Oklahoma LB Kobie McKinzie Ready to Play ‘Smashmouth’ Football Against Auburn

NORMAN — Oklahoma is three-for-three when it comes to limiting opposing running backs.

OU is allowing only 96.3 rushing yards per game. Most recently, the Sooners held Temple to only 27 rushing yards in their 42-3 win in Philadelphia.

The Sooners will be put to the test again on Saturday when they open SEC play against Auburn.

The Tigers, ranked No. 22 in the latest AP Top 25, are third in the conference in rushing yards per game with 242.

OU senior linebacker Kobie McKinzie is ready for the challenge of stopping Auburn’s prolific run game.

“You got to love playing smashmouth football,” McKinzie said. “We do it every day. It’s fun.”

Auburn’s run game starts with Jeremiah Cobb.

A junior, Cobb is 10th nationally with 314 rushing yards through three games. He has scored touchdowns and is averaging 6.8 yards per carry.

Former OU quarterback Jackson Arnold is also a threat on the ground for the Tigers. Arnold is Auburn’s second-leading rusher with 192 yards.

The Tigers opened the year with a 38-24 win against Baylor in which they ran for 307 yards on 52 carries, averaging 5.9 yards per rush.

“They literally just ran the ball over and over and over,” McKinzie said. “So, obviously that’s a big part of their offense.”

READ MORE OKLAHOMA SOONERS

This isn’t the first time of 2025 that McKinzie and his defensive counterparts have battled a team with an elite ground game.

Michigan running back Justice Haynes is currently No. 5 in the nation in rushing with 388 yards in the Wolverines’ first three games. He ran for 125 yards against the Sooners, but 75 of them came on one rush that went for a touchdown. Aside from that, Haynes only had 50 yards and averaged 2.8 yards per carry.

“Just like Michigan, we got to show up and show we’re ready to play the run all day,” McKinzie said.

McKinzie is part of a linebacker corps that has been exceptional to start the 2025 season.

McKinzie, Kip Lewis, Sammy Omosigho and Owen Heinecke have combined for 50 tackles, 22 solo tackles, six pass deflections and 1.5 sacks.

McKinzie challenged both Omosigho and Heinecke to “take his spot” at middle linebacker during the offseason. All three of them have seen significant playing time early in 2025.

The friendly competition has made each of them better, per McKinzie.

“Everybody is happy and excited for anybody who goes in the game,” McKinzie said. "Everybody in this room can be a starter. I truly believe that everybody in our one- and two-deep can go to any SEC team and start."

McKinzie believes that the camaraderie in the linebacker room has spread to all three levels of OU’s defense and elevated the unit’s play.

The linebacker believes that will help the Sooners as they try to neutralize Auburn’s fast and physical rushing attack.

“The group that is in this defensive room, man, it’s special,” McKinzie said. “Any time anybody goes in the game, you just watch the sideline, you’ll truly see that everybody’s exciting, and they’re always celebrating somebody else’s success. When you have that, man, you really will and really can be really good.”