Expect points galore on Friday night when No. 4 Oklahoma (3-0) travels to fellow unbeaten Tulsa (2-0), with the Sooners -23 on WagerWeb.com. The more important number, however, may be the over/under of 67.5.
The in-state battle features two of the nation's top four offenses, with Oklahoma using a more conventional approach and Tulsa using a run-and-gun no-huddle scheme used by former Arkansas offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. The Sooners average 569.7 yards per game (No. 3 in NCAA), the Golden Hurricane 567.0 (4th).
"All of the motions they do, all the different alignments, everything they do is just a little bit different," OU linebacker Ryan Reynolds said. "And then they do no-huddle, trying to get us tired and worn out."
Oklahoma will play its first road game of the season after outscoring North Texas, Miami and Utah State by a combined 184-26.
OU redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Bradford could be tested in his first road start, albeit only a couple of hours from Norman. Bradford is third in the country in passing efficiency, having completed almost 80 percent of his passes. Bradford also has 11 TD passes to 1 INT, and the Sooners lead the nation in scoring, averaging 61.3 points per game.
"In the end, he'll just get out there and play," OU coach Bob Stoops said of Bradford. "I have been pleased with his accuracy. He's continuing to develop."
Tulsa senior quarterback Paul Smith, who has passed for 761 yards and eight TDs in games against La.-Monroe and BYU, will challenge the Sooners' defense, which is ranked No. 2 in the nation.
"We're playing, by far, the best football team we'll play all year long," said Tulsa coach Todd Graham. "This is a team that's playing with a lot of confidence right now. They're definitely a big, big challenge for us."
The problem for Tulsa is a defense that allows 486 total yards and 184.5 on the ground per game. A fourth-quarter stand and five takeaways allowed Tulsa to overcome 694 yards allowed in a 55-47 victory against BYU last week.
"Them being undefeated, and us being undefeated, and probably not many people giving us a chance," Graham said. "That's just where we want to be."
Tulsa hasn't beaten a team from one of the BCS conferences since Oklahoma State in 1998 and last pulled off a big upset in 1996 when it beat 19th-ranked Iowa and then won at Oklahoma.
Look for the Sooners to certainly win the game, but for a fired-up Tulsa to cover the points.
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