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GAME NOTES: The 12th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners square off against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, a non-conference in-state rival, on Saturday afternoon in Norman. Oklahoma owns a 15-7-1 advantage in the series, which includes a 62-21 thrashing of the Golden Hurricane in the most recent meeting in 2007.

Tulsa, a member of Conference USA, began the season with a 37-13 thrashing of league foe Tulane. The Golden Hurricane then moved to 2-0 last weekend by disposing of New Mexico in non-conference play by a 44-10 margin. Clearly, head coach Todd Graham has his team moving in a positive direction. In 2008, Tulsa got off to an 8-0 start, its best since 1942, so the strong play early on is nothing new.

Oklahoma entered this season with national title aspirations after losing to the Florida Gators in the championship game a year ago. However, the Sooners were shocked by BYU in the opener, 14-13, and lost Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford to a shoulder injury in that bout. Fortunately, they were able to bounce back strong with a 64-0 thrashing of Idaho State last weekend and hope to climb back into contention for college football's ultimate prize by season's end. Oklahoma has won 25 straight home games, an obvious reason for confidence heading into this contest.

Through two outings, Tulsa is averaging 40.5 points and 450.5 total yards per game, outstanding numbers by any standards. G.J. Kinne, the team's quarterback, has completed 67.3 percent of his throws for 521 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions, as he appears to be in complete control of the offense. Slick Shelley paces the squad with 133 receiving yards, and Trae Johnson has three touchdowns on five catches. As for the ground attack, Kinne has 130 yards to lead the team.

In the 34-point win over New Mexico last time out, Tulsa finished with 489 yards on 80 offensive plays. Kinne was sensational, as he passed for 310 yards and four touchdowns on 22 completions. He also added 53 rushing yards. The Golden Hurricane controlled the ball for more than 35 minutes and seemed to move it at will.

While the offense steals most of the headlines for Tulsa, the defense has been tremendous thus far. Foes are only averaging 11.5 ppg and 267.5 total ypg against Tulsa, which has been extremely tough against the run, yielding a mere 47.0 ypg and 1.6 ypc. Sure, opponents are gaining 12.2 yards per pass completion, but three interceptions have been registered by the Golden Hurricane. they have also come up with 10 sacks, a staggering statistic through two outings. Mike Bryan has a team-high 18 tackles to his credit, along with one interception, one forced fumble and 5.5 TFLs.

Perhaps the most impressive defensive stat posted by Tulsa in the New Mexico game was that it held the Lobos to 1-of-15 success on third down conversion attempts. The Golden Hurricane permitted a mere 171 total yards on 55 snaps, an average of 3.1 yards per play. The lone touchdowns scored by the Lobos in the tilt was a 92-yard fumble return, so the defense certainly can't be blamed for that.

Bradford is expected to miss a couple more games, and while the offense completely stalled without him against BYU in the opener, it appears that Landry Jones is capable of moving the team after all. Jones completed 18-of-32 passes against Idaho State for 286 yards and three touchdowns, all to Ryan Broyles, who finished with seven receptions for 155 yards. DeMarco Murray paced a powerful rushing attack with 101 yards and two scores on a mere 12 carries. In all, Oklahoma rolled up 564 total yards against its overmatched opponent and exhibited great balance.

"I felt a little bit more confident," said Jones after the contest. "I wasn't as nervous. I kind of had a game underneath me already. It was a little different, but not much. Obviously the outcome I liked a lot better."

Through two games, Oklahoma is averaging 38.5 points and 414.5 total yards, although the offensive performances in those two outings were much different. Murray has rushed for 159 yards, while Chris Brown has 124 yards to his credit. Together, they form arguably the nation's best backfield duo. Broyles has 11 catches and four receiving touchdowns.

Put simply, it is impossible for Oklahoma to play any better defensively than it did in the shutout victory over Idaho State. The Sooners allowed a grand total of 44 yards, including minus-22 yards rushing. Only 11-of-26 passes were completed by the Bengals, and the 11 connections averaged only six yards. Oklahoma was dominant on third downs, as Idaho State went just 1-of-14.

"I understand we're going to see more difficult and tougher opponents moving forward, but I still was pleased with our basic, disciplined fundamentals and not having penalties," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said.

The Sooners are yielding 7.0 ppg and 200.5 total ypg through two outings, stellar numbers to say the least. It is staggering to see that their two opponents have gained six net rushing yards on 65 attempts, a stat that is simply incomprehensible. Travis Lewis leads the Sooners with 22 total tackles, nine more than his closest teammate.

Oklahoma will be challenged a bit by Tulsa, as the Golden Hurricane certainly aren't pushovers. But in the end, it will be the Sooners that emerge victorious behind another balanced offensive effort and strong defensive play.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Oklahoma 41, Tulsa 17