AUBURN, Ala - Auburn (2-2, 0-1) faces No. 21 Oklahoma (3-1, 0-1) Saturday to close out a five-game home stretch to open the season. The first four weeks of the season have failed to live up to the expectations of many around the Auburn program. Can the Tigers right the ship with a win over Oklahoma on Saturday?
Whether or not Auburn can capture another win before heading to play away from Jordan-Hare stadium for a month may be determined by whether or not the offense finds success. Auburn's offense has struggled in both games against power-four opponents causing the Tigers to fall to California and Arkansas. What can Auburn do to turn the offense around?
“It’s pretty simple,” Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze said. “Let’s watch these drives that are ending with no points because of X, Y and Z. Whether it’s a bad play call by our staff or whether it’s a turnover or whatever it is, we all have to own that and try to figure out. way to fix it.”
Starting with turnovers, Auburn is tied for last in the country with 14 turnovers lost this season including five turnovers against California and Arkansas.
"I’ve never been on any team that turned the football over and won football games, particularly, it just seemed like the other day we could not get a break," Freeze said.
Simply decreasing the number of turnovers would drastically improve Auburn's offense. Overall, Auburn's offense is not as bad as it may seem. The turnovers have masked some of the Tigers' success offensively. For instance, Auburn ranks 27th in the country in total offense. The Tigers average over eight yards per play and over six yards per rush. Those numbers are not elite, but plenty good enough to have a solid offense, if not for the turnovers.
The bad news for Auburn is Oklahoma brings in an elite defense. For an offense struggling to find its way, this is the last team you want to face. Oklahoma's defense allows just 15 points per game and 4.31 opponent yards per play. Finding success against the Sooners will not come easily.
So what chance does Auburn have to win the game on Saturday? It will start with the defense. Auburn's defense is allowing 4.62 yards per play this season and holding opponents to 16.8 points per game. How well Auburn's defense fares against a struggling Oklahoma offense could determine the outcome.
Oklahoma is making a quarterback change this week starting true freshman Micahel Hawkins Jr. who takes over after Oklahoma's offense has struggled through the first four games. Oklahoma ranks 119th in total offense. Can Auburn's defense make the true freshmen uncomfortable in his first start and hold the Oklahoma offense in check? If so, Auburn will have a decent shot to win the game.
Saturday's game is pivotal for both programs. Oklahoma and Auburn find themselves in similar situations. Both teams are struggling offensively and underperforming based on pre-season expectations. Both teams desperately need this win for their season and both coaches need this win for the direction of their programs. We'll find out on Saturday who ultimately will prevail.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday on the Auburn Sports Network and ABC.
