Sooners Look to Tame the Tigers

By Owen Pannell | KZA Sports

The first game of SEC play is when things really started to go downhill for the Sooners a year ago. They must get off to a good start in conference play and win this game, Jackson Arnold will be out for revenge, but the OU defense will have him in a lot of trouble.

Keys to Victory

- Force Turnovers

Last year, Jackson Arnold struggled mightily with turnovers. He has stayed away from them so far this season, but he hasn’t played a defense like this OU one. Shaking his confidence early would be amazing. 

- Stop the run

If OU can stop the run and force Arnold to win the game with his arm, I am very confident in how this game will turn out. Their running game is very solid, but they certainly haven’t seen a defensive line like the Sooners have.

- Get our playmakers the ball

We need our big playmakers to win this game for us. Kanak, Burks, Sategna, Blaylock, all need to get a lot of touches. If Lewis can have a great game like he did in week 1, that would be fantastic. If we somehow get Jaydn Ott to do something, it’ll be astronomical.

- Dominate the line of scrimmage

I like our matchup on the LOS on both sides of the ball, especially the defense. I already talked about stopping the run, but if we blow up the Auburn offensive line, that’ll force Jackson Arnold into mistakes, and make it very tough to run the ball. I want to see our offensive line blowing guys off the ball in the run game, and if they can keep giving Mateer time to throw, we’ll be golden.

Biggest Storylines

- Jackson Arnold’s return

This is the obvious one, but Arnold will definitely want revenge on the place he once loved. Sooner fans turned on him real fast after things started to go south, and he won’t forget that. The Palace on the Prairie won’t forget last year either, and it will certainly be crazy.

- Can the Sooners start off hot in SEC play?

Unlike last year, Oklahoma has a real shot to win the SEC. Starting 0-1 is not an option with that goal in mind, this is a must win game. They couldn’t get it done last year vs Tennessee, but this is a new team, and a different opponent.

- Is Mateer actually Heisman worthy?

Anybody can play good in the non conference schedule, but SEC ball is entirely different. Mateer seems to be atop of the Heisman race right now, but he needs a good game to keep that up.

Things I want to see

- Big plays

Whether it’s in the run game, or the pass game, big plays is what wins big games. The Sooners need to get the crowd going with some electric moments, a 60+ yards touchdown would be nuts.

- <100 yards rushing

We know they’re a running team, so holding them under 100 yards would be amazing. There’s no way Arnold is winning this game through the air, so this would all but seal the win.

- Win the turnover battle

Somehow we have lost the turnover battle every single game this season, and honestly it’s getting pretty annoying. I don’t want to see a single turnover by the offense, and we better force a couple finally.

Key OU Players

- CB Courtland Guillory

The true freshman is going to have a tall task, either going to be on Cam Coleman or Eric Singleton, who are both great wide receivers. I’m very confident in him though.

- QB John Mateer

This is a game where we really need Mateer at his best, it’s time he delivers in his first ever SEC game.

- RB Jovantae Barnes

As much as I love Blaylock, I don’t know if we can 100% count on him in his first game vs an SEC defense. That means we need Barnes to step up, he had a solid game vs Temple but he needs to be even better.

- WR Deion Burks

Burks has been amazing so far, making plays left and right. Big time players make big time plays, which we’re going to see Saturday afternoon.

- TE Jaren Kanak

Kanak has been elite so far, both as a playmaker and an outlet for Mateer when he’s in trouble. He will need to be both of those in this one.

- DE Marvin Jones Jr

His stats aren’t necessarily insane, but MJJ has been great for the Sooners so far. With R Mason Thomas out for the first half, we’ll definitely need Marvin.

- LB Owen Heinecke

Against a run first team like Auburn, Heinecke needs to shine. He is great in the run game, so he should be a big factor.

Best Auburn Players

- RB Jeremiah Cobb

This back is legit, averaging nearly 7 yards per carry on 15 carries per game. He hasn’t faced a defensive line close to the level as OU’s, but he’ll be hard to stop.

- WR Eric Singleton Jr

The Georgia Tech transfer was very coveted out of the portal, he’s been very solid considering Auburn’s QB situation and their offense.

- WR Cam Coleman

Opposite of Singleton, there’s former 5 star receiver Cam Coleman. He’s more talented than his counterpart in my opinion, and will be equally as tough to contain.

- DE Keyron Crawford

If I’m being honest, I’m a little scared of this dude. He already has 13 tackles, 3 sacks, a pick and a forced fumble. He’s certainly a force to be reckoned with and will be extremely hard to stop.

- DE Keldric Faulk

Faulk hasn’t been amazing so far, but he is a very talented edge rusher. Him plus Crawford is a SCARY combo, the Sooners offensive line is going to have their hands full for sure.

- CB Raion Strader

The Miami Ohio transfer is very solid in coverage, and is good at breaking up passes. I like the matchup Oklahoma receivers, Burks and Sategna have on him with their speed, but I do think he’ll be a challenge in the secondary.

Prediction

I really like how the Sooners matchup with the Tigers in this one, I think we’ll run away with it early but Auburn will get a couple scores in the 2nd half to make the score not look so bad. It’s very hard for me to see a way we lose this.

OU- 34 AUB- 14

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