Auburn's defense delivered one of its strongest performances of the season on Saturday, keeping Oklahoma at bay for three quarters before falling short in the fourth quarter before a close loss.
"They deserved to win the game, the way they worked and the way they played harder," said Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze during his postgame press conference. "They deserved to win the game. It’s not on them and their effort.”
Freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. made his first career start for Oklahoma after replacing Jackson Arnold the previous week against Tennessee in the second half.
“We knew Hawkins is a dynamic quarterback, so our biggest thing was keeping him in the pocket to make him make throws," said Auburn linebacker Eugene Asante. "We didn’t do a good job of that early on, but I think as the game went on, we did a good job on corralling him in the pocket.”
The Sooners were also down five wide receivers due to injury along with their already banged up offensive line and new quarterback.
The Tigers' defense looked to be in for a long night after surrendering a 48-yard touchdown run to Michael Hawkins Jr. on Oklahoma’s opening drive of the matchup.
After that drive, however, the Tiger defense contained the Sooner offense, only allowing 43 total yards on the next four offensive drives.
At halftime, the Sooners tallied 111 total yards, four first downs, one touchdown, and were 1-for-5 on third down conversions.
Excluding a 48-yard touchdown run on Oklahoma’s opening drive, Auburn's defense limited the Sooners to just 1.8 yards per carry and 43 total rushing yards in the first half.
The third quarter was much of the same for the Auburn defense as it only allowed 61 yards and a field goal.
The Sooners marched down the field with a 10-play, 51-yard drive that reached Auburn’s two-yard line, but a goal-line stand by the Tigers forced Oklahoma to settle for a field goal.
The Auburn defense only allowed 172 yards while forcing five Sooner punts, holding a 14-10 lead through three quarters of play.
However, in the fourth quarter, the defense faltered, surrendering 119 yards and 10 points across three Oklahoma drives.
“Our defense played a heck of a game,” Freeze said. “They gave (Oklahoma) two explosive plays, but other than that, I thought they were remarkable.”
Untimely penalties in the secondary, including costly holdings and pass interferences, plagued the Tigers, but the defensive front responded with two sacks, four tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits, consistently pressuring Oklahoma’s backfield.
With a tougher test ahead, Auburn hopes to carry this defensive momentum into Athens as they prepare to face Georgia next Saturday.
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Luke McClure is a senior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in sports production. He joined The Plainsman in fall 2023.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @lukemcclure0
