Five Things Oklahoma Football Must Do To Beat Auburn in Sugar Bowl

It’s the first day of a brand new year, but for Oklahoma football there is still unfinished business left over from 2016 and hardly time to celebrate just yet.

It’s been almost a month since the last Oklahoma football game. With that much time off away from real-speed, physical game action, there is always some concern about timing issues on offense and execution sharpness.

Of course, that concern applies to both sides. We’ll be able to see fairly early after the opening kickoff, or at least through the first one or two possessions, just how valid the concern is.

Both Oklahoma and Auburn will come into the 83rd annual Sugar Bowl with game plans on how to attack, take advantage of mismatches and exploit weaknesses in the other side’s defense, as well as ways to disrupt and confuse the other team’s offensive plan.

In the end, the team that does the best job of eliminating mistakes and executing its game plan will win the game. What makes the bowl season, and in particular the primetime bowl games like the Sugar Bowl, so exciting are all the moving parts that are in constant motion on both sides of the ball between the opening and closing whistle and generally leave the fans and both sidelines in suspense right up to the very end.

Looking ahead to Oklahoma vs. Auburn in the Sugar Bowl matchup on Monday night, here are five things that the Sooners must get right if they are to reprise their Sugar Bowl victory of 45 years ago over Auburn:

Get the Running Game Going

You know Bob Stoops wants to run the football, and it will be important to use the combination of Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon and their different running styles to establish an effective rushing attack and. If the Auburn defense is forced to pay attention to the run game, it obviously opens up the field for Baker Mayfield, Dede Westbrook and the other Sooner receivers – including Mixon – to mix and match and balance their attack by going to work through the air.

Mayfield is dangerous enough throwing into tight windows. When he has the time and is able to spot open receivers with space to roam, the Sooner offense becomes extremely difficult to stop. It all starts with the run game.

Perine is 83 yards shy of becoming Oklahoma’s career rushing leader, eclipsing the great Billy Sims, and Mixon topped 1,000 yards on the ground and added 32 pass receptions for another nearly 500 yards and five receiving touchdowns.

Mixon’s threat as a receiver out of the backfield is what makes the Sooner rushing attack doubly difficult to counter. Oklahoma uses Perine and Mixon interchangeably, creating a change of pace that creates adjustment problems for the defense.