AUBURN, Alabama — As Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne found Luke Deal in the endzone, Brent Venables’ streak was almost certain to continue.
Since Venables arrived at OU and started coaching the Sooners in 2022, he had yet to win a game when his team was tied or losing to its opponent at halftime. During his first two seasons, Oklahoma lost all seven games when facing a deficit heading into the third quarter, and the pattern continued during its week four matchup against Tennessee when OU fell to the Volunteers 25-15.
On Saturday, freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. failed to move the ball during the second and third quarters, and OU’s defense uncharacteristically struggled early.
“Auburn has a great offense,” Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator Zac Alley said on Saturday after the game. “We knew that coming into the game, we had to play great. We played OK, but in the fourth quarter, we stepped it up.”
Oklahoma’s chances to get back into the matchup slowly slipped away as the game clock ticked, and Venables seemed destined to extend one streak and end another, as OU went into the matchup having never lost to a Southeastern Conference team on the road.
However, a 60-yard reception by redshirt senior wide receiver J.J. Hester to set up junior running back Jovante Barnes for a 2-yard touchdown, a pick-six by redshirt sophomore linebacker Kip Lewis and the flashy two-point conversion by Hawkins that followed, set OU up to make a comeback in the fourth, beating the Tigers 27-21.
“Boy was that an amazing last four drives for offense and defense,” Venables said postgame. “It was a great example of sticking together. We talked about it going into the game, there were going to be some moments that we dominate and some moments where they dominate, and you just have to take care of the ball.”
Against Auburn, the Sooners' time with the ball was limited. The Tigers took advantage of the clock for the majority of the game and held the ball for almost 36 minutes. They also had more yards (482-291), more first downs (26-11), more third-down conversions (4-2), more plays (75-47) and fewer penalties (10-7) than OU.
But for the first time since Venables arrived in Norman, OU was able to dig itself out of a hole and find a way to win in the final minutes of the game.
“We didn’t play very well,” Venables said. “But we played amazingly when we needed to. When you put it all together…We can still be a pretty good team when we play together, play right at the right moments and complement each other.”
As OU heads into a bye week before facing No. 2 Texas, who is coming off a 1-0 start to SEC play after beating Mississippi State 35-13, the momentum from Saturday and the time to get healthy can only help.
The Longhorns have the No. 6 ranked defense nationally and No. 8 ranked offense. In comparison, OU’s defense is ranked No. 48 nationally and its offense sits at No. 122. Oklahoma's roster was also depleted against Auburn, as injuries to the wide receiver room and other key positions made the Sooners dig deep into their bench.
However, for Venables, and the rest of OU’s team, Saturday’s win serves as a fresh start ahead of a tough remaining schedule.
“That was my first experience of Sooner magic as a head coach,” Venables said. “This was affirmation for everybody that’s invested that you don’t have to play perfectly, you just have to keep fighting.
“You just have to keep hanging in there at the right moment.”
