Sep 273 min read

Turnover-Happy Tigers Host Ball-Gobbling Sooners

Auburn Tigers | Jarquez Hunter, Running Back — © Jake Crandall/USA TODAY NETWORK

The Auburn Tigers (2-2, 0-1 in the Southeastern Conference) welcome the No. 21 Oklahoma Sooners (3-1, 0-1) into Jordan-Hare Stadium at 3:30 p.m. EST on Sept. 28 in Auburn, Ala. It will be Oklahoma's first SEC road trip. Both offenses have been less than stellar and have questions at the quarterback position.

Against the Arkansas Razorbacks (3-1, 1-0) in Week 4, Auburn replaced incumbent starter Payton Thorne with redshirt freshman Hank Brown following Thorne's 4-interception performance against Cal (3-1, 0-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference). Head coach Hugh Freeze didn't give Brown a long leash. Thorne started the second half after the Razorbacks intercepted 3 of Brown's first-half passes. Freeze has yet to name a starter for the game, but the Tigers hope whoever is throwing the ball come game time is throwing it to the correct team.

Oklahoma made a quarterback change in their last game, too. Out is sophomore Jackson Arnold. In is true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr., who took over for Arnold in the second quarter of the game against the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers (4-0, 1-0) after Arnold made some critical mistakes. With Arnold taking snaps, the Sooners offense has failed to find meaningful production this season. Against the Vols, Hawkins passed for 132 yards and 1 touchdown while completing 61 percent of his passes. The freshman showed enough to head coach Brent Venables to earn the start against the Tigers.

The Stakes

Auburn is tied for last in the country with 14 turnovers, 10 of which came in their two losses. They face a Sooners defense that leads the nation in takeaways with 12.

All eyes will be on the Tigers' quarterback position come kickoff. But perhaps the key to offensive success doesn't rely totally on the trigger man. Auburn ranks second in the conference in yards per play, second in the conference in yards per carry and is atop the conference in explosive plays. Turns out, turnovers are bad. What would Auburn's production look like if they could hold onto the ball?

The Tigers hope to get their turnover issue under control against an excellent Sooners defense in their last chance for a home win before spending the entire month of October on the road.

Oklahoma's offense has a little less brightside. The offensive line has been beaten up, resulting in opposing defenses living in the Sooners' backfield. The receiver group is also beaten up, and the Sooners haven't been able to find a reliable target outside of junior Dion Burks. The OU rushing attack has been less than intimidating, as leading rusher Jovantae Barnes is averaging only 3.5 yards per carry. And oh yeah, there's that whole QB thing. OU has the defense to be competitive in the SEC. Perhaps Hawkins is the key to unlocking the offense's potential.

Player to Watch: Auburn Tigers

If the answer to Auburn's issues is to avoid interceptions and lean on the rush attack, then the player to keep an eye on is senior running back, Jarquez Hunter. Hunter has rushed for 340 yards and is averaging 7.1 yards per carry. The Tigers only handed the ball of to Hunter 12 times in each of their losses. Leaning on him could be the answer to Auburn's woes.

Auburn | Jarquez Hunter, RB — © John Reed-Imagn Images

Player to Watch: Oklahoma Sooners

It's the easy answer because it's the obvious answer. The Oklahoma player to watch is Michael Hawkins Jr. Hawkins flashed in relief of Arnold, but is he the answer to OU's offensive struggles? This will be the first time a true freshman has started at quarterback for the Sooners on the road since Troy Aikman in 1984.

What to Watch

Somebody will take snaps for the Tigers at quarterback. Auburn will attempt to limit their turnovers, and presumably lean into the run game. Oklahoma is sixth in the nation in total defense and looks to shut down the Tigers' attack while continuing the turnover trend.