: Howland/Sexton/Bates/Nwaiwu/Tarquin

Last year, now-ULM Star General Booty told me that Howland was the most consistent and hardest worker on the Scout Team OL. He said all Logan had to do was gain weight. Well, gain weight he has, and it earned him LT snaps in Week 2. Now, I don’t necessarily want him lining up across from James Pearce, Jr. in Week 4, but file it away as a good sign.

2. After mentioning Josh Bates in the first point, I can’t make it past my second point without mentioning THE penalty. With 51 seconds left and OU clinging to a four point lead, the Oklahoma offense went to kneel it on 3rd and 5. This would have left roughly ten seconds on the clock for my MVP Luke Elzinga to pin Houston deep. Oklahoma could have ended it right there. Instead of dropping straight to his knee, Jackson crouched and stood for awhile to burn more clock. A Houston defender blew Jovantae Barnes to the side and hit Arnold. As Oklahoma is pulling the defender off, Bates starts jawing. The jawing continues as he’s pulled away by Barnes, Burks, Sexton, Roberts, and Thompson. Veteran Jake Roberts can be seen holding Bates’s arms down and motioning to keep his helmet on. But it was too late, the flag goes flying, the clock stops, and Oklahoma had to go back and actually try on defense. Brent Venables preaches discipline. Through two seasons two games those sermons have fallen on deaf ears. Oklahoma is simply not a disciplined football program.

3. Last week I said, “If Houston is going to put up a fight against the Sooners, fourth year quarterback Donovan Smith is going to have to be better than he was against UNLV.” While he wasn’t highly prolific, he certainly looked much better than he did a week ago. He completed 24 of his 28 passes for 260 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was only sacked twice and took advantage of an OU busted coverage for his and Houston’s only touchdown of the game. At then end of the day I’m just disappointed that Toby didn’t have to try and pronounce Houston backup UIOLEVANUSEAULAOLEOLO ALE’s name.

4. Speaking of QB play... I beg of you. Ignore the itch to call for Michael Hawkins (for now). Jackson Arnold is currently leading an offense that has one healthy starting offensive lineman playing his intended position. He’s also leading an offense with only one of his top seven wide receivers healthy. In three starts at Oklahoma, he has yet to play with a full deck. Were there times I wondered whether Michael Hawkins might be better suited to deal with a makeshift, hodgepodge, offensive line and a battered WR corps? I’d be lying to you if I said there weren’t. But the fact of the matter is that we cannot accurately assess whether Jackson is the guy or not until he is given a fair shake by his supporting cast. Otherwise you might ruin his confidence just to throw Hawkins into the bad situation you blamed on Jackson.

5. Shortly after Oklahoma trounced Oregon in the Alamo Bowl, a four star San Diego-based defensive lineman (and Oregon commit) took an official visit to Norman. Five days later he decommitted from the Ducks. He eventually signed with Oklahoma joining a defensive line class that included Alton Tarber and Cedric Roberts. Now two games in to his junior season, Gracen Halton is your SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week. After failing to record a sack for his first two seasons, “G-Baby” is off to a big start in 2024. Through two games he already has 2.5 sacks, 1.5 TFL’s, a forced fumble, and a safety. If he can continue to build on that in SEC play, come 2025 he should start showing up on some mock drafts. In the portal era (and the 5- star freshman DL era) it is refreshing to see a high school signee work and develop into an impact player. Bravo, G-Baby.

1. For the second time in as many meetings, Tulane is dealing with severe weather ahead of a matchup with Oklahoma. Louisiana is bracing for landfall as Hurricane Francine barrels toward the southern part of the state. Tulane Coach Jon Sumrall said on Tuesday that the team would start staying in their team hotel like they would the night before a home game. They would stay there for a couple nights before heading to Norman. He cited the backup generators that the hotels have that will “keep the team online” the rest of the week. He added “I’ve told them pack like you’re going on a couple day road trip. Bring all your school supplies. We’ll have some academic time tomorrow at the hotel. Do our normal football activities as much as we can. Tomorrow’s practice is going to be very dependent upon what’s the timeline of the weather getting here. Practice isn’t the #1 focus, health and safety is, but would like to get as much of a normal practice routine as we can.”. He didn’t know where they’d practice and listed the Superdome or the Saints facility as an option before “hunkering down” for the storm. Hopefully everybody in the program is able to remain safe and evaluate quickly if need be.

