Scouting report: No. 22 Auburn
One of the most anticipated weekends for Oklahoma fans this season is near.
The No. 11-ranked Sooners open SEC play this weekend against No. 22 Auburn in another primetime matchup. The Sooners rallied from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit at Auburn a season ago to beat the Tigers.
But this isn’t just the first game of conference play for both teams. It marks the return of former OU quarterback Jackson Arnold, who transferred to Auburn during the offseason. With the stakes so high, it’s likely to be a rowdy atmosphere at Owen Field.
Here’s a quick glance at Auburn’s season and what the Sooners can expect this weekend:
GAME INFO
When: 2:30 p.m. CT
Where: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
TV: ABC
BASIC STATS
Record: 3-0 (38-24W, Baylor; 42-3W, Ball State, 31-15W, South Alabama)
Scoring offense: 37.0 points per game (42nd nationally)
Scoring defense: 14.0 points per game (31st)
Total offense: 415.7 yards per game (58th)
Total defense: 287.0 yards per game (42nd)
KEY PLAYERS
Jackson Arnold, QB
501 passing yards, 4 TD, 0 INT, 69.6% completion, 192 rushing yards, 4 TD
Jeremiah Cobb, RB
46 carries, 314 yards, 4 TD, 6.8 yards per carry
Eric Singleton Jr., WR
13 receptions, 149 yards, 2 TD
Cam Coleman, WR
10 receptions, 149 yards, 1 TD
Keyron Crawford, DE
16 tackles, 5 TFL, 3 sacks, 1 INT, 1 forced fumble
Xavier Atkins, LB
12 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks
THINGS TO WATCH
— Auburn’s rushing attack
Despite the obvious talent at wide receiver, the Tigers have essentially given up on throwing the ball. They rank 108th in passing yards per game, 100th in passing attempts and 93rd in yards per completion.
Instead, the Tigers have opted to lean very heavily on the running game, and that’s where Arnold has succeeded. The Tigers rank 16th in rushing yards per game (242 yards per game) and 22nd in yards per carry (5.8). Arnold has been a big part of that, tying for the team in touchdowns (4) while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Jeremiah Cobb has been explosive and efficient, ranking 12th in yards per game and 20th in yards per carry.
The Sooners’ rush defense has been stout outside of allowing a few explosive runs, ranking 34th in rushing defense. But they haven’t faced a rushing attack quite like Auburn’s, and the Sooners will need to slow them down without star defensive end R Mason Thomas.
— The turnover battle
As good as OU’s defense has been, takeaways have been the one thing that’s been missing. The Sooners have a -5 turnover margin, in part because the defense has yet to force a turnover.
The Tigers have a +2 turnover margin. Despite his turnover issues at Oklahoma, Arnold has been pretty clean with the ball at Auburn. The Sooners have been able to get away with the negative turnover margin, but that likely needs to change if they hope to win this weekend.
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