Does offense feel pressure

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Does Auburn's offense feel pressure to keep pace with Oklahoma's prolific offense in Sugar Bowl?

Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

When Auburn's offense stands on the sideline of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Monday night, one of the nation's best offenses will have a chance to go to work on the field in front of them.

It's no secret that Oklahoma's prolific offense likes to go fast. It likes to put up big numbers, and it likes to score points in bunches. The Sooners are third in the nation, and second among Power Five teams, in points per game with 44.7 points per game.

It's the type of offense that puts pressure not only on opposing defenses to slow them down, but their offensive counterparts too to keep up for 60 minutes. With the Sugar Bowl looming, Auburn's offense isn't letting that pressure get to it.

"We don't feel any pressure," Auburn running back Kamryn Pettway said. "We know we have a great defense over there and we know what they're capable of. We just know we have to come out and play our offense: fast and physical."

That's what it boils down to for Auburn heading into its matchup with the Big 12 champion Sooners. The Tigers are confident their rejuvenated defense -- which experienced an impressive turnaround around first-year coordinator Kevin Steele -- will do enough to slow down Oklahoma's offense, which is powered by Heisman finalists Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook.

"At this point I know what our defense is capable of," running back Kerryon Johnson said. "I know our D-line is good. I know our DBs are good. I know our linebackers are good, so at this point, yes, you have to respect (Oklahoma). You have to, or that's just being dumb, but in terms of running our defense off the field, I don't think that's going to happen. I think they're too good. I have full confidence in them."

 

 

More than that, though, is the brimming confidence Auburn's offense has in itself now that Pettway and quarterback Sean White are back to full strength. When those two were injured late in the season, Auburn's offense stumbled. Prior to that, during the team's six-game winning streak when offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee simplified things in the middle of the season, the Tigers surged.

During that six-game win streak, Auburn averaged 38.8 points per game while averaging 7.03 yards per offensive play -- numbers that aren't too far off what Oklahoma, which averages 7.55 yards per play, was able to maintain throughout the season.

Auburn is hoping to get back to that in the bowl game.

"For us to go out and just play our best and be balanced is key for us always," Lashlee said. "We can't be one-dimensional.... So staying on the field, keeping the ball away from them but obviously giving us a chance to score some points, that's when we were at the our best this year. And we have to get more explosive and get back to that balance we had during the middle of the season."

Being back at full strength certainly helps matters. Having a month to prepare for Oklahoma will also play a factor. Right tackle Robert Leff said going up against a prolific offense like the Sooners' also provides some added motivation for Auburn's offense.

While the Tigers don't necessarily feel pressure to make the Sugar Bowl a track meet, they understand the challenge in scoring points to keep up with the Sooners -- and trying to control the ball to keep Mayfield, Westbrook and company off the field.

"They're going to score points," left guard Alex Kozan said. "Our defense is a great defense... so I think they'll give Oklahoma some challenges, but at the end of the day Baker Mayfield, he's good at breaking stuff down, making plays with his feet, throwing and scrambling, so he's going to make plays. We as an offense, we need to execute, we need to keep up and make the game close and really match them."