BY BRANDON HUGHES
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — With 11:41 on the clock in the 4th quarter, Auburn had a 1st and 10 at the Oklahoma 33-yard line, with an 11-point lead. Up to that point of the game, the Tiger defense had held the Sooner offense to 153 yards on its previous 35 plays, going back to the Sooners’ second drive of the game. In the parlance of the analytics of today, Auburn had a 97.4% win probability at that moment, per ESPN.com. For comparison, Auburn’s win probability against Alabama last season on 4th and 31 was 94.5%.
Then it happened.
Auburn found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
In the latest of a string of absolutely brutal losses—all coming at home—the visiting Oklahoma Sooners (4-1, 1-1) went into the game a veritable MASH unit. The team was without its top five wide receivers, its starting quarterback and its starting field goal kicker. Yet, through it all, the Sooners made the right plays at the right times to win their first conference road game as a member of the SEC, downing the Auburn Tigers (2-3, 0-2) by a score of 27-21.
“It’s just like I told the team in there, ‘I couldn’t be prouder of their effort, their preparation, the way they worked and the way they played harder — they deserved to win the game,” said Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze after the loss. “I have to find a way to help them win these games. It is not on them and their effort today. Our defense played a heck of a game. The [offense] held onto the ball effectively and threw some good passes… but gosh, this one stings for sure.”
Auburn linebacker Jalen McLeod spoke about the mood in the Tigers’ postgame locker room: “It was tough because we played our hearts out. But that’s not enough. We have to win. We have to win. We know it as a team. We have to win now.”
Still wearing his uniform, Tiger QB Payton Thorne faced the media. When asked about his message to the team after the game, the dejected team captain said, “I don’t really have a message right now, to be honest. There’s a process of letting it sink in. It’s on to the next game. However, with the emotions of this game, there is a grace period, I guess you could call it, where everyone just needs to calm down a little bit and soak in what just happened, including me. So, my message will be, this one’s over tonight, just like if we would’ve won the game, and it’s on to Georgia next week.”
To begin the game, Auburn received the opening kickoff, promptly lost two yards in three plays, and punted. Oklahoma wasted little time on its first drive of the game, scoring four plays later as QB Michael Hawkins Jr ran up the middle untouched for a 48-yard touchdown, putting the Sooners out in front 7-0.
The Tigers’ offense would respond with a 13-play, 74-yard drive that would eat up over seven minutes of the clock. Facing 1st and goal from the Oklahoma 6-yard-line and looking to even the score, Auburn ran Sam Jackson V out of the wildcat formation on first down for no gain. After runs by Thorne and Jarquez Hunter, Auburn faced a 4th and goal from the 1-yard line. Jackson V ran the wildcat once more and was once again stopped for no gain, giving the ball to the Sooners on its own 1-yard line.
The teams would exchange punts on the following three drives, and Auburn would finally dent the scoreboard on its fourth drive of the game. The drive began with a 34-yard throw and catch to Cam Coleman and culminated in a 31-yard contested touchdown catch by KeAndre Lambert-Smith—his sixth of the season—to knot the game at seven.
Following another Sooner punt, Auburn would take a 14-7 lead on an arcing 48-yard completion to Malcolm Simmons, completing the seven-play, 81-yard drive. Following Oklahoma’s third three-and-out of the ballgame, Auburn would move 49 yards in nine plays to the Oklahoma 25-yard line. Facing 3rd and 10 from the Sooner 19 with 18 seconds to play in the half and no timeouts, Thorne found Lambert-Smith for a 6-yard gain. The Oklahoma defender was able to tackle the receiver in bounds, forcing the Tiger kicking unit to run onto the field, and Towns McGough missed the 31-yard attempt. However, the Sooners’ special teams were flagged for illegal substitution, giving McGough a second chance, five yards closer. Despite the additional opportunity, McGough missed once again, sending the game to halftime.
The second half opened first with Oklahoma punting, then Auburn. On its second drive of the half, Oklahoma found itself with a 1st and goal from the Auburn 2-yard line, but the Tiger defense bowed its collective neck and held the Sooners to a 24-yard field goal, bringing the visitors to within four at 14-10.
Once again, Auburn answered the Oklahoma touchdown with an impressive drive of its own. Facing 1st and goal from the Sooner 1-yard line, Thorne made a play-action jump pass to Luke Deal, who made the diving catch with a defender draped all over him to extend the Auburn lead to 21-10. It was only the second career touchdown grab for the sixth-year senior and Auburn captain.
About the catch, Deal said, “First touchdown in a long time. We ran it all week in practice…It was a cool play, cool moment. I’m happy for my teammates around me, just being able to do that and see the crowd. That was really cool.”
The Auburn defense made a big fourth-down stop on Oklahoma’s next drive when McLeod sacked Hawkins Jr at the Auburn 40-yard line. The Tigers missed an opportunity to lengthen its lead on the ensuing drive when McGough missed a 51-yard field goal.
On the second play of Oklahoma’s next drive, Hawkins Jr hit wideout JJ Hester on a 60-yard bomb down to the Auburn 5-yard line. The Sooners would punch it in two plays later but failed to convert the two-point try, leaving the Sooners trailing 21-16.
With the game seemingly in Auburn’s control, the Tigers faced a 3rd down and 4 from the Sooner forty-three when linebacker Kip Lewis snagged Thorne’s pass over the middle and raced 63 yards for what would be the game-winning score. The Sooners would convert the two-point conversion this time, making the score 24-21.
Auburn would turn it over on downs on its next drive but held Oklahoma to a field goal, keeping it a one-score game at 27-21. The Tigers’ comeback bid came up short as Thorne’s Hail Mary attempt failed to reach the end zone.
By the Numbers:
- Auburn’s offense ranks 8th in the nation in yards per play (7.64).
- Ten different Tigers have a receiving touchdown this season. Auburn had 11 different players catch touchdown passes in 2022 and 2023 combined.
- Auburn’s punt return defense has allowed -5 yards in punt returns this season, ranking 3rd nationally.
Up Next: Away versus the Georgia Bulldogs on Oct. 7 at 2:30 p.m. on ABC.
