Amid all the steaming hot controversy and the fuming fans following Oklahoma's win against Auburn, there were still a few key points that went under the radar. Had the controversy not been present, Hugh Freeze would be in the crosshairs for the same points, or rather, the same shortcomings.
"I'd rather watch the film before I say on that," Freeze said in his post-game conference when asked about the 10 sacks. "Some of the credit goes to Oklahoma and their front, but that's way too many. We've got to go back to work and get that corrected. Said going into this game that was one of the true unknowns, really, that we didn't have a big enough sample size for. Do think that's one of the better pass-rushing teams in the country."
A to Z Sports' Travis May called the Tigers head coach out for avoiding taking complete responsibility for their QB, Jackson Arnold, getting sacked 10 times, even worse, praising OU's defense about it.
"It’s hard to admit what’s really wrong with a football team sometimes," May wrote.
"Jackson Arnold took not one, not two, not three, but 10 sacks on the game. Coach Freeze wouldn’t acknowledge that in postgame, but he better get that fixed."
May believed Freeze was evading taking about the Tigers' offensive struggles by lauding the Sooners.
"It’s nice to give credit where it’s due," May continued. "Brent Venables called a great defensive game for Oklahoma, and the Sooners' pass rushers (especially R Mason Thomas and Jayden Jackson) had phenomenal games. However, most of the problems with Auburn stemmed from Jackson Arnoldand his inability to avoid pressure. The final sack of the game wasn’t all his fault, but he should have been looking for Thomas (the Sooners’ best pass rusher)."
The Tigers have a whole slate of SEC contenders ahead of them. If the issues did hold the Tigers back against the Sooners, then they also will against the rest of its opponents.
And it will definitely show against Auburn's next opponent: Texas A&M.