OU-Auburn quick-hit takeaways: Michael Hawkins Jr., Kip Lewis save Sooners
First road game for OU in the SEC, you knew the atmosphere was going to be incredible. Brent Venables rolling the dice with a freshman quarterback, two programs that needed a win.
For nearly the entire game, it didn’t look like it was going to happen. But somehow, led by quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. and linebacker Kip Lewis, it happened.
A fourth quarter comeback, a season-saving (?) comeback as OU rallies from down 11 in the final minutes to win at Auburn, go home with a 27-21 victory.
Quick-hit takeaways from the couch.
Defense comes up big… again
Think the conventional logic in this one was Michael Hawkins Jr. had to take care of the ball, and the defense needed to force the takeaways.
Felt like a safe bet with the Tigers coming in with 14 giveaways. Except it didn’t happen, you know, until it finally did.
With Auburn trying to salt the game away with its running attack, the Tigers made that mistake. A 63-yard pick-six by linebacker Kip Lewis that OU fans will remember for a long time.
A 21-10 deficit turned into 24-21 in the blink of an eye.
Then it was R Mason Thomas to close the door with back-to-back sacks in the final two minutes. And after a field goal, Robert Spears-Jennings with a huge sack to negate any chance for Auburn.
Hawkins flashes, shows the toughness
The first drive showed everybody why they’re excited about Hawkins. That third-down touchdown run was impressive, 48 yards in a hurry.
But after that? Back to the lingering issues the OU offense has had. Jovantae Barnes had moments, but nothing super special. The offensive line wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t spectacular.
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Hawkins connected on a 60-yard completion to JJ Hester, the longest of the season for OU. Hawkins showed moxie in the fourth quarter once again.
He took to the air again. With OU up 22-21 after the Lewis score, Hawkins flew and flipped into the end zone for the two-point conversion. No quit in Hawkins. The box score says he only accounted for more than 200 total yards, but it was a gutsy outing.
And, maybe most importantly, zero turnovers.
Discipline issues mounting up
Just awful. This has to be what head coach Brent Venables cannot explain or tolerate after five games into the season.
The penalties, the lack of game awareness. Nothing showed up more than an inexplicable illegal motion penalty on Bauer Sharp that negated a Hawkins touchdown pass to Barnes.
Sharp was moving forward on the snap, rightfully called, and OU had to settle for a field goal. Inexcusable at this juncture.
Amazingly, OU overcame it. But it cannot happen anymore.
Up next
A week of trying to figure everything out, figure something out. OU gets out of the first month at 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the SEC. Still alive with everything in front of it. A lot needs to be fixed, obviously, but you have a little momentum. Up next? It’s that time, No. 1 Texas in Dallas in two weeks.
