The defending Big 12 champions looked to pick up the scoring pace right where they left it last season. No. 7 Oklahoma (1-0) scored four first-quarter touchdowns en route to a decisive blowout 63-14 victory over FAU (0-1). New Oklahoma starting quarterback Kyler Murray got a rest in the second half after throwing for 209 yards and two touchdowns and running back Rodney Anderson rushed for 100 yards and two scores.
Austin Kendall came in to relieve Murray for the second half (he was later carted off with an injury in the fourth quarter after hurtiung his left knee), but not before the successor to Baker Mayfield put on a show of his own to comfort any fan potentially wondering how Oklahoma’s offense would be without the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner. Murray completed nine of his 11 pass attempts for 209 yards. FAU’s defense was little match for Murray and the Oklahoma offense. Murray’s first touchdown pass was a 65-yard pass to Le Morris on the first play of a series, putting Oklahoma up 21-0 at the time.
Anderson didn’t need long to get going either. The Oklahoma running back took off for a 30-yard touchdown run on Oklahoma’s first possession of the season. He added a 65-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to push the lead to 35-0. Marquise Brown caught six passes for 133 yards as well.
6⃣0⃣0⃣ yards of total offense an counting ...
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 1, 2018
7⃣ different #Sooners have scored TDS.#OUDNA pic.twitter.com/VpcR1foFjC
But while the offense will make headlines, Oklahoma’s defense seemed ready to put on a show in their first chance to get on the field against an opponent since last season’s Rose Bowl, when Georgia outlasted Oklahoma and piled up a massive amount of yardage against them. Granted, FAU is far from Georgia, but the tone was set by the Sooners defense, limiting FAU to one third-down conversion out of 10 attempts. FAU may go on to put up some big numbers this season, certainly within Conference USA, but Oklahoma did well in not allowing the Owls to come in and put much of anything together.
Oklahoma will host another opponent next week with a popular head coach next week. The Sooners will welcome Chip Kelly and UCLA in Kelly’s first road game since returning to college football. FAU will play their home opener next Saturday with a game against Air Force.