OU-Auburn: X-Factors
Sooner Magic
That sounds trite at this stage of the Oklahoma season. A good defense has been undermined by a dreadful offense, and everything has been damaged by an unprecedented run of injuries to the OU roster. But if OU’s going to beat Auburn — the Sooners opened as a 3-point favorite, and now that line has shifted to Auburn -1.5 as additional Oklahoma players have been ruled out — something unusual, unexpected probably needs to happen. Bottom line, OU is going to need a Danny Stutsman pick six, or a Jayden Jackson scoop-and-score, or a Peyton Bowen punt return — or maybe Michael Hawkins can manifest some Sooner Magic from his OU DNA.
— John E. Hoover
Play Within the System
Oklahoma’s defense is good enough to keep the Sooners in games. What OU can’t afford is the functioning unit on the football team to press and try too hard to force turnovers. Brent Venables’ side of the football was excellent against Tennessee, and Auburn has proven to be as turnover prone as it gets. Turning the Tigers over won’t take some Herculean effort. Hugh Freeze’s offense is explosive and can move the ball down the field. Rolling the dice to step in front of a receiver to try and force a pick six could just as easily result in a busted play and a touchdown going the other way, something that Oklahoma can’t afford. The defense can hang in there, but it doesn’t need to do too much to help the offense beat Auburn.
— Ryan Chapman
Auburn’s crowd
The crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium has been known to affect opposing teams, especially when a young quarterback is in command of the offense. At SEC Media Days, Carson Beck warned of the “cursed” atmosphere in Auburn, which the Sooners and true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. will have to overcome on Saturday. After being named the starter earlier in the week by Oklahoma coach Brent Venables , the OU legacy will make his first start in the Sooners’ first-ever SEC road game…