Oklahoma-Auburn Preview: One Big Thing ... And It's Not Jackson Arnold

If the Sooners hope to foil the return of their old quarterback on Saturday, they'll first have to shut down the Tigers' ground attack. That won't be easy.

Oklahoma defensive tackles Jayden Jackson, Gracen Halton | Carson Field, Sooners on SI

Everyone agrees that emotions will be high this week when Jackson Arnold returns to Owen Field.

And if they don’t, they’re lying.

But the Sooners’ old quarterback going up against his old defense isn’t the most important matchup of this showdown.

No. 11-ranked OU hosts No. 22 Auburn at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Both teams are 3-0, and the winner will gain a foothold on college football’s midseason playoff radar.

Arnold was a turnover machine when he quarterbacked the Sooners. In his 10 starts and two relief appearances wearing the Crimson and Cream, Arnold threw six interceptions and lost eight of his 15 fumbles.

In three games so far this season for the Tigers, Arnold hasn’t given the football away yet — though he has fumbled two times and Auburn got them both back.

Don’t expect Oklahoma’s defense to pick up (or pick off) its first takeaway of the season on Saturday.

If OU gets turnovers, fine. No doubt such good fortune would fuel a Sooner victory.

Oklahoma Sooners defensive lineman Damonic Williams stands over Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

But as former OU defensive coordinator Alex Grinch taught us, you just can’t plan for turnovers, no matter how bad you want them. Turnovers are organic and have to happen on their own time. A defense can play exceptional football for three straight weeks against inferior competition or a recent national champ and still rank last in the nation in takeaways.

This is Much More Telling

What Oklahoma must do this week against Auburn is much more bankable, much more reliable — and a much better predictor of success.

Yes, turnovers are frequently a major indicator of winning or losing. But this OU squad hasn’t been touched defensively, and the Sooners are minus-5 in the turnover ratio. That ranks 103rd nationally.

Even if Arnold reverts to his careless days of 2024 and throws a couple of picks and drops footballs all over Owen Field like Easter eggs, that won’t be a long-term measure of how good this Oklahoma defense is, and how sustainable this win streak is for Brent Venables’ squad heading into a daunting two-month stretch.

No, what this OU defense must do Saturday is much harder and much more telling than getting a bunch of takeaways from Jackson Arnold.

Oklahoma needs to stop the run.

If Auburn can line up and run it when they want to, run it when they have to, and run it when everyone in the stadium knows they’re going to, then it will be a long day for the OU defense, and it will show other SEC teams where the Sooners may be vulnerable.

Make no mistake, Oklahoma’s run defense so far has been very good. But for a safety misalignment on the first play after halftime against Michigan (a 75-yard touchdown) and quarterback escape by Illinois State (24 yards), OU would be allowing just 62 yards per game and 2.2 yards per carry. Those would both rank in the top 10 nationally. (The Sooners are currently 34th in the nation at stopping the run at 96.3 yards per game).

Auburn Tigers quarterback Jackson Arnold at Baylor. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

But running the football is Auburn’s offensive strength. 

Arnold Leads a Potent Ground Attack

Arnold hit Baylor for 137 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in Waco (while throwing for just 108 yards and no TDs). For the season, he has scored four rushing touchdowns and is averaging 5.5 yards per carry.

Jeremiah Cobb went for 74 and a score at Baylor, then raked Ball State for 121 yards and two TDs on just 11 carries and hung 119 and a score on South Alabama on just 19 carries. He’s averaging 6.8 yards per rush this season.

And Damari Alston ran 16 times for 84 yards and a TD at Baylor. He’s been injured and missed the last two games, but he’s listed as probable for the OU game.

This is a big game for defensive tackles Damonic Williams, Jayden Jackson, Gracen Halton and David Stone. They’ve been touted as the best defensive interior in the SEC, and maybe the nation, and they’ve backed that up through three games.

But Auburn’s starting offensive line, including the tight end, consists of four seniors and two juniors, who have combined for 263 career starts — most of any SEC team. 

And they’re not just experienced. They’re huge. The five up front average 6-foot-5 and 326 pounds, and tight end Brandon Frazier is 6-7 and 267.

Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone | Carson Field, Sooners on SI

OU plays overmatched Kent State after next week’s bye week. If Oklahoma beats Auburn and steamrolls into Dallas undefeated, it won’t be because Jackson Arnold got sloppy with the football again (though he might).

It’ll be because the OU defensive front held its own against an accomplished offensive line, because Venables’ linebackers didn’t miss too many fits against Hugh Freeze’s talented backfield, and because the Sooner secondary was fearless in run support.

It’ll be because Oklahoma’s defense won the line of scrimmage again. 

Against this Auburn offense, that’s how we’ll know if this OU defense is truly elite.