NCAAF

Oklahoma Sooners at Auburn Tigers

· NCAA - Football
4-1, 1-0 Away
Final
27 - 21
2-3, 2-3 Home

No. 21 Oklahoma rallies late, stuns Auburn for first-ever Southeastern Conference win

Highlight: Lewis 'picks' up the win for No. 21 Oklahoma over Auburn

“That was my first experience with Sooner magic as a head coach,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. “That was an amazing last four drives on offense and defense. ... We played our best ball when it mattered most.”

It was Oklahoma’s first SEC road game after leaving the Big 12. The Sooners bounced back from a loss at home to Tennessee the previous week in their SEC opener.

True freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. gained 230 yards of total offense in his first career start for Oklahoma after replacing Jackson Arnold during the Tennessee game.

The Sooners (4-1, 1-1 SEC) struggled on offense for much of this game, but they took advantage of several missed opportunities by the Tigers (2-3, 0-2). Oklahoma stopped Auburn on fourth down at the 1-yard line in the first quarter, and the Tigers missed two chances at a short field goal late in the second quarter.

Auburn’s Payton Thorne passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns, but his sixth interception of the season turned out to be the decisive play.

“I’ve got to make sure that (Thorne) understands the situation better, and we should’ve had runs there,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said. “I have to be clearer with him on what we have to do there.”

Oklahoma’s Jovantae Barnes cut into Auburn’s 21-10 lead with 8:32 remaining with a 2-yard touchdown run that was set up by a 60-yard pass from Hawkins to J.J. Hester. The 2-point conversion failed, leaving the Tigers ahead by five points.

Lewis then intercepted Thorne, who was making his return to the starting lineup after a two-game absence, and ran it all the way back with 4:06 left to play.

After a late Oklahoma field goal extended the visitors’ lead to six points, Thorne’s last-second pass came up short of the end zone.

Auburn finished the game with nearly 200 more yards of offense than Oklahoma.

“We didn’t play very well,” Venables said. “But we played amazingly when we needed to.”

The takeaway Oklahoma: The Sooners’ slow offensive start, marked by a large number of injuries at wide receiver and inconsistent line play, continued Saturday. But Hawkins could provide a real spark going forward with his dual-threat ability alongside what has been a strong defense under Venables so far this season.

Auburn: Penalties, questionable clock management and empty scoring drives continue to haunt the Tigers, who have lost all three of their home games against power-conference opponents this season. Now Auburn will start the toughest stretch of its schedule with a losing record.

Game-changing drive After a 22-yard run from Jarquez Hunter with a little more than 11 minutes remaining and a two-score lead, Thorne threw back-to-back incompletions before a run for no gain. That led to a missed 51-yard field goal.

The possession only took 1:31 off the clock, and it opened the door for Oklahoma’s rally.

Poll implications Oklahoma will have a good chance to climb back into the Top 20 with this road comeback win.

Up next Oklahoma: Has an off week before facing No. 1 Texas in Dallas on Oct. 12.

Auburn: Visits No. 2 Georgia next Saturday.

How To Watch

How can I watch Oklahoma Sooners vs. Auburn Tigers?
  • TV Channel: Sooners at Tigers 2021 College Football, week 5, is broadcasted on ABC.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Tigers: 43.0%
Sooners: 57.0%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

OU TD 1st Period 12:30 Michael Hawkins Jr. 48 Yd Run (Zach Schmit Kick)
AUB TD 2nd Period 12:52 KeAndre Lambert-Smith 31 Yd pass from Payton Thorne (Towns McGough Kick)
AUB TD 2nd Period 5:41 Malcolm Simmons 48 Yd pass from Payton Thorne (Towns McGough Kick)
OU FG 3rd Period 2:26 Zach Schmit 24 Yd Field Goal
AUB TD 4th Period 14:12 Luke Deal 1 Yd pass from Payton Thorne (Towns McGough Kick)
OU TD 4th Period 8:32 Jovantae Barnes 2 Yd Run (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed)
OU TD 4th Period 4:06 Kip Lewis 63 Yd Interception Return (Michael Hawkins Jr. Run for Two-Point Conversion)
OU FG 4th Period 0:54 Zach Schmit 39 Yd Field Goal

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/201.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originOU https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originAUB
11 1st Downs 26
2-11 3rd down efficiency 4-14
0-1 4th down efficiency 2-4
291 Total Yards 482
161 Passing 338
10/15 Comp/Att 21/32
10.7 Yards per pass 10.6
130 Rushing 144
32 Rushing Attempts 43
4.1 Yards per rush 3.3
10-78 Penalties 7-61
0 Turnovers 1
0 Fumbles lost 0
0 Interceptions thrown 1
24:34 Possession 35:26

Game Information

Jordan-Hare Stadium

Location: Auburn, AL
Attendance: 88,043 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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