Auburn’s offense improved following its two losses to Cal and Arkansas against Oklahoma, but the team fell short in the end. Auburn went into this game with high hopes as it was seeking its first ranked win since defeating Ole Miss in the 2021 season. With veteran quarterback Payton Thorne at the helm, the Tigers offense came into the game searching for a new identity after struggling in their first two power four games. In their first two losses, the Tigers were 34-of-62, posting just a 54.8 completion percentage.
Auburn as a team out gained the Sooner offense with 482 yards to Oklahoma’s 291 yards. Auburn's offense saw significant production from Payton Thorne, who threw for 338 yards. Thorne completed 21 of 32 passes, recording three touchdowns and one interception, his lowest of the season. All three of Auburn's touchdowns came in the air from three different receivers, including KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Malcolm Simmons and Luke Deal.
"Just us going out there making plays as like, whenever our names called,” Simmons said in reference to Auburn’s offensive potential. “Just us being the offense that we are, going out there and being able to score more points.”
The Auburn rushing attack was a large factor in driving down the field, accounting for 144 yards, with running backs Jarquez Hunter leading the way with 97 of those yards. Thorne also had a few solid scrambles to keep some drives alive, including five different instances in which he snagged a new set of downs with his legs.
Thorne and the offense had a successful night in all aspects of the game until they hit the five-minute mark in the fourth quarter. It was at this point that Thorne sailed a pass over the middle that was intended for wide receiver Cam Coleman but instead was picked off by Oklahoma defender Kip Lewis who ran it all the way back 63 yards for a go-ahead pick six deflating the Jordan-Hare crowd.
“We played well for the most part,” Thorne said about the offensive success up until the final minutes “You know after a while you get tired of silver linings to be honest with you, it gets old, and guys don’t want to hear that. You know we’re all competitors in there and at the end of the day, you only want to hear that so much… there is some of that for sure if you just look at it black and white there is some of that, but you get tired of it after a while.”
Thorne and the Tigers played a much cleaner game, a departure from previous weeks when they averaged four turnovers per game in their last three matchups, contributing to their two recent losses. The Tigers maintained steady control, challenging the Sooners throughout the contest.
Despite a statistically strong all-around performance and clear progress, the game ultimately ended in a loss—what matters most in the standings. Recurring issues resurfaced at critical moments, dropping the Tigers to 2-3 and still in search of their first SEC win.
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Reid is a freshman, exploratory major. He joined the Plainsman in the fall of 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @ReidFarris2
