As the Oklahoma Sooners nearly had things slip away from them on Saturday against Auburn, there wasn’t just one player who helped OU storm back to take the lead and hold off the Tigers.
Quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] shined in his first career start, providing the Sooners with enough big plays to get the win.
Linebacker [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] made the play of the year candidate, intercepting a pass and returning it for 63 yards to give OU a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Safety [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] had a pivotal sack that pushed Auburn’s offense back once the Sooners took the six-point lead.
But it was defensive end [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] who came up huge on back to back plays when the Sooners led by just three.
With the Tigers facing a third-and-five at their own 44-yard line with two minutes left, it was Thomas who came around the edge and sacked Payton Thorne for a six-yard loss. Head coach Hugh Freeze decided to roll the dice and try to pick up a fourth-and-11 and extend the drive.
Yet again, it was Thomas who dealt a crushing blow to Auburn’s hopes, as he chased Thorne all the way back to the Auburn 25-yard line, sacking the quarterback after it looked like Thorne might escape the pressure.
Two massive plays allowed OU to kick a field goal after Freeze was forced to burn his timeouts. Backup kicker [autotag]Zach Schmit[/autotag] drilled the ball through the uprights and the Sooners had a six-point lead. The Tigers got just five more plays, completing a Hail Mary well short of the end zone.
But Thomas, who has become the best pass rusher on this team, stopped any forward momentum Auburn had, not allowing the Tigers to get anywhere close to field goal range. He had a similar performance a few weeks ago in OU’s win over Tulane, taking over in the late stages of that ballgame when the Green Wave were trying to mount a comeback.
Oklahoma’s pass rush hasn’t gotten home very many times this year, as the Sooners have relied more on their run defense and sending extra defenders when it was time to get after the passer. But twice now, it’s been Thomas rising to the occasion when the opponent had a chance to drive for a score at the end of the game.
The Sooners entered the season needing a bit of a “closer” to emerge from one of their defensive line. After five games, they may have found just that in R Mason Thomas.