Oklahoma-Auburn: LIVE In-Game Observations

Ryan Chapman, Ryan Aber and John Hoover offer their real-time observations from the No. 11 Sooners' SEC opener against the No. 22-ranked Auburn Tigers.

Oklahoma Sooners defensive lineman Jayden Jackson (65) tackles Auburn Tigers quarterback Jackson Arnold (11). | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

NORMAN — Sooners on SI offers real-time observations from Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium as the No. 11-ranked Sooners open SEC play against Jackson Arnold and the No. 22 Auburn Tigers. 

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6:25

The Sooners finished off the win in the victory formation after John Mateer took a knee following an onside-kick attempt that didn't quite go 10 yards.

6:22

OU had several chances to tie the program record for sacks in a game.

Once they got it, they immediately broke the record.

Gracen Halton and R Mason Thomas sacked Jackson Arnold on back-to-back plays, with Thomas dragging down Arnold in the end zone for a safety to put the Sooners up 24-17 with 1:06 remaining.

The sack was the second of the game for Thomas, who missed the first half due to a targeting ejection a week ago vs. Temple.

The Sooners had nine sacks in a game nine times, with the most recent coming in 2020 against Kansas. The Sooners also accomplished the feat against Texas in 2019, Nebraska in 2005, Arkansas in 2002 and Kansas State in 1983.

OU had seven sacks in the first half but hadn’t had another sack after Thomas’ sack early in the third quarter until the back-to-back sacks that put the Sooners in position to put the game away.

— Aber

6:15 p.m.

OU nearly tied the program single-game sack record.

David Stone and Taylor Wein brought down Jackson Arnold for what would’ve been the Sooners’ ninth sack of the game, but a holding penalty on Auburn wiped the sack out as the Sooners opted to take the penalty on what figures to be the deciding drive of the game.

The Tigers face a second and 25 at their own 8 coming out of the two-minute timeout.

— Aber

6:06 p.m.

Sategna gets the call, and the call on the field was overturned. 

The 31-yard completion set the Sooners up at first-and-goal, and Mateer powered forward nine more yards for a touchdown. 

OU’s two-point conversion was unsuccessful. Oklahoma will hand a 22-17 lead back to the defense with 4:54 left. 

— Chapman

6:04 p.m.

Massive review here. 

Sategna looked to have a chunk play for the Sooners, but the call on the field was that the ball was punched out. 

No clue where this officiating crew will go with this. Could see a call that he took enough steps out of bounds for it to be a catch, can see that he didn’t have it all the way through. 

And the crew has been bad all over the place. 

— Chapman

5:53 p.m.

The Tigers are on top.

Oklahoma shot itself in the foot over and over again on that defensive drive, and the Tigers make the Sooners pay with 4-yard touchdown run by Malcom Simmons. 

Jackson Arnold made a key play with his legs on fourth-and-11 to keep that Auburn drive alive, and now OU trails 17-16 with 7:08 left to play today. 

It’s the first time the Sooners have trailed this season. 

— Chapman 

5:44 p.m.

Massive recovery by Gentry Williams. 

Hugh Freeze dialed up the double pass, but Williams was able to chase down Cam Coleman and hit him as the ball arrived (probably before, but OU will take it), to prevent a massive play. 

Now, Auburn calls a timeout to think over this fourth-and-11.

— Chapman 

5:36 p.m.

Brent Venables opts for the field goal, which Tate Sandell knocked through. 

He’ll hand his defense a 16-10 lead with 14:56 left in the game. 

— Chapman 

5:35 p.m.

Third-quarter stats:

5:35 p.m.

OU goes into the fourth quarter up 13-10 and facing a fourth-and-2 from the Auburn 10.

By far Mateer’s best drive of the day so far. He’s has hung in there and taken hits on four different completions on this drive.

— Hoover

5:32 p.m.

Kanak wide open again after he was yanked at the line of scrimmage. It's a 24-yard completion for Mateer.

