3 Sooners Takeaways: Poise, Physicality And A Bit Of Magic Lead To Stunning Oklahoma Win At Auburn

‘Sooner Magic’ is alive and well! 

The first words out of Brent Venables' mouth in the post-game press conference: “Sooner Magic.” Oklahoma- stealing a game on the road against Auburn.

The Sooners were outgained by nearly 200 yards, gave up 26 first downs to only 11 earned, and trailed by double digits with under nine minutes on the clock.

A 60-yard pass from Michael Hawkins Jr. to J.J. Hester that set up a Jovantae Barnes touchdown run gave the Sooners life. Then Kip Lewis did the unthinkable. The linebacker showed blitz, then dropped perfectly under the Auburn receiver, intercepting the pass and taking it back 63 yards to the house for the go-ahead touchdown.

I asked Lewis if that play was an example of the famed ‘Sooner Magic’. He said, “Yeah, when I was running down the sideline, I was thinking, ‘This is kind of like a movie moment.' I was also thinking, ‘Don’t get caught.' By the time I got to the 20, I was deadbeat, and I was like ‘drag through Kip!’”

The defense didn’t have its cleanest game, giving up a handful of explosive plays and a few long drives, but it did, once again, step up when the team needed it most.

“We didn’t play very well, but we played amazing when we needed to,” Venables said.

The Sooners still have five top-15 teams on the schedule this year, starting with No. 1 Texas, so they will likely need more magic moving forward. 

Related: Sooners Rally Late, Stun Auburn 27-21 For First-Ever SEC Win

Hawkins Jr. has poise 

Can you imagine being a true freshman, making your first start at quarterback for the program known for its legendary gunslingers, on the road, without your five best receivers? It would come with a mountain of pressure- and Michael Hawkins Jr. took it all in stride. 

He seemed unphased by the raucous atmosphere and the rag-tag supporting cast around him. Now, don’t get me wrong, the offense still struggled mightily for the majority of the game, but from a poise standpoint, Hawkins was exceptional.

As Venables said, “He went right into the Tiger’s Den, if you will, and was fearless. Certainly not perfect, but he did a really nice job of not taking sacks.”

He also did a nice job of taking care of the football, with no turnovers from the OU offense. Hawkins did admit to having nerves before the game, but his approach was simple.

“I have never been a part of a crowd that was that loud, but it was just another game. That is what you have to tell yourself. Just go out there and play,” Hawkins Jr. said.

Hawkins silenced the crowd early with a 48-yard touchdown run in which he made everyone else on the field look like they were moving in slow motion.

He also made a perfect pass on the deep ball to Hester late in the game, but his most memorable moment, for sure, was when he flipped into the endzone for the two-point conversion.

All in all, the offense was still stale for the majority of the game. Over a third of the total yards came on two explosive plays, the offensive line had numerous breakdowns in run blocking and pass blocking, Hawkins held onto the ball too long (which is normal for a young quarterback), and the defense saved OU’s offense.

There is plenty of room to grow for Hawkins, but he seems to have a lot of potential to be great. 

BV’s defense is physical enough to hang with the big boys.

When asked about the way Brent Venables has changed the Oklahoma defense, he responded with a question of his own: “Who doesn’t like a good, tough, physical, consistent, passionate defense?”

I know I do! I get excited just thinking about Danny Stutsman or Kobie McKinzie meeting the running back in the B-Gap.

This group of backers tries to hit everything that moves- and hit hard when they do.

Auburn Head Coach Hugh Freeze said before the game that OU’s defense is one of the best he has seen in a while, specifically mentioning the speed and physicality with which that group plays.

R Mason Thomas is the perfect example, particularly once the game gets to the fourth quarter. He had back-to-back sacks again against Auburn, with the second forcing a turnover on downs.

Thomas was dominating high-level SEC O-Linemen and putting a beating on the Auburn quarterback.

And how about Robert Spears-Jennings? A late safety blitz led to another sack, hitting the quarterback two seconds after the ball was snapped.

Throw in the early goal line stand on the one-inch line and you have a defense that is building a reputation as one of the toughest in the conference, maybe in the country.