2. Coach Sumrall was asked specifically about what impresses him the most about Oklahoma’s defense. He answered, “Good scheme and good players usually make for good football and they’re really well coached with great players.” He was then asked about Oklahoma’s eight turnovers. He replied, “they attack the ball and the ball-carrier. They swarm. They run with great energy to the football. They’ve got guys that can make plays. They put you in binds with what they do schematically.” He added this nugget unprompted, “They’ve played both their games at home, this is game three at home for them in a row and it's a hostile environment, it's loud. I’ve had texts with other coaches in the league. I texted with Chris Klieman who we played this past week and Chris texted me this morning and said it's one of the loudest places you’ll ever go.” Not often do we hear what other coaches think about the environment at Oklahoma. I thought it was interesting for a guy that’s had success against Oklahoma to pay that compliment when he likely didn’t know that it was going to be mentioned in the press conference.

3. If Tulane is going to pull off the upset (yes, its still an upset even if Sooner fans don’t feel like it), then talented Redshirt Freshman QB Darian Mensah is going to have to take care of the football better than he did against Kansas State. His first turnover was a fumble that was returned or a touchdown. He tried to extend the play by spinning backwards six yards and lost the ball. At the end of the game he was picked off under more pressure. He’s definitely mobile and athletic so he can’t be faulted for extending plays as he did so often with success. Coach Sumrall said Mensah has to “know when the journey is over”. He added, “sometime’s the show is over, just go down or get it out. We learned the hard way on a couple of those. We had the grounding.” and “Today at practice he had one that we’re all screaming at him to put the ball away. He’s gonna get it. He’s gonna learn it, it’s like being a kid, you touch a hot stove and you learn it’s hot. Don’t touch it anymore. Hopefully he learns, ‘if I’m in traffic, put the ball away’.”. The Sooners WILL be burned by Mensah’s legs outside the pocket, but they will have opportunities to force mistakes with pressure.

4. In the transfer portal era you often run into familiar faces on opposing teams. Last week it was Jamal Morris and Latrell McCutchin Sr. This week it’s former Sooner wide receiver Mario Williams. He’s been lights out for the Green Wave. Against Kansas State he brought in six catches for 128 yards to lead the team. He adds that to his four catches for 124 yards that he had in the opener. If Oklahoma wants to continue their defensive success it may start and end with containing the big play ability of the 2021 Sooner signee. He’s averaging north of 25 yards per reception, has more than 2x the receptions of the next closest WR while having more than 2.5x the yards of the next closest WR. He might be worth giving a little bit of safety help as you may be better off letting someone else try and beat you.

5. I’d put the “issues” of the offense in four categories. At least four categories seem to be getting the most blame (in no particular order).

— Jackson Arnold

— Seth Littrell

— Wide Receiver health

— Offensive Line health

Until the injuries are improved, I don’t think it’s all that fair to judge Littrell and Arnold too harshly. With Andrel Anthony and Nic Anderson being full participants in practice (so far) this week, it seems like we may be closer to getting healthy at wide receiver. Once Hickman, Everett, and maybe Taylor get healthy, we’ll really have a clear picture. Before the season one might have (correctly?) assumed that Oklahoma would hold their cards close to their chest and go straight vanilla until Tennessee came to town. Well, that was back when Oklahoma was a 26.5 point favorite. That line has been nearly cut in half and now sits at 13.5 in favor of the Sooners. Tulane is an original SEC member, as they were part of the conference when it formed in 1933. It may behoove Oklahoma to treat them like they’re still part of the family.

Each week we’ll see if anyone can nail the exact score. If you do, I’ll try and get Parker to send you some mens skincare product or something. (I have not discussed this with him, but I can at least try!)

Thank God nobody got the score prediction correct. That would’ve been upsetting to be correct about..

My prediction: OU 34 Tulane 17

Throughout the season we will do bold predictions for each game. I will start us off, and then I will ask the members to give me some bold predictions in the comments. From the member-produced predictions, I’ll add any that came true to the next article.

Best predictions from last week:

@C_Ray33 correctly predicted “1 freshman OL (true or redshirt) sees 70%+ of snaps”. Joshua Bates cashed this one.

@Sooners90 correctly predicted “A Sooner QB will go under center” — this may get half points due to the not-THAT-bold nature.

@UnhitchTheWagon14 correctly predicted “Barnes would be leading rusher” - its depressing that his 40 yards of rushing led the team.

@OU7Time correctly predicted two things “defense will cause two more turnovers this week” and “Jake Roberts will get his first TD through the air” - absolute nails.

My predictions for Tulane

1. Anderson plays, and scores. I feel like his “welcome to 2024” moment will be loud.

2. Four freshmen will play at some point on the OL. Between Bates, Howland, EPL, Ozaeta, Brooks, and Akinkunmi, I feel like the pups are going to get some run.