Oklahoma rallies to defeat Auburn 24-17 to stay undefeated: Score, live updates of SEC opener between ranked squads

Buck Ringgold

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Oklahoma rallies to defeat Auburn 24-17 to stay undefeated: Score, live updates of SEC opener between ranked squads image

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Oklahoma trailed for the first time all season thanks in large part to its former quarterback.

However, the Sooners' new quarterback helped rally them to victory, and keeping them perfect on the season.

After Auburn - led by former OU quarterback Jackson Arnold - took a 17-16 lead in the fourth quarter, John Mateer - the Sooners' new QB1 - helped engineer a six-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Mateer running in a keeper from 9 yards out with less than five minutes left. Then OU's defense sealed the game with a safety on its school-record 10th sack as the Sooners held off the Tigers, 24-17, in the SEC opener for both teams Saturday in Norman.

It was also the second consecutive season the Sooners (4-0, 1-0) rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat Auburn. Last year, OU came back from a double-digit deficit to pull off a 27-21 win, though it ended up being one of two SEC victories OU was able to enjoy in its inaugural tour through the league.

Arnold was viewed as a scapegoat for the Sooners' struggles last season, and decided to transfer to Auburn. Enter Mateer, who came in from Washington State along with OU's new offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle.

Mateer finished 24-of-36 passing for 271 yards and a TD. He was also the Sooners' leading rusher with 29 yards, including his go-ahead score, as OU ended up rushing for 32 yards.

Arnold, who guided his new team to a 3-0 start before Saturday, finished 21-of-32 passing for 200 yards and a TD, which came right before halftime as the Tigers tied the Sooners, 10-all.

OU then got a pair of Tate Sandell field goals to take a 16-10 lead. But Auburn drove 75 yards in 14 plays - highlighted by Arnold successfully converting a first down on a fourth-down keeper - to take a 17-16 lead on a 4-yard TD run from Malcolm Simmons.

However, that set the stage for the latest Sooners' comeback against Auburn. And after OU took a 22-17 lead, with Auburn facing a fourth-and-long deep in its own territory, Sooner defensive end R Mason Thomas sacked Arnold in the end zone for a safety.

It was the 10th sack by the Sooner defense, setting a new single-game school record. Thomas, who sat out the first half after being ejected from last week's win at Temple for targeting, had 2 sacks while fellow defensive lineman Jayden Jackson recorded 2.5 sacks.

Both Oklahoma and Auburn entered Saturday with wins against a Power Four school. The Sooners, ranked No. 11 in the AP poll, owned a win at home against Michigan, while No. 22 Auburn already went on the road and won at Baylor.

Now, Oklahoma is in great shape to go to 5-0 in two weeks when the Sooners host Kent State. Should they do that, then OU can take its undefeated record into the Cotton Bowl on Oct. 11 for the annual grudge match with Texas. 

MORE: With John Mateer leading Oklahoma offense, it feels like 2015 all over again for Sooner fans 

Follow The Sporting News correspondent Buck Ringgold (@Bucks_Ballpark) for all of the live updates and scoring from Norman.

Scroll down for live score and game updates from kickoff to the postgame. Refresh this page for the latest.

OKLAHOMA 24, AUBURN 17 FINAL

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POSTGAME

- Oklahoma with a gutty come-from-behind win in its SEC opener. The Sooners move to 4-0 and, with a likely win against Kent State in two weeks, may very well be undefeated going into the Cotton Bowl on Oct. 11.

FOURTH QUARTER

- Auburn tries an onside on the free kick but it doesn't go 10 yards. OU has the ball with 1:06 left and it appears the Sooners will hang on. 

- OKLAHOMA SAFETY. MAKE IT TEN SACKS on Jackson Arnold. R Mason Thomas drills Arnold in the end zone on fourth-and-forever. (Oklahoma, 24-17 | 1:06, 4th) 

- Third-and-long for Auburn and Arnold gets flattened back to the 3. Nine sacks now. 

- Two minute time out. Auburn with a second-and-25 at its own 8 and the Tigers have just one time out left. 

- Arnold had been sacked for the ninth time but Auburn was penalized for holding and OU decides to take the penalty. Second-and-long now with 2:25 left. 

- Auburn was 2-of-13 on third down conversions but Arnold fires a complete pass past the sticks, and Auburn has a first down with nearly three minutes left. 

- TOUCHDOWN OKLAHOMA. John Mateer finds an opening and gets into the end zone for a 9-yard score, and the Sooners are back in front. OU tries for two but a Mateer throw goes incomplete. OU went 75 yards in six plays after Auburn went in front. (Oklahoma, 22-17 | 4:54, 4th) 

- Sategna makes an incredible catch near the 10 and Mateer has thrown 11 straight completions. 

- John Mateer has thrown for nine consecutive completions. Make it 10 as he finds Kanak over the middle down to the Auburn 40. 

