Jackson Arnold runs for 2 scores, passes for another as No. 15 Oklahoma tops Tulane 34-19

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Jackson Arnold ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as No. 15 Oklahoma beat Tulane 34-19 on Saturday.

Arnold passed for 169 yards and ran for 97. Taylor Tatum caught a touchdown pass and ran for a score, and Deion Burks caught seven passes for 80 yards to help lead the Sooners.

Oklahoma (3-0) won its final tune-up before it plays its first Southeastern Conference game next Saturday at home against Tennessee.

Oklahoma expected a battle. Tulane was coming off a 34-27 loss to then-No. 17 Kansas State last week. And the Sooners remembered the close call in 2021, when No. 2 Oklahoma held on to beat the Green Wave 40-35.

Darian Mensah completed just 14 of 32 passes for 166 yards for Tulane. Makhi Hughes ran for 71 yards and caught a touchdown pass for the Green Wave (1-2).

The Sooners held Tulane to 279 yards and ended the Green Wave’s 10-game road win streak.

Oklahoma took a 21-0 lead in the second quarter, but Tulane stayed in it when backup quarterback Ty Thompson connected with Reggie Brown for a 7-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds left in the second quarter. The extra point failed, and the Sooners led 21-6 at halftime.

The Green Wave hung tough. Hughes' 8-yard touchdown catch on fourth down was upheld upon review, and Tulane cut Oklahoma's lead to 24-13 in the third.

Tyler Grubbs' 22-yard interception return for a touchdown to start the fourth quarter threw a scare into the Sooners. The Green Wave missed the 2-point conversion, and Oklahoma's lead was cut to 24-19.

Arnold's second TD run, a 24-yarder, put the Sooners up 31-19 with 6:05 to go.

Tulane: For the second straight week, the Green Wave found themselves in the game in the fourth quarter against a high-level Power Four opponent and couldn't finish the deal. Tulane had no turnovers through three quarters, but two in the fourth.

Oklahoma: The defense was good again, but the passing game has yet to produce 200 yards in a game. The Sooners have made up for their aerial struggles with timely plays on offense and an opportunistic defense.

Tulane: Visits Louisiana on Saturday.

Oklahoma: Hosts No. 7 Tennessee in its Southeastern Conference opener next Saturday.

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Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah (10) passes against Oklahoma during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Oklahoma running back Taylor Tatum (8) dives in for a touchdown against Tulane during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Oklahoma running back Jovantae Barnes (2) runs for a first down against Tulane during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Tulane safety Bailey Despanie (32) hits Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold late and gets called for unnecessary roughness during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold (11) passes against Tulane during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is meeting with oil executives at the White House on Friday in hopes of securing $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s ability to fully tap into its expansive reserves of petroleum — a plan that rides on their comfort in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.

Since the U.S. military raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has quickly pivoted to portraying the move as a newfound economic opportunity for the U.S., seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, saying the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan oil and will be controlling sales worldwide indefinitely.

On Friday, U.S. forces seized their fifth tanker over the past month that has been linked to Venezuelan oil. The action reflected the determination of the U.S. to fully control the exporting, refining and production of Venezuelan petroleum, a sign of the Trump administration's plans for ongoing involvement in the sector as it seeks commitments from private companies.

It's all part of a broader push by Trump to keep gasoline prices low. At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.

The meeting, set for 2:30 p.m. EST, will be open to the news media, according to an update to the president's daily schedule. “At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.

Trump is set to meet with executives from 17 oil companies, according to the White House. Among the companies attending are Chevron, which still operates in Venezuela, and ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, which both had oil projects in the country that were lost as part of a 2007 nationalization of private businesses under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez.

The president is meeting with a wide swath of domestic and international companies with interests ranging from construction to the commodity markets. Other companies slated to be at the meeting include Halliburton, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Singapore-based Trafigura, Italy-based Eni and Spain-based Repsol.

Large U.S. oil companies have so far largely refrained from affirming investments in Venezuela as contracts and guarantees need to be in place. Trump has suggested on social media that America would help to backstop any investments.

Venezuela’s oil production has slumped below one million barrels a day. Part of Trump's challenge to turn that around will be to convince oil companies that his administration has a stable relationship with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez, as well as protections for companies entering the market.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are slated to attend the oil executives meeting, according to the White House.

Meanwhile, the United States and Venezuelan governments said Friday they were exploring the possibility of r estoring diplomatic relations between the two countries, and that a delegation from the Trump administration arrived to the South American nation on Friday.

The small team of U.S. diplomats and diplomatic security officials traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement.

Trump also announced on Friday he’d meet with President Gustavo Petro in early February, but called on the Colombian leader to make quick progress on stemming flow of cocaine into the U.S.

Trump, following the ouster of Maduro, had made vague threats to take similar action against Petro. Trump abruptly changed his tone Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart after a friendly phone call in which he invited Petro to visit the White House.

President Donald Trump waves as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)