Coming off a 31-15 win over South Alabama, No. 22 Auburn is gearing up for SEC play with its first-ever trip to Norman on the horizon to take on No. 11 Oklahoma on Saturday.
Auburn improved to 3-0 on the season against the Jaguars for the 52nd time in program history. Oklahoma is turning things around from a rather substandard showing in 2024, as it has started off the season 3-0 with a win over then-No. 15 Michigan.
The Tigers will aim to avenge an ugly loss from last season against the Sooners in Jordan-Hare Stadium. A pick-six thrown by former quarterback Payton Thorne in the last few minutes of the game allowed the Sooners to pull off the 27-21 win.
Oklahoma holds a 2-0 series record against Auburn all-time.
Here’s a quick look at the Tigers’ Week 4 Opponent:
Starting it off right
Oklahoma saw a flurry of transfers make their way to Norman during the offseason, but none other may have been as important as Washington State transfer John Mateer. As a result, Oklahoma has started off perfect and boasts a top 30 offense nationally, averaging 472 yards per game.
On the flip side, Oklahoma’s defense ranks fourth in the nation and first in the SEC, giving up a total of just 181 yards per game. It has only given up 19 points on the season, holding Michigan to just 13 points.
Simply put, Oklahoma is riding a wave of momentum into conference play and has the best home record in the nation since 2005.
Players to know
QB John Mateer
Mateer’s transition to Norman has been just what the doctor ordered for the Sooners’ offense.
Meshing with his offensive coordinator from Washington State, Ben Arbuckle, Mateer has completed 68% of his passes. He’s posted a 71-of-105 mark for 944 yards and five touchdowns. His 944 yards passing are the third most by a Sooners quarterback through the first three games of his career. Additionally, he has notched at least one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown in nine straight games. It is the nation’s longest current streak and tied for the fourth-longest streak since the start of the 2000 season. He’s also the Sooners’ second-leading rusher with 161 yards on 16 carries with a team-high four rushing touchdowns.
He will most definitely look to exploit the weakest link of Auburn’s defense on Saturday, the secondary, which has given up 220 yards per game with an average pickup of 7.3 yards each attempt.
NORMAN, OK – September 06, 2025 – Oklahoma Quarterback John Mateer (#10) during the game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. Photo By John Baker/University of Oklahoma
WR Deion Burks
Transferring over from Purdue, Deion Burks has been quite the opposite in the Sooner wide receiver room than what they had a year ago.
Burks has posted 225 yards on 17 catches and two touchdowns. He is averaging 13.2 yards per reception and has the ability to break off a run after the catch – so Auburn’s tackling woes will need to be washed away before Saturday.
He broke the century mark against Michigan with 101 yards on seven catches and a touchdown.
TE Jaren Kanak
After playing his first three seasons at linebacker, Jaren Kanak has made a nice transition over to the offensive side of the ball.
He has totaled 14 receptions for a team-high 245 yards in three games this season. Last week, against Temple, he had four receptions for 86 yards and converted a two-point attempt with a pass to Jacob Ulrich. All four of his receptions resulted in first downs, and three came on third-down plays.
He has tallied at least four catches in all of the Sooners’ games this season.
LB Sammy Omosigho
After posting 39 tackles a season ago, fifth on the team, Sammy Omosigho is leading the team with 14 tackles through three games this season.
The 6-foot-1, 235-pounder was credited with a career-high three pass breakups and three solo tackles against Temple. He entered the game with one career pass breakup recorded last season.
LB Kip Lewis
The infamous pick-six that ultimately cost the Tigers the game in this matchup a season ago will loom large in the minds of the Auburn faithful when they see Kip Lewis flying around the field on Saturday.
Lewis is second on the team with 13 tackles in three games this season. He and Omosigho lead a linebacker room that boasts four players with 10 or more tackles this season, with those two sitting atop the list.
Quick game overview
Auburn will be making its first trip to the state of Oklahoma in program history to take on a well-rounded Sooners squad. It will certainly be the biggest test for the Tigers thus far and is the start of what will be a tough three-game stretch ending with Georgia at home.
Auburn will have to step up its defensive play from what’s been a rather lackluster showing so far. At least in the secondary. And Oklahoma has the weapons under center and out wide to give the Tigers some fits.
Of course, Jackson Arnold will return to the state of Oklahoma for the first time since his transition to the Plains. He has looked good through three weeks of the season, but hasn’t seen a defense of this caliber yet. Can Auburn help him out by continuing its dominant rushing attack? We’ll see, but again, it will be much tougher this week.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC.
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