It looked like it was going to be a long day for Auburn's defense following Oklahoma's first drive. The Sooners took just four plays to drive 68 yards for a touchdown capped off by a Michael Hawkins 48-yard run where the quarterback went untouched.

The Tigers made the rest of the day tough sledding for Oklahoma.

Following that opening touchdown, Auburn held the Sooners to 39 total yards for the rest of the first half. That included three three-and-outs and two first downs.

That defensive effort continued into the second half. After getting the ball after halftime, the Sooners couldn't muster but one first down, having to punt after six plays. A short field due to interference on the punt returner started their next drive at their 43. Oklahoma finally got some offensive mojo going with a Hawkins pass getting the Sooners down to Auburn's 17-yard line. After a pass interference in the end zone was called on Kayin Lee, the ball was at the two. This is when the Auburn defense stiffened up, holding the Sooners out of the end zone and forcing a field goal.

With a 21-10 lead and 10:12 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, the dam burst open again as Hawkins hit an open JJ Hester for a 60-yard gain down to Auburn's 5-yard line. A Jovantae Barnes touchdown run came a play later.

The defense had done its job except for two major plays, but it wasn't enough, as a Payton Thorne pick-six gave the Sooners the lead they wouldn't relinquish.

"Our defense played a heck of a game," Hugh Freeze said afterward. "Gave up two explosive plays, but other than that, I thought they were remarkable."

Keldrick Faulk, who posted five tackles and a quarterback hurry, agreed with his head coach's statement.

"We just gave them points," he said. "We need to eliminate that. We played really good on third downs. I think we were 2 for 11 on third downs. That was a big improvement from last week, so I think we played really, really well."

In the end, Auburn allowed just 291 total yards of offense, which is the lowest against a Power 5 team since giving up 255 in the victory against Arkansas last season. That still didn't help Faulk's sentiment after the loss.

"It hurts because you're out there fighting with your brothers," Faulk said. "Just to have that game flip on you that fast really just takes a toll on you; on the team, really."