— Hoover

5:26 p.m.

Oklahoma’s defense escaped on that drive. 

Gave up a 44-yard run thanks to Jeremiah Cobb bouncing off would-be tacklers. 

Devon Jordan got smoked on a double-move by Cam Coleman, but Jackson Arnold overthrew his star receiver. 

In the end, the Tigers shanked a 50-yard field goal try. Sooners are clinging to a 13-10 lead as the third quarter winds down. 

— Chapman 

5:19 p.m.

Well, anyone hoping Oklahoma’s last drive would build some momentum for the offense… look away. 

Auburn completely blew up the second down rush Arbuckle dialed up. Then OU got hit with another OPI on third down, though Hugh Freeze declined the penalty. 

Punter Grayson Miller has been excellent today, but he’s been on the field too much for Brent Venables’ liking. 

— Chapman 

5:06 p.m.

John Mateer staged another jailbreak from the pocket on second down and found Jovantae Barnes, but the OU running back appeared to mis-time his jump. It could have been a touchdown; certainly would have been a first down. 

Instead, the Sooners had to settle for a 32-yard field goal. 

Oklahoma takes a 13-10 lead with 8:36 left in the third quarter. 

— Chapman

5:06 p.m.

Tight end Jaren Kanak made one of the plays of the game to this point early in the third quarter.

With the Sooners facing third-and-11 from their own 39, Kanak caught a pass from John Mateer and soon had Auburn linebacker Xavier Atkins right in front of him. 

Kanak leaped into Atkins’ chest, falling forward and picking up some extra yardage for what was ultimately a 16-yard catch.

— Aber

4:56 p.m.

Welcome back, R Mason Thomas. 

The defensive end picks up his first sack of the year on his first possession in this game. 

Put Auburn way behind the chains and helped the defense force a three-and-out to get rolling in the third quarter. 

— Chapman 

4:51 p.m.

An announcement nobody wants to hear: “Ladies and gentlemen, we are monitoring the weather in the area.”

Let’s get this second half in.

— Chapman

4:38 p.m.

First half stats:

4:34 p.m.

Brent Venables to Molly McGrath at halftime:

“We had a nice play designed up. I don’t think that was us. But whatever. We just gotta be more efficient. You know, getting in our own way. Auburn is playing well. They got an excellent defense. 8 got hot. So we gotta  clean some stuff up, maybe give him some help. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to win your matchups, too. We've been able to overcome some mistakes with some of the turnovers. The defense has got a lot of fight. It's gonna be a hell of a game the second half.” 

— Hoover

4:29 p.m.

Sloppy, gross, poorly-played half of football all around. 

The Sooners and the Tigers head to the locker room tied up at 10-10. Both teams have combined for 16 flags, and it’s unclear the refs have gotten close to even getting all of those right. 

R Mason Thomas will return in the second half, which is worse news for Auburn, but the Sooners have to find some rhythm on offense on the first possesion of the second half. 

OU’s only touchdown came on the trick substitution play. 

— Chapman 

4:24 p.m.

OU is well on its way to setting a program record for sacks in a game.

The Sooners have seven sacks of Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold in the first half — two away from tying the program record.

Defensive tackle Jayden Jackson leads the way with 2.5 sacks.

David Stone, Taylor Wein, Owen Heinecke and Marvin Jones Jr. have added one sack while Kip Lewis teamed up with Jackson on a combo sack.

OU has had nine sacks in a game five times, with the most recent coming in 2020 against Kansas. The Sooners also accomplished the feat against Texas in 2019, Nebraska in 2005, Arkansas in 2002 and Kansas State in 1983.

The seven sacks have cost Auburn 28 yards, with the Sooners holding the Tigers to minus-2 rushing yards at halftime.

The Tigers are still outgaining the Sooners 160-123 at halftime.

— Aber

4:21 p.m.

Guillory gets beat again, this time for a Cam Coleman touchdown. 

