No. 22 Auburn will travel to Norman on Saturday for the first time in program history to take on No. 11 Oklahoma in both squads' SEC opener at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
The Tigers, coming off a 31-15 victory over South Alabama, are aiming for a 4-0 record for the first time since 2019 and the 33rd time in program history. They’re also shooting for their first SEC-opening win since 2022. On the flip side, Oklahoma is coming off a 42-3 drubbing of Temple, improving to 3-0 in the process, and is searching for its first conference-opening win since joining the SEC last season.
Oklahoma holds a 2-0 all-time series lead over the Tigers and is favored by 6.5 points heading into Saturday’s matchup.
With that, here are the biggest things to look for in the game:
Arnold’s return to Norman
It’s the biggest headline of the week surrounding the Tigers’ trip to Oklahoma: Arnold's return to familiar territory.
Auburn’s new starting quarterback has orchestrated the offense well in his first three weeks. He has zero turnovers, which bodes well for Auburn, considering Oklahoma is yet to force a takeaway this season. He has a quarterback rating of 86.7 and is the team’s second-leading rusher with 195 yards on 16 carries. Simply put, he’s done everything he’s supposed to do up to this point.
Now comes the most significant challenge yet for Arnold. He’ll return to the state in which things didn’t go quite as planned when he signed with the Sooners in 2023. Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables will undoubtedly try to make life uncomfortable for Arnold in the pocket from the jump. After all, he is familiar with Arnold’s tendencies, though the same could be said about Venables’ for Arnold. According to Pro Football Focus, the Sooners have a blitz rate of 45.6, which is fifth in the country.
Whether Arnold will be able to handle the pressure both on and off the field remains to be seen. But Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze and the Tigers’ personnel believe Arnold is well-suited to handle anything thrown his way and give the Tigers their first road win over a ranked opponent since 2021.
Can the Tigers' defense keep Mateer in check?
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, who made his way to Norman in lieu of Arnold, has been nothing short of stellar in his first three weeks at the helm of the Sooners’ offense.
Mateer is seventh in the nation with 944 passing yards and five touchdowns. His 944 passing yards are the third most by an Oklahoma quarterback through the first three games of his career. Additionally, he has rushed and passed for a touchdown in nine straight games, dating back to last season, which is the nation's current longest streak.
He has plenty of weapons on the outside, led by wide receiver Deion Burks and tight end Jaren Kanack. The trio has paved the way for 427.7 yards per game, good for 28th in the nation.
However, Auburn has also not seen a quarterback with the running prowess that Mateer possesses. Sure, all three quarterbacks the Tigers have seen up to this point were athletic and could have posed a threat with their legs. But none of them did.
Mateer, on the other hand, is a vital part of the Sooners’ rushing attack. He is second on the team in rushing, just four yards behind Tory Blaylock, with 161 yards on 33 carries. He posted 826 yards on the ground a season ago with Washington.
Furthermore, Auburn’s secondary has left a lot to be desired after three games. Against two competent offenses, its secondary has given up a total of 589 yards through the air. It continues to struggle with coverage in the middle of the field, in addition to what’s been a woeful tackling effort.
The Tigers’ defense must step up to the challenge on Saturday if they hope for a 4-0 start.
Stay ahead of the chains
Auburn has done a magnificent job on first down, offensively, this season, averaging a crisp 7.2 yards per attempt. Staying in third-and-managable situations has allowed Auburn to convert on 52.3% of its third-down attempts this season – it gives Freeze and his staff a variety of options as playcallers.
Oklahoma, which boasts the fourth-best total defense in the nation, has held its opponents to just seven third-down conversions on 41 attempts, which is also fourth in the country.
For Auburn, staying ahead of the chains and out of obvious passing situations will be key to its offensive success on Saturday, considering it hasn’t done much in the dropback passing scenarios thus far.
Will Auburn be healthy enough?
All accounts indicate that the Tigers will be near full strength when they take the field on Saturday. Freeze stated on Thursday that Damari Alston, who has been held out of action for the last two weeks, will suit up and play. And Friday's SEC availability report proved just that, as his name was removed completely. In addition, Rayshawn Pleasant and Champ Anthony will return to the Tigers’ secondary after a week and two weeks of being absent, respectively.
The report on Friday still had Jay Crawford and Amaris Williams listed as “questionable" just one day after being listed as "doubtful.” Freeze said on Thursday that both are in a similar position – they will dress out, but it may be much like Alston’s situation the last two weeks, where their snaps are limited or even held to none.
Auburn has plenty of options off the edge to help commemorate the loss of Williams, if he doesn't go. However, the loss of Crawford could open the door for Mateer and the Sooners to attack the weakest point of Auburn's defense. Expect Pleasant and true freshman Blake Woodby to take on larger roles in Crawford’s absence.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on ABC.
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