- OU has 26 rushing yards thus far. John Mateer has 20 of those. 

- Mateer to Burks for 9 yards and then Mateer takes a keeper for a first down. There's an Auburn player on the ground and we'll take an injury time out with 6:40 to go. 

- Kickoff goes into the end zone for a touchback. Can John Mateer steer the Sooners to a comeback? 

- TOUCHDOWN AUBURN. Malcolm Simmons breaks a tackle and gets into the end zone from 4 yards out. And the PAT gives the Tigers their first lead on the day after finishing off a 14-play, 75-yard drive. (Auburn, 17-16 | 7:08, 4th) 

- Auburn flagged for a false start. Tigers still go for it on fourth down and throw a pass toward the end zone. OU is flagged for pass interference, giving Auburn the first down. 

- Another big fourth down for Auburn near the 10. 

- Pressure on Arnold but he sees an opening and takes it, and gets a 15-yard gain to the OU 23 for a first down. 

- Auburn has to use its second time out of the half as the Tigers face a fourth-and-long with more than nine minutes to go. 

- Auburn tries a double pass and Cam Coleman can't get his hands on the ball as he's falling into the end zone. 

- Auburn was 1-of-10 on third-down conversions before finally getting one. Tigers down to midfield with more than 12 minutes left. 

- FIELD GOAL OKLAHOMA. Sooners decide to go for the field goal, and Tate Sandell gets his third on the day, from 28 yards out. An eight-play, 56-yard drive and now what can Jackson Arnold and Auburn do against OU's defense? (Oklahoma, 16-10 | 14:56, 4th) 

- The fourth is now under way with OU facing a huge fourth-down play.

THIRD QUARTER

- OU faces a fourth-and-short at the 10 as the third quarter comes to an end.

- Another huge catch from Kanak and OU is quickly in the red zone as the quarter is about to expire. 

- Auburn tries a 50-yard field goal but it's not even close, and the ball went wide right the moment it left the foot. OU holds.

- Auburn breaks off a big run, with Jeremiah Cobb doing the honors. Tigers have the ball in field-goal range. 

- OU has rushed for just 5 yards in the second half. Auburn has rushed for more yards this half than the Sooners have had. 

- Auburn has just 5 yards of total offense in the second half. The Tigers actually have 8 yards rushing but have minus-3 yards passing. 

- A screen on third-and-short goes nowhere, and Auburn has to give up the ball again. Or will they? They're going for it on fourth-and-2 at its 28. Nope, they take a delay penalty and now will punt it. 

- FIELD GOAL OKLAHOMA. Drive ends at the 15, but Tate Sandell comes on to connect on his second field goal of the day, from 32 yards out. Sooners back in front on a drive that went 46 yards in 11 plays. (Oklahoma, 13-10 | 8:36, 3rd) 

- OU starting to feel it on offense, and the Sooners are already in field goal range. 

- Jaren Kanak, who has been mostly quiet so far, gets a huge catch on third-and-long, getting wide open, and OU has a first down in Auburn territory. 

- OU DL R Mason Thomas, who had to sit out the first half due to being suspended for targeting last week, is back and immediately makes his presence felt, pouncing on Jackson Arnold from behind. That's sack number 8 and Auburn will punt.

- Three-and-out for OU to start the second half and the Sooners had to punt.

HALFTIME

- Auburn has 160 yards of total offense but 162 yards passing. Tigers had minus-2 yards rushing. Oklahoma with 123 total yards, 19 of those rushing. 

SECOND QUARTER

- OU had a huge play wiped out due to offensive pass interference. 

- OU a bit aggressive moving the ball in its own territory despite not getting a time out.

- TOUCHDOWN AUBURN. Arnold fakes a handoff and fires a strike into the corner, where Cam Coleman is there to haul it in for the 2-yard score. Tigers tie it up with 1:08 left in the half, finishing off an eight-play, 60-yard drive. (10-10 | 1:08, 2nd) 

- OU gets flagged for pass interference, and Auburn is going to have a first-and-goal. 

- Auburn converts for a first down in the red zone. 

- Auburn with a second-and-short near the OU 25 at the two-minute warning. 

- Auburn able to get into OU territory and may need a score here in the final minutes of the half. 

- OU having to punt it away deep in its own territory. 

- Seven sacks by OU on Jackson Arnold already and Auburn is going to have to punt it away once again. 

- OU fumbles and Auburn gets the ball. Tigers temporarily break the Sooners' momentum.

- Sategna already having an interesting game so far. Just caught a ball and getting belted, but still able to hang on for a huge first down just into Auburn territory. 

- Auburn having to punt again. Fourth time the Tigers have done so, but actually the third punt they've been able to release. 

- OU's defensive front has just been relentless on Jackson Arnold and this game isn't even 20 minutes old. 