The Tigers have -2 rushing yards, but they just tied the game at 10-10 with 1:08 left in the first half. 

— Chapman 

4:19 p.m.

It’s been a half to forget for Courtland Guillory (and OU’s corners in general). Cam Coleman consistently winning on the outside. 

The good news? Oklahoma’s defensive line has been so good that Arnold hasn’t had much time to punish the Sooners consistently. 

— Chapman 

4:05 p.m.

Isaiah Sategna literally refuses to be normal when catching punts. 

He made that way dicier than it had to be, but the Sooners will take over at their own 14. 

— Chapman 

4:02 p.m.

Jayden Jackson and Kobie McKinzie just dropped Arnold for Oklahoma’s sixth sack of the day.

— Hoover

4:00 p.m.

Mateer looks out of sorts. He made two really good throws to Sategna for 29 yards and Keontez Lewis for 19 yards and the Sooners are in the red zone again, but then Mateer just drops the football on a read-option keeper.

Inexplicable turnover.

— Hoover

3:58 p.m.

This has been a pretty poorly played football game. 

Mateer fumbles after a bad exchange at the mesh point, and Auburn will take over at its own 34-yard line. 

OU’s offense had just gotten into rhythm attacking the middle of the field, and the Sooners had a chance to really take the game over with a touchdown drive. 

Instead, the Tigers can tie things up with a strong drive of their own. 

— Chapman

3:56 p.m.

Logan Howland is back in at left tackle to start this drive. 

— Chapman 

3:53 p.m.

Another three-and-out for the Oklahoma defense. That’s three of Auburn’s five offensive possessions. The others were 7 plays for 9 yards and 10 plays for 87 yards (and a field goal).

— Hoover

3:53 p.m.

As sloppy as Auburn has played, there have been three snaps that the OU defense hasn’t been set when Arnold called for the football. 

The Tigers haven’t punished Oklahoma for that yet, but need to sort that out quickly before it hurts the Sooners. 

Other than the pair of big plays through the air, however, another great showing for Venables’ unit so far. 

— Chapman 

3:52 p.m.

I would say Arnold was just sacked by Jayden Jackson after a pressure from P.J. Adebawore, but really a more apt description would be “smushed.”

Auburn now has minus-12 yards rushing.

— Hoover

3:49 p.m.

ESPN rules analyst Matt Austin just said you can not use the substation process to deceive the opponent.

That’s exactly what Arbuckle just did with the Mateer-Sategna touchdown pass.

Arkansas thought he was subbing out and didn’t even see him standing near the OU sideline after he began the slow process of walking off.

What a weird turn of events.

— Hoover

3:45 p.m.

Sategna gets into the end zone completely uncovered and Mateer finds him wide open for a 24-yard touchdown. Sooners cash in on the huge defensive stop and fourth-down turnover to lead Auburn 10-3.

But let’s call this game what it is: ugly. This  has been a sloppy game, with 12 penalties, bad snaps, defensive coverage busts, dropped interceptions.

Anybody want to win this one?

— Hoover

3:44 p.m.

Auburn hit a 40-yard pass, then faced a fourth-and-33, then the punter gets a bad snap and gets dropped for a loss and the Sooners are in business with great field position.

— Hoover

3:41 p.m.

That drive felt like it lasted 30 minutes for Auburn. 

Oklahoma survives the explosive passing play to Coleman. 

Then the Tigers get a terrible snap on the punt, and OU will take over on the Auburn 12-yard line. 

Massive moment here in Norman. 

— Chapman 

3:40 p.m.

Well, that’s two dropped EASY interceptions by the OU defense. That’s crucial.

But the sack by David Stone on Arnold was just gigantic. Flawless technique on the twist, good leverage to blow past his blocker and good feet to hit Arnold at full stride.

Big things ahead for Stone.

The OU secondary, we’ll see.

— Hoover

3:38 p.m.

