Auburn takes on Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2.
Three of Auburn’s four losses have come to teams ranked among the top 17 nationally – including the season opener against No. 2 Clemson and its most recent draw, against No. 1 Alabama. Oklahoma began its season with a 1-2 mark after losses to No. 15 Houston and No. 3 Ohio State, but since then the Sooners have beaten three ranked opponents among nine straight victories – becoming the first team to ever go 9-0 in Big 12 Conference play. No. 14 Auburn earned its Allstate Sugar Bowl invitation by being the highest-ranked Southeastern Conference team not heading to the College Football Playoffs. No. 7 Oklahoma, meanwhile, won the Big 12 title by outscoring league foes by an average of 18.8 points per game.
Game Info
Auburn (8-4) vs. Oklahoma (10-2)
Jan. 2, 2017
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
How to watch
Game time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV Channel: ESPN
Live stream: You can live stream the Sugar Bowl here.
Buy tickets: Allstate Sugar Bowl
Players to watch
- Auburn’s Kamryn Pettway ran for 1,123 yards this season on just 185 carries – a robust average of 6.1 yards per pop. The 6-foot, 240-pound sophomore crossed the goal line seven times, although three of his scores came in one game, at Mississippi State on Oct. 8.
- Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield led the nation with an obscene 197.8 passer rating – 14.5 points higher than runner-up Logan Woodside of Toledo. The junior threw 38 touchdown passes and eight interceptions while completing 71.2 percent of his passes. Mayfield ran for six additional scores.
Key Stats
- Oklahoma is making its eighth Sugar Bowl appearance.
- Auburn ranks fifth nationally in scoring defense (15.6 points per game) and 20th in total defense (348.4 yards per game).
- The Sooners rank third nationally in scoring offense (44.7 points per game) and total offense (557.3 yards per game).
- The Tigers have strongly committed to the ground game, compiling 599 carries against a mere 262 pass attempts.
- Sooners wide receiver Dede Westbrook has 34 more receptions (74), 1,016 more receiving yards 1,465) and 10 more receiving touchdowns (16) than his closest teammates.
- Auburn placekicker Daniel Carlson has scored 121 points and missed just four of 30 field-goal attempts – with a 4-for-7 performance from 50-plus yards.
- Only undefeated teams Alabama and Western Michigan have longer active winning streaks than Oklahoma.
