The Oklahoma Sooners earned a much-needed win over the Auburn Tigers in a tough SEC environment. Heading into the bye week, OU Football can feel better about the direction of the team and, in particular, the offense after [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] put together another strong performance in the win.
The stats don’t jump off the page, but Hawkins played the game the Sooners needed him to. He was efficient, completing 67% of his passes. He came through with several big plays, including a 48-yard touchdown run and a 60-yard completion to J.J. Hester to set up a critical fourth quarter touchdown run by Jovantae Barnes.
Despite making his first start on the road, Hawkins didn’t put the ball in harm’s way and looked in complete control of the offense.
It was a confidence-building win for the Sooners, who moved up two spots in ESPN’s updated power rankings after week five.
Brent Venables called it Sooner Magic, and he certainly has a point. How else can you rationally explain what Oklahoma pulled off against Auburn? Down 21-10 early in the fourth quarter of its first SEC road test, the Sooners dug deep and played their best football late, rallying for a 27-21 victory.
New starting quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. sparked the rally with a 60-yard shot to J.J. Hester to set up the first score, and linebacker Kip Lewis made an epic play to flip the game, a 63-yard pick-six with less than 5 minutes left. Oklahoma needed this win in a lot of ways and found a way to get it done. That’s a confidence booster for this squad as it begins preparing for Texas and the Red River Rivalry. – Olson, ESPN
The Sooners came up with big plays in the biggest moments in their win over Auburn. It was a repeat of what we saw from Hawkins in the fourth quarter against Tennessee. But instead of having to climb out of a 19-3 hole, the Sooners were just down 11, and the defense helped him out with a go-ahead score.
But if it wasn’t for Hawkins’ dime to Hester to set up Jovantae Barnes’ rushing touchdown, who knows how the remainder of the game goes? The Sooners proved resilient to pick up their first SEC win. And it comes at a huge time as the Sooners enter the bye week ahead of the Red River Showdown in week seven.
More: SEC Power Rankings after Week 5
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