Auburn, Alabama – Auburn had all the momentum and was on its way to victory. Jalen McLeod sacked Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. on fourth-and-10. The Tigers’ offense took over 21-10 with 11:43 left. On the first play of the possession, Jarquez Hunter reeled off a 22-yard run to the Oklahoma 33-yard line.

Auburn put the ESPN win prediction at 97.4% after Hunter’s run.

From there, Auburn failed to manage, suffering a 27-21 loss. Although Hugh Freeze’s Tigers went on a 21-3 run with statistical dominance and a well-playing defense, they found a way to lose.

After Hunter’s run, Payton Thorne threw an incomplete first down on a pass intended for Robert Lewis that was almost deflected. It appeared to be a so-called RPO (run-pass option). On the next down, Thorne threw incomplete to KeAndre Lambert-Smith. It also looked like an RPO, and Thorne expected Lambert-Smith to have a breakdown. Lambert-Smith tried.

Now it’s 3rd and 10th place. The clock is stopped after running just 34 seconds off the clock and Auburn takes a timeout after two-poo play calls.

“I need to make sure he understands the situation better,” Freeze said of Thorne. “We should have had runs there. I have to tell him more clearly what we plan to do at this moment of the game.”

One way to ensure Thorne better understands the situation is to remove the PO from the RPO. In a situation where Auburn needed to run out the clock, there should never have been a passing option, and the running game was effective.

It’s hard to say what is most concerning about the sequence of events. That Thorne almost threw an interception on first down? That he and his older colleague Lambert-Smith didn’t see eye to eye on the second descent on the track? That Thorne, playing in his 46th collegiate game, decided to throw the ball in that situation…twice? Or the fact that it wasn’t clear from the sidelines that Freeze wanted Thorne to pass the ball?

The third down play call also failed. Hunter ran up the middle to no avail. That set up Towns McGough for a 51-yard field goal attempt. McGough, a freshman filling in for Alex McPherson, had already missed from 31 (on a penalty) and 27 yards by the end of the first half. He also missed the 51-yard attempt. (The end of the first half was also poorly managed from the sidelines from a clock perspective).

“Run the football, milk the clock and take away as much time as possible to score two points,” Freeze said of what should have happened in that sequence. “Of course this possession stands out.

“We should have got 10 more points in the first half if we had performed as we did,” he added. “That position and not getting points are things I need to do better at to make sure the kids get points in those situations. In games like this in this league, that’s what matters. Then, when you have a two-point lead, protecting the football and controlling the clock becomes a priority. We didn’t handle it very well, so of course I need to train it better.”

Freeze was right about the last part, as Thorne had no idea of ​​Freeze’s intentions in running the ball in this situation.

On Oklahoma’s second play after the missed field goal, Hawkins connected with JJ Hester 60 yards. Two plays later, the Sooners got it into the end zone. They failed on the two-point attempt and Auburn regained the lead 21-16 with 8:32 left.

With just over four minutes left, Auburn had an empty set on the third and fourth periods. Oklahoma blitzed and linebacker Kip Lewis dropped into coverage. Thorne threw it straight to Lewis, giving the Sooners their first lead since 7-0.

Auburn came into the game ranked last in the NCAA in turnovers. Turnovers were the reason for Auburn’s 2-2 start against less talented teams. On Saturday against Oklahoma, Freeze’s Tigers went more than 55 minutes of play without losing a turnover and still found a way to beat them with a turnover.

“We’re going to get back to work and try to correct him and put him in better situations where we can finish a game like this,” Freeze said of Thorne.