Jackson Arnold threw four touchdowns and No. 16 Oklahoma’s defense forced six turnovers in a 51-3 win over Temple in the teams’ season opener on Friday in Norman, Okla.
The game was Arnold’s home debut as a starter after he started the Sooners’ Alamo Bowl loss to Arizona in December.
Purdue transfer Deion Burks caught three touchdowns — all in the first half. It was Burks’ first career three-touchdown game.
While Arnold had a decent if not flashy performance, completing 17 of 25 passes for 141 yards, his Temple counterpart struggled from the jump.
Forrest Brock, making his first Division I start, missed on his first five pass attempts, and his sixth went for a 2-yard loss. His seventh was intercepted by the Sooners’ Kani Walker.
Before his interception, Brock fumbled after a hit from Ethan Downs to give the Sooners the ball in Temple territory.
Five plays later, Arnold hit Burks for a touchdown to put Oklahoma up 14-0.
The Sooners got on the board with Arnold’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Bauer Sharp on their first offensive drive of the game.
Tyler Keltner hit three field goals, including a 50-yarder in the first quarter.
The Sooners didn’t convert on third down until Taylor Tatum’s 8-yard touchdown run with just more than three minutes remaining in the game. Oklahoma was 0-for-11 on third down before the conversion.
The Owls lost two more fumbles in the second quarter, leading to 10 Sooners points.
The last of those first-half turnovers came with just more than a minute remaining before halftime, with running back Joquez Smith’s fumble giving Oklahoma the ball back at the Temple 6.
Brock finished 12 of 25 for 128 yards and two interceptions. The Sooners sacked Brock six times.
Jaren Kanak scored on a 21-yard fumble return following an Oklahoma punt early in the fourth quarter. The fumble was Temple’s sixth turnover of the night.
Oklahoma outgained the Owls 378-197, holding Temple to just 69 rushing yards.
–Field Level Media
