AUBURN — Auburn is looking to avoid its second straight loss on Saturday as the Oklahoma Sooners make their first-ever trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium.
It’s the Sooners' first road game as a part of the SEC.
Here are five things to look for in the game:
Can Auburn limit the turnovers?
The biggest detriment to this Auburn team thus far has been turnovers. Auburn has turned the ball over 14 times in four games - the most in the country. Eight of those have come from the quarterbacks in both of the Tigers' losses.
Oklahoma's defense is among the nation's best under Brent Venables' guidance. It ranks number one nationally—tied with San Jose St—with 12 turnovers forced.
Despite the turnovers, Auburn’s offense ranks as one of the most explosive offenses in the country. The Tigers rank sixth in the country with 8.03 yards per play. So, if they can limit the turnovers, they should be in good shape.
Questions at quarterback
After stating on Monday that he would have a battle at the quarterback position throughout the week, Hugh Freeze opted to go with Payton Thorne against the Sooners, he announced on Friday.
Hank Brown's performance against Arkansas a week ago left Freeze with more questions than answers. Brown threw three interceptions in the first half last week, leading Freeze to turn to Thorne for a spark in the second half. The only scores of the game for the Tigers came with Thorne at the helm, as he and KeAndre Lambert-Smith connected for two touchdowns.
Thorne will most likely have a short leash this week, as his performance against Cal is still lingering in the mind of Freeze.
Can Auburn’s defense get off the field?
Arkansas had their way with DJ Durkin’s defense on third down last week, converting on five third downs of 10 yards or more, and Taylen Green’s legs played a big factor in that.
Oklahoma is still struggling to find its offensive identity and has some quarterback shuffling of its own. They have named true freshman Michael Hawkins, Jr. as the starter ahead of Saturday, and he is yet another athletic presence under center.
Finding a way to get off the field on third downs is an improvement point that needs to be made on Saturday for Durkin and his defense, not only to get the ball back to the offense and even out the time of possession but to keep fresh throughout four quarters of play.
Thin secondary
Auburn has had struggles on the backend of its defense throughout the first few games of the season, and that took a big blow when cornerback Champ Anthony was carted off the field last Saturday with a broken leg.
With an inexperienced group behind starters Kayin Lee and Keionte Scott, Durkin will count on the young presence of guys like JC Hart and Jay Crawford to fill some snaps on the outside this week.
Can Auburn get its first-ever win against the Sooners?
Auburn and Oklahoma have only played twice, with both games coming in the postseason in the Sugar Bowl. The Sooners got the best of Auburn in both games, with the last win coming in 2016, 35-19.
The Tigers have a wonderful setup to get their first win over the Sooners on Saturday with it being their first trip to Jordan-Hare, albeit the toughest test thus far for Auburn.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email logan.fowler@1819News.com.
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