Brent Venables and his offense are under pressure to find answers after a troubling performance last week and look ahead to a shocking SEC opener a week from now, when No. 15 Oklahoma hosts Group of Five challenger Tulane in college football’s Week 3 matchup on Saturday.

Tulane isn’t doing too badly: despite a high-profile coaching change midseason, the program has the nation’s longest active road winning streak (10 games), is 24-6 over the last two years and nearly beat a ranked Kansas State team at home last Saturday.

Green Wave tailback Makhi Hughes surpassed 100 yards rushing last week and he’ll pair well with quarterback Darian Mensah, who has performed well in two games so far.

Oklahoma defeated Temple in the season opener, but played a much tighter game than expected against a Houston team that was expected to finish near the bottom of the Big 12. The team won 16-12, leading Venables to believe his team might have deserved the game.

What can we expect in the matchup? Here’s what to 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 pre-season training but has earned the top spot with his play in two games, passing for 547 yards with 4 touchdowns and a 342-yard, 2-score effort against K-State.

He can force the Sooners to spread their defense, with some solid receivers like former OU transfer Mario Williams working together to open up interior running lanes for Hughes, who had 1,378 yards last fall, to move the chains and extend drives.

2. The Sooners’ momentum. OU’s offensive line was a point of concern early in the season after all five starters had to be replaced, and the offense failed to produce consistent performances last week.

Oklahoma totaled just 252 yards and rushed for 2.8 yards per touch against a Houston rush defense that allowed nearly 200 yards on the ground in its opener. Injuries played a role at line and receiver, but were able to find corners against a Tulane front that allowed nearly 5 yards per carry.

3. Go deep. Tulane has defended the pass admirably through two games thus far, allowing just two catches of 20-plus yards to opponents, while Oklahoma is tied nationally with eight forced takeaways and leads college football with a plus-7 turnover margin. Both defenses present legitimate challenges when the ball is in the air.

Lines are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

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

OU wins: -600
Tulane Wins: +430

More than 45.5 points: -118
Under 45.5 points: -104

Expect this to be a game that only goes into the fourth quarter as the Green Wave provide a reliable obstacle on pass defense combined with what appears to be a legitimate, versatile offense.

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

The Sooners may not have much success against some of Tulane’s top prospects led by Mensah and Hughes, but getting Tulane’s offense back together will be the final piece of the puzzle.

College Football HQ chooses…

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

When: Sat, Sept 14
Time: 2:30 PM Central
TV: ESPN Network

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