NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — John Mateer passed for 271 yards, and No. 11 Oklahoma beat No. 22 Auburn and former Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold 24-17 on Saturday afternoon.
Mateer, who transferred from Washington State to replace Arnold, scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 9-yard run with 4:54 remaining.
Arnold led Oklahoma during last year’s upset of Alabama before transferring. He couldn’t replicate that magic against the Sooners, in part because they set a school record by sacking him 10 times. He passed for 220 yards and a touchdown, but rushed for minus-11 yards on 21 carries.
Oklahoma pass rusher R Mason Thomas missed the first half after being called for targeting last Saturday against Temple. He got a sack on his second play back in the third quarter, then later sacked Arnold for a safety with 1:06 remaining to close the scoring.
Isaiah Sategna had career highs of nine catches and 127 yards and Tate Sandell made three field goals for the Sooners (4-0, 1-0 SEC).
Eric Singleton had 60 yards on nine catches for the Tigers (3-1, 0-1).
Malcolm Simmons’ 4-yard touchdown run tied the game, and Alex McPherson’s extra point put the Tigers up 17-16 with 7:08 to play. Mateer came right back and led the Sooners down the field for the go-ahead score.
The takeaway
Auburn: The Tigers could not protect Arnold and got surprisingly little out of their running game. They finished with 67 yards on 36 carries.
Oklahoma: The Sooners got even less out of their running game — 32 yards on 26 carries — but Mateer made plays when needed. The Sooners could creep into the Top 10 now that they have wins over Michigan and Auburn.
Up next
Auburn: Visits No. 10 Texas A&M on Saturday.
Oklahoma: Has a bye week before hosting Kent State on Oct. 4.
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Cliff Brunt, The Associated Press
