NORMAN — In back to back weeks, Oklahoma's defense has had to carry the weight as the offense has had its struggles.

Both weeks, the Sooners responded. And in the fourth quarter against Tulane on Saturday, that answer was emphatic.

The Sooners were in the danger zone early in the fourth quarter after Jackson Arnold threw a pick-six, which allowed the Green Wave to cut OU's lead to 24-19. The OU offense went three and out after the interception, giving the Green Wave back the ball with a chance to take the lead.

That's when the Sooners locked down. The Green Wave didn't score over their final four possessions, gaining just 33 yards and two first downs during that stretch.

Just like they did against Houston, the OU defense was able to tighten up and lead the way to a 34-19 win over Tulane.

"I said when the pressure's on and it's a big time moment, man, we're trying to rise to the occasion," OU defensive coordinator Zac Alley said. "And that's what I felt like we did as it got a little bit tighter. The game's coming down and you've got to make plays. Our guys executed at a really high level and we're pretty comfortable in what we were doing. And you just saw that come to fruition.”

The Sooners didn't just get stops. They made big-time plays, too.

With the score still 24-19, Kani Walker and Kobie McKinzie both tipped a pass from Tulane QB Darian Mensah before it was intercepted by Billy Bowman. That takeaway led to a 24-yard touchdown from Arnold, pushing the lead to 12 points

On the next drive, R Mason Thomas sacked Mensah twice and broke up a pass, forcing a turnover on downs that led to a field goal from Tyler Keltner that iced the game. To fully seal the win, Thomas forced a strip sack on Mensah and recovered it, which allowed the Sooners to run out the clock.

It's just three weeks, but the Sooners have already picked up where they left off last year when they finished with 26 takeaways, which ranked in the top 10 nationally. They already have 10 takeaways this year, which is tied for most in the country, and they've had two or more takeaways in all three games. In the last two weeks, they've had three takeaways in the fourth quarter alone.

“It comes from our preparation," Bowman said. "Our coaches do a great job of preparing us. Then it comes to being in this system for three years now. It’s supposed to be like this. Improvement each game, year. We’ve done a pretty good job of sticking true to who we want to be on defense. We need to continue to improve.”

But more importantly, the fourth-quarter defense came after the Sooners had struggled a bit. They were largely dominant through the first half, but the Green Wave ended the first half with a 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive for their first points of the game heading into halftime. They then opened the second half with a nine-play, 75 yard scoring drive that gave them back-to-back touchdowns and allowed them to get back into the game.

But Tulane didn't score over the final 19 minutes as the Sooners regained their footing.

"It’s important that you control what you can control," OU coach Brent Venables said. "Your job is to stop people, and the coaches did a great job of constantly nurturing that mindset. Instead of bitching and moaning, complaining and pointing fingers — which you see it happen a lot — the guys looked at it as an opportunity and responded. Really proud of those guys for having that tough-mindedness.

"Tulane, we left them open plenty of times, and then they made some really good competitive plays, like we knew they could do.... We had an opportunity, up 21-0, to really slam the door, and we let them back in it. It’s a four-quarter game, but I really felt we missed some opportunities to really put it out of reach, and we weren’t able to do that. So, we’re not to that point yet, but I really appreciate the defensive resolve there in the second half."

Along with takeaways, the Sooners' run defense has been dominant through three weeks, too. They limited Tulane's offense to 106 yards on 34 carries (3.1 yards per carry), and standout running back Makahi Hughes to 3.7 yards per carry.

So far, the Sooners rank 22nd nationally in rushing defense, allowing just 77.7 yards per game and 2.2 yards per carry. They also rank 27th in total defense (264.7 yards per game) after allowing just 279 yards to Tulane, a team that totaled 491 yards against Kansas State a week ago.

The defense has showed consistency and has been the primary engine through OU's 3-0 start. But next weekend is when the real test begins.

The Sooners open their first ever SEC schedule at home against No. 6 Tennessee (6 p.m. ABC). The Volunteers (3-0) have exploded offensively to start the season, averaging 64 points per game. They defeated Kent State 71-0 on Saturday.

They'll likely test the Sooners' rush defense, too, which could be a pivotal battle to watch. They rank third nationally in rushing offense (336.3 yards per game).

The Sooners know they'll be tested. But they believe they've shown they're ready after their performances the first three weeks. OU linebacker Danny Stutsman is confident the Sooners' defense is SEC ready.

"(We) allowed 12, points, 12 points and three points. That’s pretty good," Stutsman said. "Obviously we know that’s not where it needs to be right now. We need to keep improving. There’s little mistakes here and there that we need to fix, but we’re on the right path. We have the right mindset."

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