Great job by Marvin Jones pushing Auburn back on two penalties and a sack after the deep ball — but then Jones is flagged 15 yards for a horse collar tackle.

That’s a bad break for Oklahoma in a game they’ve already gotten a few good ones.

— Hoover

3:35 p.m.

Jackson Arnold coming off the goal line doesn’t seem to be a problem. Not when Cam Coleman is downfield tormenting the Sooners’ cornerbacks. 

That was one Courtland Guillory on the coverage, good for 40 yards.

Hugh Freeze has announced his intentions to test the OU cornerbacks.

— Hoover

Mateer had Kanak running free for a touchdown on third-and-2. 

Instead, he throws to Carson Kent. Kent was unable to hold onto the football through contact and the Sooners will punt again. 

— Chapman 

3:30 p.m.

First-quarter stats:

3:27 p.m.

Boy, the Sooner defense avoided a major bust there. Looked like Gentry Williams passed off Coleman to Michael Boganowski in cover 2, but Boganowski was late coming over.

End result is Arnold overthrew a wide open Coleman, or this thing would be 10-3 right now.

— Hoover

3:20 p.m.

Pretty simple formula for Oklahoma’s offense on the first two drives. 

The Sooners were able to convert in third-and-short. When faced with third-and-long, OU has only moved the chains courtesy of a penalty. 

Very early, but need to stay on schedule to keep the Auburn defense on its heels instead of allowing the Tigers to play downhill.

— Chapman 

3:17 p.m.

Fasusi in at left tackle to start this drive. 

— Chapman 

3:15 p.m.

Oklahoma hasn't trailed in a game yet this year, and they haven't given up a point in the first quarter yet this year -- until now.

Auburn has to settle for a FG, and it's 3-3 at the 3:56 mark of the first quarter.

— Hoover

3:12 p.m.

At the end of a 15-yard pass play for Auburn, Gentry Williams is flagged for a 15-yard facemask penalty. Auburn has the football inside the OU 5.

— Hoover

3:10 p.m.

Lack of experience there by Wein. Arnold scrambled to the sideline and Wein, thinking he was going out of bounds, didn’t even attempt to make contact. Declined, actually. That allowed Arnold to skip upfield for a couple more yards and a first down. Wein should learn from that one.

— Hoover

3:10 p.m.

The Sooners’ lack of turnovers continues to be a significant storyline.

OU’s defense, though, hadn’t had many interception opportunities. The Sooners headed into Saturday’s game without a dropped interception chance, according to Pro Football Focus. 

That changed quickly against Auburn, as Peyton Bowen dropped a potential interception throw from former high school teammate Jackson Arnold on first downin Tigers territory about midway through the first quarter.

— Aber

3:06 p.m.

That wasn’t true freshman Courtland Guillory chasing Cam Coleman there. 

Peyton Bowen and Gentry Williams were the ones trailling the Auburn star. 

Bowen almost then followed that up with a pick six… The good and the bad from Arnold already showing. 

— Chapman 

3:03 p.m.

Sandell looked really confident on that kick. Opening the game with a 49-yarder after the offense caught a break and then kind of fizzled out is a lot of pressure, but he handled it well.

— Hoover

3:01 p.m.

Seems like an odd choice to run that third down play to Ivan Carreon. He’s a big body, but not exactly known for his yards after catch ability. 

Helped set up a Tate Sandell field goal, however. He nailed the 49-yarder to put the Sooenrs up 3-0 with 8:32 left in the first quarter. 

— Chapman 

2:58 p.m.

The thing about that play was OU’s line let through a middle rusher and threw the screen immediately behind the blitzer. It was a brilliantly designed play, but Sategna was immediately swallowed up.

— Hoover 

2:57 p.m.

The pass was ruled incomplete. Sooners can exhale. 

Third-and-10 from the 40-yard line coming up. 

— Chapman 

2:55 p.m.

