AUBURN, Ala. (EETV)-- On Saturday, SEC competition began for the Tigers as they travelled to Norman, Oklahoma, to face the undefeated 11th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. This game was a return home for Auburn's current quarterback, Jackson Arnold, who transferred in from Oklahoma during the offseason. The 22nd best team in the country was fired up from the jump and kept it close and interesting, but the Sooners stole the game late with a final score of 24-17.
Auburn received the ball to start the game, and it really was a slow one. Auburn gets ambushed early, and Arnold was sacked 11 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Auburn was forced to punt, and on the following drive for Oklahoma, they drove the ball down the field and kicked a field goal.
During that drive, however, John Mateer threw a pass to Isaiah Sategna III and lost the ball, which was recovered by Auburn and returned to the endzone. The play was questionable, so the referees reviewed it and overturned the call to an incomplete pass, taking a lot of momentum for Auburn. Auburn did return the favor in their next drive, scoring a field goal and ending the first quarter with an even 3-3 score.
After the first quarter ended, coach Hugh Freeze was questioned about the overturned fumble recovery and said, "I don't know how that's not a fumble. I don't know, maybe they had a different view. It should have been a touchdown."
The second quarter was even more of a dog fight between the two SEC schools, with fiery performances from both defenses. Oklahoma's opening drive in the second quarter ended with a punt, which put Auburn within its own five-yard line. Arnold sets up for a deep ball and connects with wide receiver Cam Coleman for a 40-yard reception, really firing up that offensive squad.
Right after that play, Auburn's offensive line cost them 25 yards with four straight penalties, ranging from false starts, holding and a delay of the game. This led to a 4th and 33 on their own 24, in which Hudson Kaak lined up to punt but was tackled for a loss of 12 yards, setting Oklahoma up for a 1st and 10 on the Auburn 12.
After getting great field position, the Sooners capitalized with a touchdown pass to Sategna III, putting them up 10-3 with the extra point kick.
Later in the quarter, Auburn's Damari Alston and Eric Singleton Jr. get the Tigers in scoring territory, where Arnold hits Coleman in the corner of the endzone on a post route to tie the game with an extra point kick. The remainder of the quarter saw no remarkable action, and the score remained tied at 10-10 at halftime.
The second half was a hardcore battle, and the Sooners showed off some strength and resilience to come away with the win. The third quarter was all about the defense, with only three points, by the Sooners, being scored between both teams.
Oklahoma shut Auburn down in the third, but both defenses shut down the opposing offense on third down. Auburn couldn't get its offense rolling and couldn't protect Arnold, giving up two sacks.
The fourth quarter, however, was where the magic happened. Both teams were even on total yards, and both defenses limited the opposition, but Oklahoma made their plays count and broke away from the Tigers for good.
Oklahoma would get on the board in the fourth first with a 28-yard field goal, putting them up 16-10, but Auburn scored a four-yard rushing touchdown to Malcolm Simmons to recapture the lead at 17-16.
Although Auburn's defense was strong all game, they weren't able to stop the Sooner offense from scoring with Mateer running it into the endzone from nine yards out to get them up 22-16. They attempted a two-point conversion to grow the lead to eight points, but the play failed.
Their defense, however, stepped up to the moment and shut Auburn down in their own endzone, avenging the failed two-point conversion with a safety.
The Tigers ended up losing the game 24-17 in a battle on the road. Their record falls to 3-1 on the season, with another road trip awaiting them in College Station, Texas, against the No. 10-ranked Texas A&M Aggies on September 27th, with kickoff at 2:30 p.m.
