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    • OU Football hopes the road trip to Auburn energizes the team in Week 5
    Alabama

    OU Football hopes the road trip to Auburn energizes the team in Week 5

    Idris Bevan Posted on

    AUBURN, Ala. – OU football is hoping it won’t take an eight-hour travel delay to bring them together.

    But nine years ago, one such delay on a road trip changed the course of the Sooners’ season.

    In 2015, after a loss to Texas, OU traveled to Kansas State for a showdown with Bill Snyder’s Wildcats, hoping to change their fortunes.

    Whether it was the eight-hour delay at the airport or something else, the Sooners flipped the script with this game.

    They dominated Kansas State with a 55-0 victory, starting a seven-game winning streak that put them in the College Football Playoff. The series also included road wins over top-10 ranked Baylor and Oklahoma State.

    Brent Venables hopes Saturday’s game at Auburn (2:30 p.m., ABC) will produce something new on his team.

    “Maybe it will be good in some ways,” Venables said. “Our boys can concentrate and motivate. On the road everything is a little different and it’s a different kind of challenge. And I’m really excited about it. I know our players feel the same way too.”

    The road trip is not only the Sooners’ first this season, but also the first for OU as a member of the SEC.

    More: Can OU football’s struggling offense improve enough to win SEC games?

    Their last non-conference game with an SEC opponent came just over a month before the win over Kansas State, when the Sooners beat Tennessee in double overtime in Knoxville.

    Under Lincoln Riley, the Sooners developed a reputation as a strong road team.

    OU had a 16-4 record in true road games in five seasons under Riley.

    In the last two seasons under Brent Venables, the Sooners were 3-3 in true away games.

    The game against Auburn has been circled since the schedule was released.

    As the season has progressed so far, the importance of the game becomes even clearer.

    “When we take to the streets, it’s us against everyone else,” said Billy Bowman, who is in charge of Sooners security. “Our fans will always travel. However, it is not a home stadium. So we won’t be 80,000 or 90,000 deep with Sooner fans.

    “So just go in there with an attack mentality and just be street dogs.”

    OU’s other SEC road trips this season include games at Ole Miss, Missouri and LSU.

    More: Who has the edge in OU football against Auburn? Breaking down the key matchups in Sooners-Tigers

    These three teams enter this weekend at a combined 11-1 and are all ranked in the top 13.

    Saturday’s game numbers give the Sooners the best chance at an SEC road win this season and could be crucial in extending OU’s 25-year bowl streak.

    While Auburn has traditionally been difficult to play in, it hasn’t been as difficult to win at Jordan-Hare Stadium in recent years.

    From 2016 to 2020, the Tigers were 28-6 at home, including 18-5 in SEC play.

    However, since 2021, Auburn is just 14-12 at home and 4-9 in conference play.

    Venables has been there before.

    In 2016, when he was defensive coordinator at Clemson, Venables’ Tigers won Jordan-Hare Stadium with a 19-13 win to start the season.

    Whoever the Sooners’ quarterback would be on Saturday — unless it was veteran third-stringer Casey Thompson — it would be their first collegiate away start.

    More: Mussatto: OU football coach Brent Venables only partially explains why Dillon Gabriel left

    But Jackson Arnold at least experienced those environments last season and even played significant time at BYU as a backup to Dillon Gabriel.

    Michael Hawkins Jr. doesn’t even have that experience.

    It will also be the first time the Sooners have used in-helmet communications on the road.

    Even early in the season, Arnold had issues with headset volume when communicating with offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, although Arnold said the technology worked much better starting in the game against Tulane.

    “Communication is always key,” Sooners center Branson Hickman said. “And crowd noise definitely plays a role. We represent it. I mean, we’re inside making noise. It’s just something you have to practice, and besides… it’s challenging. But you know what? It’s also really fun to play in front of a big crowd.”

    Whatever the case, Venables said it’s up to the coaches to prepare the quarterbacks and everyone else to perform on the road.

    “We as coaches have to be in the spotlight for our players,” Venables said. “You’ve never been a two-year veteran. Not Mike. He didn’t play much college football. He wasn’t in that stadium. So try to paint an accurate picture, tune out the crowd noise, and tell him to focus on the things you can control

    “If he’s a strong-willed guy, he’ll do it.”

    More: Jamelle Holieway knows how Michael Hawkins Jr. feels ahead of OU football’s historic start

    OU vs. Auburn

    START: 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama (ABC)

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    Idris Bevan
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