Oklahoma showed tremendous grit on Saturday. It’s safe to say the win against Auburn will probably go down as one of the best wins of the Brent Venables era to this point.
Oklahoma looked dead in the water when Auburn extended their lead to 21-10 early in the fourth quarter. They appeared well on their way to back-to-back losses and a 0-2 start to its foray into the SEC. Things just looked bleak. However, Venables’ team never stopped competing and did whatever was possible to make it a game. They eventually completed the comeback, and the Sooners returned to Norman for a much-needed bye week with their first SEC win.
As one would expect, the game had peaks and valleys. There was a long stretch where Oklahoma’s offense looked lifeless or drives were killed by penalties. Auburn just imposed its will on a few defensive possessions by running the ball straight at Oklahoma’s strength in the front seven. Pair that with big plays allowed in the passing game, and the Sooners were ripe for defeat until several big plays in the fourth quarter turned the tide on the Tigers.
It took a team effort to pull out the win, but a few players stood out with their game-changing performances. Here are this week’s three stars from the win.
R Mason Thomas, EDGE
R Mason Thomas is undoubtedly a star on the Oklahoma Sooners defense. He’s filled a pass-rushing void that dates back to the departure of Nik Bonitto after the 2021 season. Brent Venables has a go-to pass rusher this team can rely upon come crunch time to end a drive or end a game.
His two sacks in the fourth were vital. Auburn was down three late in the game when they faced third-and-five just after the two-minute timeout. There was plenty of time to mount a comeback. Oklahoma’s defense was worn out by then, but they were running on pure adrenaline and a will to win.
Off the snap, Thomas ducked around the left tackle and was on quarterback Payton Thorne in a hurry, recording the sack and setting up a fourth-and-11. On the next play, coming off the left side of the defense, Thomas brought the pressure to Thorne once again. The Auburn quarterback evaded the initial pressure, but Thomas hustled like crazy and circled back. With assistance from Gracen Halton, who kept Thorne in the pocket, Thomas brought the thunder for the sack and forced the turnover on downs.
Oklahoma killed some clock and kicked a field goal to extend their lead to six. But the game could have been a lot more stressful in the final two minutes without Thomas’ late-game heroics. For the second time in three weeks Thomas was the closer for the Sooners.