Oklahoma defensive end R Mason Thomas might be nicknamed “The Closer," but like a home-run hitter, Thomas called his shot in the bottom of the ninth against Auburn on Saturday.
Thomas sealed the No. 11 Sooners’ 24–17 win over No. 22 Auburn with a sack of former OU quarterback Jackson Arnold in the end zone of Owen Field for a safety. The play not only ended the Tigers’ chance at a game-winning drive, but gave the ball right back to the Sooners to drain the clock.
“The best moment of my college career," Thomas said after the game.
Here’s the play where R Mason Thomas sealed it. The #Sooners star DE recorded his second sack of the night, a safety to end the game.
— Brody Lusk (@BrodyLusk) September 21, 2025
From the moment the ball was snapped, it was complete domination. Elite pass rusher doing elite pass rusher things. pic.twitter.com/k62vpYxHv4
Thomas seals Sooners' win vs. Auburn with sack of Jackson Arnold
As a senior, Thomas has earned the nickname “The Closer” during his OU career, because Saturday wasn’t the first time he’s made a play in crunch time. Thanks to a first-half suspension because of a targeting call against Temple last week, Thomas didn’t come in until the second half on Saturday. Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” might as well blared through the speakers at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium as Thomas trotted into the field because his teammates and fans knew then it was lights out for the Tigers.
The Sooners had already sacked Arnold six times by that point, and on Auburn’s second play of the second half, Thomas made it seven. He admitted after the game he was just wanting to join the party.
“I was just itching,” Thomas said.
Took R Mason Thomas all of 2 snaps to make an impact after having to sit out the first half yesterday
— Josh Callaway (@JoshMCallaway) September 21, 2025
What a huge blindside hit he put on Jackson Arnold here pic.twitter.com/7WbjQaxYLA
Eventually, Thomas shut down the party. Between stuffing runs and back-to-back offensive penalties, Auburn was back on its own eight-yard line with Arnold standing in the end zone on fourth down.
OU head coach Brent Venables claimed after the game that it didn’t matter it was one of his former players back there in that moment. In reality, the only player that mattered was on the field was Thomas.
Defensive tackle Gracen Halton told media that before that game-sealing play, Thomas told his teammates, “Let me go get him.”
“That's why we backed off and just let him do his thing -- and he did it,” Halton said.
From the other side of the line, Halton had his hand up in celebration before Arnold’s body even landed on the crimson grass of the end zone. The Sooners had won their SEC opener and improved to 4-0, likely going to be 5-0 heading into the Red River Rivalry in three weeks.
“Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus,” Thomas said postgame. “Just surreal. It was just everything you want.”
Here's my angle of R Mason Thomas' game-clinching safety on Saturday
— Josh Callaway (@JoshMCallaway) September 21, 2025
Really cool moment between Thomas and Miguel Chavis afterward - you can see what that meant to both of them pic.twitter.com/OjluwayQP8
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