Auburn Tigers vs. Oklahoma Sooners: Keys to the Game

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The Auburn vs. Oklahoma game is going to be a doozy. Last week, Auburn lost to Arkansas 24-14 on the plains of Jordan-Hare Stadium. Redshirt freshman Hank Brown started the game and threw three interceptions in what was a litany of turnovers for the Tigers. Brown seemed to have predetermined where he was going to throw on two of them and they were telegraphed to the defense. Coach Hugh Freeze was not happy with the performance, to say the least.

The other turnover was a Damari Alston fumble as he was going into the endzone. The final turnover of Auburn’s five was a Payton Thorne interception in the second half. However, this was not his fault,  as it hit the hands of freshman wide receiver Cam Coleman. Thorne actually looked somewhat competent, and was able to find KeAndre Lambert-Smith for multiple touchdowns in the second half.

Meanwhile, the defense was able to turnover Arkansas twice, and held a bend but don’t break mentality. However, Arkansas was able to convert on multiple third and long situations, including a touchdown on 3rd and 19 where the Tigers only rushed three defensive linemen. Coach Freeze and company can’t allow that to happen in future games.

Auburn vs. Oklahoma Matchup History

Auburn and Oklahoma have played twice in the Sugar Bowl, with Oklahoma winning both games. The most recent game was 2017 when Lincoln Riley and Baker Mayfield beat the Gus Malzahn led Auburn Tigers.

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables has already announced that true freshman Michael Hawkins will start at quarterback in the versus Auburn. Per Justin Hokanson, Auburn team captain Eugene Asante sounded off in a very transparent Q&A, saying “we have to up the ante” in terms of preparation; adding, “this is a job, not a joke,” pointing towards “making practice more like a game” and much more.

Last week in his post-game press conference, coach Freeze mentioned that Auburn has to correct the turnovers and that coaching is an important part of that. The final interesting quote comes from Keldric Faulk saying that Michael Hawkins reminds him of former teammate Robby Ashford.

Key Players for Auburn

Auburn is going to have rely on other players other than the quarterback in this game. The most important player for the Tiger offense will be Jarquez Hunter. Against New Mexico, Hunter had 20 carries, a career-high at Auburn. In the other three games, Hunter has barely doubled that, with 28 combined carries in the Alabama A&M, California and Arkansas games. Against Oklahoma, Hunter has to be a focal point of the offense, especially when he is averaging 7.1 yards per carry.

Whoever starts at quarterback will need some help from the receivers. This means Lambert-Smith and Coleman will have to step up. Lambert-Smith has played well and provides a secure target, and this should continue this weekend.

Meanwhile, Coleman had a big debut on two catches against Alabama A&M and followed it up with similar production against California. However, he has two dropped passes that have been tipped directly to the other team for an interception – and this has to get cleaned up.

Coleman has the talent to be a superstar, and that could be on display this week against Oklahoma. The kid has been battling through an injury, so hopefully we see him closer to fully healthy this week as well.

Defensively, the Auburn Tigers are going to have to continue to produce at multiple positions to keep them in this game. Defensive coordinator DJ Durkin did show some improvement by bringing more pressure than he had previously, but is going to have to bring that pressure on third down.

The key players to help Durkin are going to be Eugene Asante, Keldric Faulk and Dorian Mausi. Asante is a captain and leader on this team, but only has eight tackles on the year. He is capable of much more, and to beat Oklahoma he is going to have to step up.

Meanwhile, Faulk has surpassed expectations so far this year, wreaking havoc on other teams’ backfields. Faulk is fourth on the team in tackles and leads the team in sacks. He will be an important piece to the Auburn defense in this game.

Finally, Mausi has been welcomed as a transfer player for the Auburn defense, and is second in tackles on the team behind Jerrin Thompson. Mausi might be the reason for Asante’s decrease in numbers, because admittedly he is a tackling machine.

Key Players for Oklahoma

Oklahoma has seemingly moved on from Jackson Arnold, meaning that Michael Hawkins will be a crucial player for the Sooners in this matchup. To help the freshman quarterback, expect Oklahoma to lean more on their run game, so Jovantae Barnes and Taylor Tatum will see more touches.

Barnes is second on the team in carries and tied for first in yards, but only has one touchdown. Tatum is more efficient and explosive, so this will be something for the Tigers to key in on. He has 18 carries and 116 rushing yards with two touchdowns.

The final key offensive player for the Sooners is wide receiver Deion Burks. Burks has 26 receptions for 201 yards and three touchdowns which all lead the team. He also has five carries for 32 yards rushing, so expect him to be involved in the rushing attack as well.

Defensively, the Sooners are led by senior linebacker and preseason second-team All-American Danny Stutsman. Stutsman should change his name to the “Studs” man because he’s that good. He leads the Sooners with 36 total tackles, which is tied for 26th nationally. The preseason All-American is a thumper and will be involved heavily on defense. He’s also a great leader on the team.

Another key player for the Sooners is defensive lineman R Mason Thomas. He leads the Sooners with 3.5 sacks this season and has one forced fumble and fumble recovery. Thomas seems to be a game-wrecker on the defensive line with one mission – get to the quarterback.

The final key player for the Sooners defense is Kani Walker. The junior defensive back leads the team with four pass deflections (R Mason Thomas has one as well to emphasize his problematic nature) which matches his total for all of last season. Walker is one of four Sooners that has an interception this season. Whoever Auburn plays at quarterback will need to identify where Walker, Thomas and Stutsman are before making any decisions.

Keys to the Game for Auburn

The keys for the Auburn against Oklahoma is to establish the run to protect whoever is playing quarterback. They must also protect the football, and make sure the wide receivers are stepping up their play to the talent they have.

The Tigers cannot have drops that lead to tip interceptions. Quarterbacks cannot throw four interceptions, and running backs need to hold onto the ball. If Auburn can win the turnover battle they will have a chance to win the game.

Defensively, the Tigers will have to contain the rushing ability of Michael Hawkins. To do so, they will need to bring pressure on all downs and not drop into coverage. The pressure could also force the freshman into making mistakes.

The Tigers defensive backfield will need to key in on Deion Burks on every single play. Then it will come down to stopping the run game. If Auburn can do that, they can win this game.

Recruiting Roundup

Deuce Knight is visiting Auburn for the fourth straight week in a row – this time on an official recruiting visit. The Tigers and Knight seem to be at a stalemate, but why Auburn has not tried to move mountains to secure his  flip from Notre Dame is baffling, considering the Auburn quarterback play.

Knight will be joined by Auburn commits Jared Smith, Anquon Fegans, Alvin Henderson and current Georgia Tech commit Sam Turner at the game this week. Current Ohio State commit and Huge Auburn target, Na’eem Offord, will also be in attendance.

Steve Wiltfong has predicted that Auburn will land IOL prospect Nelson McGuire to add to its 2025 recruiting class.

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