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)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes are holding near their records ahead of an announcement that’s expected to kick off a series of cuts to interest rates meant to keep the economy out of a recession. The S&P 500 was little changed in early trading Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 71 points, or 0.2%. The Nasdaq composite was 0.2% higher. Treasury yields rose in the bond market ahead of the Federal Reserve’s decision on rates. Now that inflation has been easing, the U.S. central bank is widely expected to cut its main interest rate for the first time in more than four years.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

Wall Street ticked slightly higher early Wednesday as markets awaited an expected interest rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve, the first in more than four years.

Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones industrials were each up less than 0.1% before the bell.

The Fed’s announcement comes later Wednesday, with the overwhelming expectation on Wall Street that the U.S. central bank will lower the federal funds rate. The rate has been in a range of 5.25% to 5.50% for more than a year.

The Fed began raising rates in early 2022 — 11 times in about 17 months — in a bid to stifle the four-decade high inflation that rooted during the U.S. economy's unexpectedly swift rebound from the COVID-19 recession of 2020.

It’s unclear just how large the Fed’s rate cut will be, but Wall Street traders and some economists foresee a growing likelihood that Fed officials will announce a larger-than-usual half-point cut. Many analysts are predicting a more typical quarter-point rate cut.

With inflation barely above their target level, Fed officials have been shifting their focus toward supporting a weakening job market and achieving a rare “soft landing,” whereby it curbs inflation without causing a recession. A half-point rate cut would signal that the Fed is as determined to sustain healthy economic growth as it is to conquer high inflation. This week’s move is expected to be only the first in a series of Fed rate cuts that will extend into 2025.

Lower rates would help boost the slowing economy, as it has become increasingly more expensive to borrow money for everything from houses to cars to corporate debt.

Tupperware Brands fell 7.5% overnight after the iconic food storage company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Orlando company — which had a brief resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic when people were holed up at home and cooking for themselves — plans to continue operating and will seek court approval for a sale.

Consumer-facing genetics research company 23andMe Holding Co. tumbled more than 9% after seven independent directors resigned from the board. In a letter to CEO and Board Chair Anne Wojcicki, the board members expressed frustration that management had not produced “a fully financed, fully diligenced, actionable proposal that is in the best interests of the non-affiliated shareholders.”

Shares of 23andMe, which has yet to turn a quarterly profit since going public in 2021, are trading for about 31 cents apiece.

Microsoft announced that it was partnering with asset management company Blackrock and technology investor MGX to raise $30 billion for new and expanded data centers to meet demand for computing power used in artificial intelligence applications. Shares of Microsoft and Blackrock were largely unchanged in premarket.

Elsewhere, in midday European trading, France's CAC 40 slid 0.4% and Britain’s FTSE 100 shed 0.6%. Germany's DAX inched down less than 0.1%.

The Bank of Japan and the Bank of England are also holding monetary policy meetings later this week. But neither central bank is expected to move on rates, although the language of what the officials say could be an indicator of later moves and still influence markets.

Asian markets advanced. Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.5% to finish at 36,380.17. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was virtually unchanged, inching up less than 0.1% to 8,142.10. South Korea’s Kospi added 0.1% to 2,575.41.

Trading was closed in Hong Kong for a national holiday. The Shanghai Composite index edged 0.5% higher to 2,717.28.

Japan reported its trade deficit totaled 695 billion yen, or $4.9 billion in August, down 26% from a year earlier, according to the Finance Ministry, recording a deficit for the second month straight.

Exports totaled 8.4 trillion yen ($59 billion), up 5.6% from the same month the previous year. Shipments to Asia rose while exports to the U.S. fell. Imports totaled 9.1 trillion yen ($64 billion), up 2.3% from a year earlier. By region, imports from European nations, in categories such as pharmaceuticals, showed the strongest growth.

Both numbers fell short of forecasts for 10% growth in exports and and even higher increases for imports.

The Japanese yen has gained in value against the U.S. dollar in recent weeks, helping to boost the country’s purchasing power.

The dollar slipped to 141.90 Japanese yen from 142.34 yen. The dollar had traded at levels over 150 yen earlier this year.

The euro cost $1.1121, up modestly from $1.1117.

In energy dealings, benchmark U.S. crude declined 51 cents to $69.45 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 50 cents to $73.20 a barrel.

The New York Stock Exchange, with a banner for American Eagle Outfitters, is shown on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

A person stands near an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

People stand near an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

People stand in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person rides a bicycle in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)