Two Oklahoma Players Earn SEC Weekly Honors for Auburn Game

Defense and special teams weighed heavy in the Sooners' win against Auburn, and two of their players were recognized by the SEC for their big performances.

Oklahoma defensive lineman R Mason Thomas | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

NORMAN — OU defensive end R Mason Thomas only played one half of football on Saturday but still picked up an SEC weekly honor.

Thomas — who missed the first 30 minutes of Oklahoma’s 24-17 win over Auburn due to a targeting call in the second half of the Temple game — was named the SEC Co-Defensive Lineman of the week, sharing the title with Missouri defensive end Zion Young.

🏈 #SECFB Players of the Week: Sept. 22

OFFENSIVE
Ahmad Hardy, @MizzouFootball

DEFENSIVE
Jaden Yates, @OleMissFB

SPECIAL TEAMS
Grayson Miller, @OU_Football

OFFENSIVE LINE
Keagan Trost, @MizzouFootball

DEFENSIVE LINE
R Mason Thomas, @OU_Football
Zion Young,… pic.twitter.com/fhADtqhbEq

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) September 22, 2025

Thomas sacked Auburn quarterback — and former Sooner — Jackson Arnold on only his second play on Saturday. He also sealed OU’s win, sacking Arnold in the end zone late in the fourth quarter for a safety.

OU retained possession with less than two minutes remaining and ran out the clock, clinching the Sooners’ 1-0 start to conference play.

Thomas had two other solo tackles, finishing the game with four. The senior defensive end recorded zero sacks and only three tackles in his first three games of the 2025 campaign.

Young, the co-defensive lineman of the week, starred for Missouri in the Tigers’ 29-20 win over South Carolina, finishing the game with two tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries.

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Thomas, though, wasn’t OU’s only honoree from the Auburn game. 

Punter Grayson Miller, a transfer from Central Oklahoma, was named the conference’s Special Teams Player of the Week.

Miller punted five times for an average of 54.4 yards. His game-long 66-yard punt was OU’s longest since 2022 — and that kick pinned the Tigers at their own 4-yard line.

Miller is second nationally in yards per punt, averaging 51. The only punter ahead of him is Michigan State’s Ryan Eckley, who has punted 13 times for an average of 53 yards.

This marks the third week that OU has been included in the SEC’s weekly awards.

Sooners quarterback John Mateer was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 2 for his performance in OU’s 24-13 win over Michigan. He finished that contest with 270 passing yards, 74 rushing yards, three total touchdowns and an interception.

Running back Tory Blaylock took home SEC Freshman of the Week honors for his outing against Temple in Week 3. Blaylock finished that game with 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

The Sooners improved to 4-0 with their win over Auburn, and they climbed from No. 11 to No. 7 in the AP Top 25 in the latest poll, released on Sunday. They have the week off before hosting Kent State on Oct. 4.