NORMAN, Okla. — Auburn coach Hugh Freeze called Oklahoma «one of the better pass-rushing teams in the country» after the 11th-ranked Sooners swarmed former quarterback Jackson Arnold and rode a record-setting defensive line performance to a 24-17 win over the No. 22 Tigers on Saturday.
Arnold, a former five-star recruit who started nine games at Oklahoma in 2024, was a central storyline in the Week 4 SEC opener. The Sooners commemorated his return by sacking Arnold 10 times, setting a school record in a statement performance that lifted them to 4-0 and handed Auburn its first loss of the season.
Sophomore Jayden Jackson (2.5 sacks) led a group of seven Oklahoma defenders who accounted for at least one sack. Edge rusher R Mason Thomas, who missed the first half following a Week 3 targeting ejection, capped the display when he chased down Arnold for a safety with 1:06 left in the game, stymying Auburn on a potential go-ahead drive in the closing minutes.
«Their physicality, their ability to get off blocks and knock people back was something else today,» Sooners coach Brent Venables said of his defensive line afterward.
Arnold was welcomed back to Oklahoma Memorial Stadium with boos and pregame jeers from the Sooners' student section. He finished 21-of-32 for 220 yards and a passing touchdown in his fourth game with the Tigers, but he spent the majority of game avoiding an Oklahoma pass rush that pressured him on 46% of his dropbacks on Saturday, according to ESPN Research.
The performance marked only the fourth time in the past 40 seasons that an SEC defense has recorded 10 or more sacks in a conference game. Arnold, who was sacked eight times on two occasions with the Sooners last fall, is only the sixth SEC quarterback
Read more on espn.com
espn.com
