Allen Kenney is a longtime college football blogger who roots for the Oklahoma Sooners. He currently co-hosts the podcast Through the Keyhole, and you can find his writing on Keyholepod.com and Through the Keyhole’s Patreon site. You can follow him on Twitter at @blatanthomerism. This is his third appearance on the Blogle. He’s a good guy.
1. What’s the first thing an Oklahoma fan thinks of Auburn football right now?
At this very second, it’s Jackson Arnold – for obvious reasons. Normally, I think OU fans view Auburn as one of college football’s most volatile programs. It seems like the Tigers always have some kind of controversy or side show going on around the team. That can mean a lot of chaos, but in the seasons when everything comes together, Auburn is going to be a force. (Until the next year’s crisis.)
2. What’s the vibe like in Norman after the big win at Temple?
The party hasn’t stopped since Saturday night. It feels like 2000 all over again.
In all seriousness, most people I’ve spoken to were happy to see OU play well in that situation – sandwiched between big games, long road trip, dead environment, etc.
3. I say Jackson Arnold, you say…
Ball security, or lack thereof. You’ll never convince me that Arnold lacks any of the physical tools to be an upper-echelon college quarterback, and he really did end up in an impossible situation last year. He compounded the other problems around him, though, by giving away the ball far too easily. It was hard to watch.
4. Name two Sooners that Auburn fans should look out for and why?
Let’s do one on each side of the ball. On offense, freshman Tory Blaylock has emerged as the team’s lead running back. He has a gear that the other RBs lack, and he seems to have the best vision in terms of finding running lanes. OU’s ground game is missing a spark when he’s on the sidelines.
On defense, keep an eye on No. 0, defensive tackle David Stone. Although he was a five-star recruit in the 2024 class, Stone didn’t make much of a mark in his freshman season. He briefly flirted with transferring in the spring, but he came back to the team and took his game to another level in the offseason. Through three games, he looks like the most disruptive player on a defensive line that is one of the best in the country.
5. Which two Auburn Tigers worry you the most?
That’s easy: Eric Singleton and Cam Coleman. Facing a team with just one of those dudes is tough enough. Pairing them up is a nightmare for defenses. The Tigers have a boatload of talented players on this roster, but the challenges posed by those two concern me most.
6. Where does Oklahoma have an advantage in this game?
Auburn’s offensive line versus OU’s defensive line. The Sooners DL may have the edge on every OL they see this year – even a good one like the one Auburn has. Losing the services of edge rusher R Mason Thomas for the first half of the game is a setback, of course, but OU has plenty of reinforcements to offset his absence.Â
7. Where should Auburn excel most against the Sooners?Â
QB John Mateer has injected some juice into the OU offense, but he definitely takes risks. The Sooners haven’t played a team that could make them pay if a couple of Mateer’s gambles go against them. Auburn can. The Tigers defend well on early downs, which means Mateer will need to come through in third-and-long situations. It wouldn’t shock me to see him put some balls up for grabs in those scenarios. A timely turnover for Auburn could swing the outcome.
8. What is your score prediction/analysis for this game?
Sooners, 23-17. Play this game at Jordan-Hare Stadium, and I probably feel differently about the result. However, I haven’t seen enough from Arnold in the first three games of the season to make me think he is a different QB from the one who took snaps for OU a year ago. Brent Venables has enough insight into that player to construct a defensive game plan that exploits his weaknesses. OU has some knicks and bruises on the OL that could constrain its own offense, so I foresee a low-scoring game.
9. Where will Auburn and Oklahoma end up this year?
Nothing so far has changed my mind dramatically about either of these teams. I projected Auburn before the season to finish 7-5. I’m sticking with that for the time being. I put OU at 8-4. No change – yet. Maybe I will re-evaluate after Saturday.
10. Lastly, Bo Jackson is how much better than Adrian Peterson?
The outfielder?
