OU Football: Scouting Auburn

The 2017 Allstate Sugar Bowl is just four days away, so Thursday presented an opportunity to get perspective on Auburn from the Sooners themselves after a “Tuesday” practice in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The Tigers ended the regular season ranked 38th in the country in total offense, averaging 449.2 yards per game, and 47th in the FBS with 32.2 points per contest. The strength of the offense comes from its rushing attack, which was sixth in the nation at 278.5 yards per game.

Six different Tigers have at least 30 carries this year, but Kamryn Pettway is the Tigers’ leading rusher with 1,123 yards despite missing three games due to injury. The bruising back stands 6-feet and weighs 240 pounds, making him a powerful force in the backfield.

“They have great backs and they use their receivers a lot on sweeps so it’s like a quadruple threat at all angles,” OU cornerback Jordan Thomas said. “And then you’ve got different types of guys running. You’ve got the bigger back [Pettway] who’s a powerhouse, you’ve got smaller guys and you’ve got hybrid guys like we have. They’ve got guys who can do shake moves and then they’ll lower their shoulder, so you’ve got to deal with everything.”

While Auburn’s run game has been a strength, the passing attack has been seeking consistency, ranking 112th in the country at 170.8 yards per game. Three different quarterbacks have seen time behind center this year in primary starter Sean White, Jeremy Johnson and John Franklin. White, who has missed two games because of injury, is completing over 65 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. He is averaging 164.4 passing yards per game.

The ball gets spread around as eight different Tigers have at least 10 receptions this year, but none have more than Tony Stevens’ 29 catches. Stevens also leads Auburn with 466 receiving yards and three touchdowns. What helps the Tigers’ passing attack is the run-pass option where the quarterback has the option to hand off or throw the ball depending on how the defense reacts.

“It’s a lot of RPOs,” Thomas said. “You have the run game solidified with guys gashing and gashing and then, bam, play-action pass for a touchdown. They’re one of those teams, so it’s just like you have to be ready for everything. You can’t lose your eyes, and you have to be disciplined at all times.”

“It’s productive, to say the least,” Thomas continued on Auburn’s offense. “They’ll hurt you in the run; they’ve got different guys that can beat you. They have a very good offensive scheme. They can run the same play four times in a row out of the different formations and still gash you. They’re productive at all levels.”

On the other side of the ball, Auburn enters the game with the 20th-ranked defense in the country, allowing 348.4 yards per game. The Tigers are giving up just 15.6 points per contest, a number that ranked fifth in the country at the end of the regular season. Defensive lineman Carl Lawson leads the team with 12.5 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks per game, while defensive back Tray Matthews has a team-high 73 tackles.

“They mix a lot of stuff up, and they do it all so well,” Sooners fullback Dimitri Flowers said. “That’s what makes them such a great defense. For a team to be successful like that you have to do a lot of things well, and that’s what Auburn does.”

A key matchup will be OU’s rushing attack (237.5 yards per game) against Auburn’s run defense (124.8 yards allowed per game), both of which rank 21st in the country.

“Auburn has a great defense,” Flowers added. “Their front seven is tremendous. Every player up there is extremely strong; they’re smart and they know what to do on every play. It’s going to take a lot for us to run the ball successfully on them with such a great front that they have.”

The Tigers boast impressive size along the defensive line, led by defensive tackles Dontavius Russell (6-3, 308 pounds) and Montravius Adams (6-4, 309 pounds).

“They are very big and generally hard to move,” offensive lineman Dru Samia said. “That’s what we’ve seen, but we have to move them at the end of the day.”

Auburn is giving up 223.6 passing yards per game, ranking 61st in the country. Defensive back Joshua Holsey leads the Tigers with three interceptions and 10 pass breakups.

“They’re very athletic and they’re very fast, so we’re definitely going to have to go out and make some competitive catches,” wide receiver Geno Lewis said. “It’s a combination but they do play a lot of man-to-man. They bring the blitz and they’re confident in their defensive line to get to the quarterback. So we definitely need to go out and focus on the little details and make plays.”