Berry Tramel
Tulsa World Sports Columnist
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OU’s 24-17 victory over Auburn wasn’t all perfect. The Sooners did some things great and some things not so well.
Pass rush: A. Is there a grade higher than A? Do we need to go to the Greek alphabet? The Sooners sacked Jackson Arnold 10 times and flushed him from the pocket nine times. He scrambled twice for good gains (11 and 15 yards), but the Sooners basically unloaded a full assault on Arnold. OU got to Arnold with little blitzing. Brent Venables’ four-man front was superb. Jayden Jackson had 2½ sacks. R Mason Thomas had two sacks despite missing the first half with his targeting suspension. David Stone had virtually two sacks; his tackle of a scrambling Arnold went for no gain, which is as good as a sack. Marvin Jones, Gracen Halton, Taylor Wein and Owen Heinecke had one sack each. Kip Lewis had a half sack. Lewis, Wein and Kobie McKinzie each had a quarterback hurry.
Running game: F. The only thing that saved OU’s running game was the quarterback draw, which John Mateer used thrice for gains of six, four and nine yards. The latter two were on OU’s game-winning drive; the nine-yarder was the touchdown. But Mateer’s 24 yards on six true-run carries was it. The other 14 true-run plays netted 6 yards total. Isaiah Sategna lost 4 yards on a double reverse. Deion Burks lost 3 yards on a jet sweep. OU’s tailbacks combined for 13 yards on 12 carries. The run game was virtually non-existent.
Run defense: B. Auburn gained 90 yards on 19 true running plays. Not great, but not bad. The Tigers’ Jeremiah Cobb broke a 44-yard gain, courtesy of breaking tackles and spinning away from defenders. That’s the second straight tough game the Sooners largely have shut down the run, other than a cross-country jaunt — Michigan’s Justice Haynes reeled off a 75-yard touchdown run against OU.
Kicking game: A. The difference in the game. OU’s Tate Sandell made all three of his field-goal attempts, from 49, 32 and 28 yards. Meanwhile, Auburn’s Connor Gibbs missed from 50. Grayson Miller averaged 54.4 yards per punt, and his booming, 66-yard punt somehow prompted Auburn’s Malcolm Simmons to catch the ball at the 4-yard line, and he was snowed under at the 3, changing field position. Meanwhile, a poor snap out of Auburn punt formation set up the Sooners at the Tiger 12-yard line, setting up OU’s first touchdown.
Ben Arbuckle: A. Despite the lack of a running game, Arbuckle had an innovative day. Mateer’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Sategna came out of the Army Lonesome End playbook, with Sategna stationed next to the sideline and uncovered by Auburn. Arbuckle also deployed a form of Mike Leach’s old Ninja formation, with the offensive tackles spread out almost to each sideline, creating massive spaces. One led to a Mateer gain of six, the other to an Auburn timeout. And OU’s second-half adjustment to the underneath passing game, with short crossing routes becoming a frequent outlet for Mateer, changed the rhythm of OU’s offense, much for the better.
Receivers: A. OU’s receivers were excellent. Arnold must have been thinking, where was that in 2024? Sategna had a great over-the-shoulder catch late to set up the winning touchdown. Sategna also had a leaping catch despite a hard hit by Auburn safety Raion Stradler. Burks and Keontez Lewis made nice catches on off-target throws by Mateer. Tight end Jaran Kanak tried to leap an Auburn defender, and though he failed, he also didn’t go down, continuing to fight for yardage after landing.
berry.tramel@tulsaworld.com
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Berry Tramel
Tulsa World Sports Columnist
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