Even in the middle of SEC country, the Oklahoma Sooners owned the night.
Behind 524 total yards of offense, the #7 Oklahoma Sooners (11-2) handed the #14 Auburn Tigers a 35-19 defeat in the 2017 Allstate Sugar Bowl. Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield tossed for 296 yards and two touchdowns on the night. The skilled duo of running backs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon combined for 177 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
It was Auburn who got the scoring started in the game. Fullback Chandler Cox scored on a 3-yard touchdown run six minutes into the game. The score capped off a 14-play, 75 yard drive by Auburn (8-5) on the game’s opening drive.
The Sooners got on the board first with a 13-yard touchdown reception by tight end Mark Andrews. Oklahoma followed that up several minutes later with a 3-yard touchdown by Mixon to go up 14-10. A 39-yard field goal by Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson closed the deficit to 14-13. However, that was about as close as Auburn would get on the night.
Auburn lost their starting quarterback, Sean White, late in the first half to an arm injury. A steady offense at that point failed to make much progress the rest of the game. Head coach Gus Malzahn relied on backup QBs John Franklin III and Jeremy Johnson. The two combined for 8-of-16 passes for 118 yards and one interception. The team tried to generate considerable production from their run game. Only totaling 185 rushing yards, Auburn got 101 of those yards from starting running back Kamryn Pettway.
As a whole, Auburn totaled only 339 yards of offense. Many of them coming late in the game after it was pretty much decided. Auburn entered the game averaging 449.3 yards per game.
Perine had himself an historic moment during the contest. During the fourth quarter, Perine surpassed for Sooners legend Billy Sims to become the school’s all-time leading rusher with 4,122 yards career yards. His 2-yard touchdown run in the quarter gave the Sooners a 35-13 commanding lead.
The win gives Oklahoma their second Sugar Bowl win in the last four years.