- A 2-play, 12-yard TD drive for OU after the Auburn special teams miscue. 

- TOUCHDOWN OKLAHOMA. Mateer finds Isaiah Sategna wide open for a 24-yard score and the Sooners are back in front. (Oklahoma, 10-3 | 10:45, 2nd)

- Low snap on the punt and the punter gets tripped up by an oncoming Michael Boganowski. Huge break for the Sooners, who get a first down near the Auburn 10. 

- David Stone with a takedown of Arnold on first down. It's now third-and-28 after the sack and a holding penalty and Auburn eventually has to punt. 

- Marvin Jones Jr. with a sack of Arnold, but he gets flagged for a horse collar. Auburn gets an automatic first down. 

- Auburn commits back-to-back false start penalties and now have a second-and-20.

- Another deep bomb from Arnold to Cam Coleman and Auburn has some breathing room, getting out to near midfield. 

- A 69-yard punt from Grayson Miller and Auburn's Malcolm Simmons elects to return it despite catching it at his own 1 and he gets brought down at the 3.

- Dropped pass on third-and-short and OU will punt it away one again.

FIRST QUARTER

- Blaylock breaks loose for a 7-yard gain and then Mateer finds Burks short of the first down as the quarter comes to an end. 

- OU takes over at its own 27 following the punt in the final seconds of the opening period. 

- Arnold sacked on second down by Owen Heinecke, the former Ohio State lacrosse player. Then Arnold overthrows Coleman on third down. 

- Auburn takes over at its 25 following a punt. 

- Oklahoma has 38 total yards and three first downs through its first two possessions.

- OU starts its next drive at its own 25 following a touchback. Mateer immediately finds Kanak on first down, but then OU tries a reverse but it goes backward for a 4-yard loss. Sooners eventually have to punt it away.

- FIELD GOAL AUBURN. Auburn gets down to the OU 3 before going backward. Alex McPherson comes on to kick a 24-yard field goal to tie things up. Tigers finish a 10-play, 87-yard drive. (3-3 | 3:56, 1st) 

- Arnold throws a pass that goes for another first down. Then a late flag; OU called for a face mask and Auburn is near the 10. 

- Third-and-10 for Auburn. Arnold gets pressured and finds a lane down the sideline and just gets past the sticks. First down Tigers at the OU 36. 

- Auburn pinned back at its own 7 after an illegal block on the kickoff return. But Arnold throws it deep, and finds Cam Coleman, who makes an incredible catch despite being heavily covered just past midfield. 

- FIELD GOAL OKLAHOMA. Drive stalls, but Tate Sandell comes on to drill a 49-yard attempt right down the middle and the Sooners strike first on a drive that went 39 yards in 12 plays. (Oklahoma, 3-0 | 8:32, 1st)

- Mateer overshoots Sategna on second down, setting up a third-and-long. 

- Auburn flagged for defensive holding after Mateer throws it short on third down. Automatic first down for OU at the Auburn 30.

- The call on the field has been overturned. It has been ruled an incomplete pass. Third-and-10 now for OU. 

- Still waiting on the ruling on the field. 

- TOUCHDOWN AUBURN. Or is it? Sategna caught a pass off a blitz but appeared to fumble and Auburn's Kayin Lee returns it 60 yards for a TD. We are under a review right now to see whether Sategna had full control of the ball. 

- Mateer runs it on fourth-and-1 and OU has it for the Auburn 40 for a first down. 

- OU starts at its own 30.

- Three-and-out for Auburn to start and Arnold gets sacked on third down by Taylor Wein, and the Tigers have to punt it away. 

- Quite a few boos for Jackson Arnold when he takes the field. 

- Oklahoma won the toss and defers. Auburn will be on offense to start. 

PREGAME

- Here comes Arnold's replacement as OU's QB1, John Mateer.

- And some more views of Jackson Arnold returning to Owen Field.

- Just in case you were wondering what the reaction was to Jackson Arnold's return to Norman, the OU student section makes it loud and clear.

- Live from Norman, it’s the SEC opener as the undefeated Oklahoma Sooners get set to face the equally undefeated Auburn Tigers.

Oklahoma 2025 Schedule

Aug. 30 Illinois State W 35-3

Sept. 6 Michigan W 24-13

Sept. 13 at Temple W 42-3

Sept. 20 Auburn

Oct. 4 Kent State

Oct. 11 vs. Texas in Dallas

Oct. 18 at South Carolina

Oct. 25 Ole Miss

Nov. 1 at Tennessee

Nov. 15 at Alabama

Nov. 22 Missouri

Nov. 29 LSU

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Buck Ringgold

Buck Ringgold has been covering high school sports for more than 25 years. He has a BA in Journalism from the University of Arkansas and is a die-hard Texas Rangers fan.