NORMAN — Despite being a 12-point favorite, there were certainly some questions for the Sooners heading into Saturday's clash with Tulane.

Through the first half, the Sooners have answered the bell. OU scored 21 unanswered points to open the game and head into halftime with a 21-6 lead.

Outside of a couple late drives from Tulane, OU's defense has been mostly lights out. The main questions surrounded the offense, which has done more than enough to help establish control.

The game certainly isn't over yet, but the Sooners are in position to come away with a win over a solid Tulane team. Here's a look at takeaways and notes from the first half:

All eyes were going to be on OU's offense after its struggles the first two games.

They immediately answered the call on their opening drive.

Jackson Arnold drove the Sooners down the field on a 14-play, 69-yard drive that took nearly six yards, and the quarterback capped it off with a one-yard score. On that drive, Arnold completed 6 of 7 passes for 46 yards and added 10 yards on the ground.

The Sooners weren't done there. On their first drive of the second quarter, the Sooners drove 60 yards in seven plays. The touchdown came on a beautiful play design by Seth Littrell — with two running backs on the field, Arnold faked the handoff to Jovantae Barnes and found Taylor Tatum for a nine-yard touchdown pass.

On the next drive, Arnold kept it on the run-pass option and ran for a 47-yard gain. That eventually set up a one-yard touchdown for Tatum, his second of the game and third of the season.

It hasn't all been perfect. The Sooners went three and out on their second drive. On the third drive, they went 42 yards in 10 plays and a delay-of-game penalty forced OU to punt instead of attempting a 50-yard field goal.

But this performance has been night-and-day different for the Sooners. They have 235 total yards of offense in the first half compared to 249 for the game last week against Houston. They've scored on three of five drives, compared to two of 11 against Houston.

Basically, so far it's been the bounce-back performance this offense needed.

The Sooners sent an early message on defense that there would be no room to run for Tulane running back Makahi Hughes.

Hughes had nine carries for 40 yards in the first half, averaging under 4.4 yards per carry. His first four carries went for seven yards as the Sooners locked in on stopping Hughes, who had 128 yards and one touchdown last week against Kansas State.

The lack of a running game completely disrupted Tulane's offense. The Sooners forced three three-and-outs and only allowed one first down on Tulane's first four drives. Tulane did find some momentum late, closing the half on an 11-play, 75-yard drive in just over three minutes.

The Sooners' rushing defense continues to show out. They only allowed 185 yards on 1.8 yards per carry through the first two games, and they limited Tulane to just 65 yards on 17 carries (3.7 yards per carry) yards per carry in the first half.

They've been able to generate tons of pressure on freshman QB Darian Mensah, who completed just 7 of 18 passes for 93 yards in the first half. The Green Wave finished with just 163 total yards of offense after gaining 491 against Kansas State, and had just 40 yards through the first five drives.

But the Green Wave did gain 118 of their 163 yards on their final two drives, and that'll be something to monitor in the second half.

— The Sooners converted on 6/8 third downs in the first half. They came into the game converting just five of 28 attempts in the first two games.

— Gavin Sawchuk again got the start at running back, but he didn't play the entire second quarter. He has just four carries for 11 yards.

Barnes, meanwhile, has been leading the charge with a team-high eight carries for 32 yards. Tatum didn't play until the second quarter, taking three carries for 12 yards. He's been utilized a lot with Barnes, a look the Sooners flashed in the first two games.

— With Kendel Dolby out, it was Woodi Washington to start the game at cheetah. Samuel Omosigho primarily saw the back-up snaps. Kani Walker and Dez Malone got the starts at cornerback.

— Gracen Halton made his first career start on the defensive line, replacing Jayden Jackson.

— Branson Hickman and Jake Taylor both suited up but neither went through pregame warmups and haven't played. Nic Anderson and Andrel Anthony were also both suited up but neither have played.

— The Sooners get the ball to start the second half.

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