Four Downs: Will Tawee Walker, OU football carry Sooners to 200 rushing yards vs. Tulsa?

TULSA — After winning two games at home to start the season, OU faces its first road test Saturday when the No. 16 Sooners take on Tulsa.

When two in-state programs meet, there is always plenty of intrigue.

OU has plenty of players from Tulsa, including three listed as potential starters vs. the Golden Hurricane — center Andrew Raym of Broken Arrow, Tulsa Union product Jordan Kelley at defensive tackle and cornerback Gentry Williams of Tulsa Booker T. Washington.

Tulsa has plenty of players from the state who feel like they have something to prove against the Sooners.

OU has won the last nine meetings with the Golden Hurricane, whose last win in the series came in 1996.

OU’s last loss at Tulsa was way back in 1942, though Saturday’s game will be just the Sooners’ fifth game at Tulsa since then. OU has won the last four meetings at H.A. Chapman Stadium by an average score of 54-7.

Here’s a look at Saturday’s matchup (2:30 p.m., ESPN2) with the Golden Hurricane in this week’s edition of Four Downs:

More: Who are the best OU football players of the Barry Switzer era? Meet these 50 Sooners

Number to know

105.5: Average rushing yards allowed by the Golden Hurricane through two games.

Neither of Tulsa’s opponents — Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Washington — have rushed for as much as 110 yards.

The Sooners have averaged 204.5 rushing yards per game.

Tawee Walker leads the Sooners with 161 yards rushing while Marcus Major is second at 54.

OU’s quarterbacks — Dillon Gabriel and Jackson Arnold — have combined for 85 rushing yards with a touchdown each, both showing an ability to make plays with their feet.

How much the Sooners use Arnold will be a particular point of interest Saturday after a short-yardage package featuring him at quarterback debuted against SMU last week.

More: Mussatto: Barry Switzer's first game as OU football coach 50 years ago kicked off epic era

Sooner in the crosshairs

Tight end Austin Stogner: With Brayden Willis having departed for the NFL, it was expected that Stogner would step in as the Sooners’ clear No. 1 at tight end after he transferred back from South Carolina.

But through two games, Stogner has just one catch for just three yards.

While Drake Stoops provides quarterback Dillon Gabriel with an outlet target, the Sooners could use Stogner to provide Gabriel with yet another security blanket, who can also stretch the field when needed.

Stogner looked the part during his first stint with the Sooners but has struggled to find regular production sense.

Will Stogner break through and find a significant role or will he fade away as players like Blake Smith grab more playing time?

More: OU 3-2-1 kickoff: Will Justin Harrington and Dasan McCullough be available for Sooners at Tulsa?

Three questions with Troy Everett

Sooners offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh was impressed with Troy Everett’s film at Appalachian State in the Mountaineers’ upset of Texas A&M last season.

So Bedenbaugh jumped at the chance to add Everett once he entered the transfer portal.

Everett saw time at left guard in last week’s 28-11 win over SMU, stepping in for Savion Byrd.

Q: How difficult has it been learning both center and guard?

A: Nothing’s easy in life, but I’ve enjoyed it. You get to learn, you get to make yourself a little bit more valuable. Plus, you learn one position, you learn all five, so any way I can help the team was sort of my mindset for it.”

What were you telling yourself when Bill Bedenbaugh told you to get in the game?

Just trust your coaching, trust your footwork, trust the guys around you. If I trust all five guys, from myself to all the guys around me, I know that if I do my job, they’re going to do their job. I know Coach B has put me in the best possible situation to do my best on the field.

What’s your comfort level right now? 

I feel a lot more comfortable. That’s something me and my dad have been joking about. I’ve told him just give me a couple of more weeks and things will start to come to me more and more. It’s helped a lot. Getting some of the guys, talking with them, has helped a lot. Especially with (Andrew) Raym and McKade (Mettauer). I know (Sunday) me and McKade were talking and telling me guard stuff. Talking with Raym about center stuff. Just stuff like that. Everybody wants the best for each other.”

More: As OU football's Danny Stutsman elevates game, prospects grow brighter for Sooners defense

This date in OU history

Sept. 16, 2006: In the immediate aftermath of Oregon’s stunning 34-33 win over the Sooners, Bob Stoops was calm.

“I was given way too much credit for the poise,” Stoops said a couple years ago. “I didn’t blow up in the press conference after because I did not see him showing the world the ball. I see it the next day. I busted about everything in my office you could bust when I realized what had happened.”

The “him” Stoops referred to was Sooners’ running back Allen Patrick, who came out of an Oregon onside kick holding the ball high.

But after replay, officials ruled that not only did an OU player touch the ball first — though angles on television clearly showed a Ducks player touching the ball before it reached 10 yards — but that the Ducks had recovered.

OU still led 33-27 but a few plays later, Oregon took the lead and then Sooners’ kicker Garrett Hartley’s potential game-winning field goal as time expired was blocked.

More: Relive OU softball's run to three straight WCWS titles with our 'Crimson Empire' book

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football tries to extend winning streak vs. Tulsa to 10 games