NORMAN — All of a sudden, there's a ton of pressure for Oklahoma heading into the final week of non-conference play.

The focus had largely been on the Sooners' SEC slate, but that changed after they narrowly pulled out a 16-12 win over a lowly Houston team last weekend. With Tulane coming in on Saturday, the Sooners have one more chance to figure things out before Tennessee comes to town next weekend.

The Sooners are a 14-point favorite, marking them as a pretty heavy favorite to improve to 3-0. But Tulane could present some challenges, and it held a 10-point halftime lead at No. 14 Kansas State last weekend before falling 34-27.

Injuries could play again be a factor for OU, with Nic Anderson, Branson Hickman and Jake Taylor all questionable to play this weekend. And given the Sooners' offensive struggles, and that the conference schedule starts next week, there's not a huge margin of error.

Here's a look at the game info and some questions OU will have to answer on Saturday:

When: 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday

Where: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

TV: ESPN or ESPN2

Radio: 107.7 FM

1. Can the Sooners establish the running game?

This is the game where the Sooners' rushing attack will really come into focus.

It's been a slow start for the running game. The Sooners are averaging just 4.5 rushing yards per game — a low number considering their opponents — and they finished with just 75 yards on 29 attempts (2.6 yards per carry) against Houston.

The rotation also appears to be up in the air. Gavin Sawchuk has started both games but only saw four carries for four years and 13 total snaps against Houston, while Jovantae Barnes leads the team in snaps and carries by a significant margin. Taylor Tatum leads the team in rushing yards (75) but only saw six snaps against Houston. Jackson Arnold actually leads the team in carries (22) but hasn't been super efficient, averaging 2.8 yards per carry.

But if there's a game where the Sooners could figure things out, it's this one. The Sooners need to establish a rhythm offensively and sustain better drives than they did against Houston, and they should be able to do that against a Tulane defense that gave up 215 rushing yards and 6.5 yards per carry last weekend against Kansas State.

On the other side, OU was able to suffocate Houston's offense because of its rushing defense. The Cougars gained just 58 yards on 35 carries (1.8 yards per carry), and that came just a week after OU held Temple to 69 rushing yards on 36 carries. The Sooners are going to have to limit talented Tulane running back Makhi Hughes, who finished with 121 yards on six yards per carry against Kansas State. Hughes and the Tulane offense pose a much bigger threat than Houston and Temple, but the Sooners should be fine if they can limit Tulane's rushing attack.

2. Can the defense limit Tulane's big plays?

It's early, but Tulane has already made its case as one of the more explosive offenses in the country. The Green Wave ranks 32nd nationally in total offense (481.5 yards per game) and 33rd in scoring offense (39.5). Last week against Kansas State, the Green Wave put up 491 yards of offense — 95 more than the Wildcats — and led 20-10 at halftime.

The main thing powering this team has been big plays, particularly through the air. They rank 29th in passing plays of 10 yards or more (23), 15th in plays of 20 yards or more (10) and tied for 14th in plays of 30 yards or more (5). Quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Mario Williams have established a connection down the field, and Williams leads the team in receptions (10) and yards (250). Williams caught six passes for 128 yards against Kansas State.

Tulane primarily leans on its running game — they ran the ball 37 times compared to 29 passing plays against Kansas State — but the offense is always a threat to rip off chunk plays. If OU's defense hopes to contain Tulane, they're gonna have to keep everything in front of them.

The explosive offense will be a focus for OU, too. The Sooners had just two plays of 15 yards or more against Houston, and there's been no real big-play threat through two games. Jackson Arnold has completed just two of his 10 attempts with an average target depth of 20 yards or more, and the majority of his attempts have had a target depth of nine yards or fewer. The Sooners will need to rely on the running game, but they have to be able to threaten Tulane's secondary, too.

— The turnover battle will be particularly key. Tulane ranked fourth nationally last season in takeaways (27), while Oklahoma was right behind with 26. The Sooners already have eight takeaways this year. Tulane lost last weekend in big part because they lost the turnover battle 2-0, and the Wildcats' game-sealing touchdown came on a 60-yard scoop and score in the fourth quarter.

— Can the Sooners' offensive line protect Arnold, who's been sacked five times already this season? Tulane didn't sack KSU quarterback Avery Johnson once last week.

— The Sooners have converted on just five of 26 third-down attempts this year, which ranks 131st nationally. Tulane's defense has given up conversions on just six of 21 attempts (29%).

— The wide receiver rotation will be something to monitor for OU. If Anderson plays, how much does he see the field? How about Andrel Anthony, who played just eight snaps against Temple and didn't play at all last week? How much do the Sooners utilize Zion Ragins, who played 39 snaps against Houston? What does the playing time look like for Brenen Thompson, JJ Hester, Ivan Carreon and Jaquaize Pettaway?

— Tatum has been OU's most explosive running back but barely saw the field against Houston. Keep an eye on the running back rotation.

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