That didn’t look like a fumble in real time. Replay shows Sategna may have gained possession as a catch, but his butt was on the ground when the ball started to come out. He was down. Replay review is under way.

— Hoover

2:54 p.m.

Disaster for the Sooners. 

Ben Arbuckle had set up a perfect mid-screen call, but Mateer’s delivery to Sategna was high. 

He was able to haul in the pass, but he quickly got hit and the call on the field was a catch and fumble, which was returned for an Auburn touchdown. 

We’re headed to a review. 

— Chapman 

2:49 p.m.

Arnold really showed zero awareness there that the pocket was in danger of collapsing. But a relentless pursuit by Taylor Wein to get off the ground and finish the sack.

— Hoover

2:49 p.m.

Oklahoma’s starters on offense:

Howland-Ozaeta-Maikkula-Nwaiwu-Simmons

Lewis-Kanak-Burks-Sategna

Mateer-Blaylock 

— Chapman 

2:47 p.m.

Possession No. 1 for Jackson Arnold ends with a Taylor Wein sack. 

Welcome back to Norman. 

— Chapman 

2:46 p.m.

Oklahoma’s starters on defense:

Jones Jr. - Jackson - D. Williams - Wein 

Daniels - McKinzie - K. Lewis

G. Williams - Spears-Jennings - Bowen - Guillory 

— Chapman 

2:45 p.m.

“He’s mature. Flatline-focus. He’s ready to the execute to the best of his ability.”

Hugh Freeze to Molly McGrath in the final pre-kickoff interview.

— Hoover

2:44 p.m.

Oklahoma won the toss and deferred. Jackson Arnold up first.

— Chapman 

2:26 p.m.

Defensive end Taylor Wein is the name announced who will start in place of R Mason Thomas per the pregame lineup video. The video also indicated that Gentry Williams will be back starting at corner across from Courtland Guillory.

— Chapman 

2:23 p.m.

According to OU’s pregame notes, Oklahoma has forced as many punts through three games (27) as it has allowed first downs (27). 

The last time OU permitted 27 or fewer first downs through its first three games was 1985 (16). 

That’s some historical, heady stuff.

The Tigers’ MO this year is a power run game, keyed by QB Jackson Arnold. If OU can limit the big plays in the running game, the Sooners could win this one big.

— Hoover

2:05 p.m.

OU is one of only three teams with four players who average 50.0-plus receiving yards per game: TE Jaren Kanak (81.7) and WRs Deion Burks (75.0), Keontez Lewis [60.3) and Isaiah Sategna III (52.3). 

Auburn’s gonna try to shorten the game by running the football. Oklahoma needs to maximize its scoring opportunities against a pretty salty Tiger defense.

— Hoover

2:03 p.m.

Per the warmups, Oklahoma’s projected offensive line is as follows (left to right):

Howland-Ozaeta-Maikkula-Nwaiwu-Simmons

Michael Fasusi is available per the availability reports, but it’s Logan Howland who is getting the reps at left tackle with the first team. 

— Chapman 

1:59 pm.

Eli Bowen is suited up for the first time today. He’s stretching, but it would still be shocking to see him play today. 

Javonnie Gibson was off to the side during the first portion of stretches today, which is business as usual for him thorughout the first four weeks. 

— Chapman 

1:19 p.m.

Jackson Arnold was greeted back to Owen Field by a smattering of boo’s by the OU student section.

Not really a sustained effort, but the students certainly had their eyes on the former Oklahoma quarterback. 

— Chapman 

1:03 p.m.

No real shocks on the final availability report before things get going in Norman.

Last night, offensive linemen Michael Fasusi, Jake Maikkula and Febechi Nwaiwu cemented themselves as available. Defensive end Marvin Jones Jr. is also available after he was listed as questionable early in the week.

The only Sooners listed out for today’s game are defensive back Jeremiah Newcombe and offensive linemen Troy Everett, Jacob Sexton and Jake Taylor. 

— Chapman