The most anticipated game of the season for the Auburn Tigers is on the horizon as the Oklahoma Sooners will make their way to Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time this week.
The Tigers and Sooners have met two times prior, with Oklahoma winning both games in a bowl setting. The last time these two teams met, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield passed for 296 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Sooners to a 35-19 win over Auburn in the 2017 Allstate Sugar Bowl. Auburn running back Kam Pettway rushed for 101 yards in the loss and four quarterbacks were used after Sean White exited the game in the 1st quarter with an arm injury.
Oklahoma brings plenty of “unknowns” to the Plains as new members of the SEC. What can we expect from the Sooners? Here are five quick facts about Oklahoma ahead of Saturday afternoon’s game at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The Sooners lost its first conference game as a member of the SEC last weekend
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The buzz in Norman last week was palpable as Sooners fans unleashed their excitement ahead of Oklahoma’s SEC opener. The end result was not what Oklahoma fans had hoped for as the Sooners fell, 25-15 at home to Tennessee. The Volunteers outgained Oklahoma in rushing, 151-36, and held on to the football for over 10 minutes longer than the Sooners.
There is a quarterback battle in Norman
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Oklahoma sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold was pulled from last week’s loss to Tennessee after completing just 7 of 16 passes for 54 yards and an interception. He was replaced with Michael Hawkins Jr., who went 11-of-18 for 132 yards and a score. He also led the team in rushing with 22 yards. Like Auburn, the Sooners are having an identity crisis at the quarterback position, and it will be interesting to see if their issues will be resolved on Saturday.
R Mason Thomas and Gracen Halton are bullies on the defensive line
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Oklahoma has several defensive weapons to watch for, but Auburn’s offensive line will have trouble with defensive linemen R Mason Thomas and Gracen Halton. The duo have combined to record six sacks for a loss of 38 yards on the season. Thomas is the highest-graded pass rusher on the Sooners’ defense according to PFF with an 87.0 while Halton holds the third-best defensive grade for Oklahoma with an 81.3.
Deion Burkes is the top target for OU quarterbacks
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Oklahoma has two receivers with over 100 yards of receiving this season, tight end Bauer Sharp and wide receiver Deion Burks. No matter who the quarterback is for the Sooners, it is inevitable that they will rely on Burks for success in the passing game. Burks leads all receivers with 201 yards on 26 catches with three scores, and has been the team’s top receiver in two of the Sooners’ four games. He is also Oklahoma’s most-targeted receiver with 36, 16 more targets than the next receiver in line.
The Sooners rank dead last in the SEC in overall offense
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Some good news for Auburn’s defense. The Sooners rank No. 16 among SEC teams in overall offensive output with an average of 299.5 yards per game, 18.5 yards fewer per game than No. 15 Kentucky and 162.5 yards fewer than Auburn. Oklahoma struggles at running the football with 128.3 yards per game (No. 15 SEC) and manages to pass for just 171.3 yards per game (No. 14 SEC).
