Plays disparity against Auburn not a number Sooners want to replicate
By Chip Rouse
Oklahoma came away with big-time win over Auburn on Saturday in its first true SEC road game, but the numbers clearly weren't in the Sooners favor for most of the game.
A win is a win, as the popular expression goes, but this was a game the Sooners were truly fortunate to be able to put in the victory column. The Auburn offense was able to move the ball with relative ease against an Oklahoma defense that gave up 482 yards and an average of 6,4 yards per play. Both numbers were season highs for the Sooners.
Meanwhile, outside of OU's opening offensive series and the next-to-last time the Sooners possessed the ball in the final quarter, the offense was essentially missing in action. Those two possessions alone totaled 135 of Oklahoma's 291 yards of offense in the game.
Here are a few more numbers that help tell the tale of the game:
1 -- Kip Lewis' interception and 53-yard return for a touchdown was the first interception of his career. and the fourth longest pick-six by a linebacker in OU history.
2 -- DL R Mason Thomas recorded sacks on back-to-back plays (on third and fourth downs) at a critical time in the game, forcing a turnover on downs at the Auburn 38-yard line on tne Tigers' next-to-last possession. OU kicked a field goal on the ensuing possession to extend its lead to 27-21.
4 -- Oklahoma's third-down troubles on offense continued against Auburn. The Sooners converted just 4 of 14 third-down attempts on Saturday and are now just 18-of 68 for the season (27.5 percent).
7 -- Michael Hawkins Jr. became the seventh true freshman in program history to start a game at quarterback for Oklahoma and the FIRST to record a win on the road in his first career start.
8 -- Number of touchdowns the Oklahoma defense has allowed in 65 possessions through five games.
10 -- Kip Lewis' game-winning pick-six in the fourth quarter was Oklahoma's 10th interception in its last 11 games.
11:32 -- The Auburn offense possessed the ball for 11:32 longer than Oklahoma did in the game.
28 -- Auburn ran 28 more offensive plays than the Sooners (75 to 47).
34 -- Oklahoma has won 34 of its last 43 true road games.