Home-Field Advantage Crucial to Auburn Tigers Win Over Oklahoma

The home atmosphere of Jordan-Hare Stadium will be a difference maker for the Auburn Tigers

Having the advantage of the home crowd is believed to be what will put the Auburn Tigers over the top. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images / John Reed-Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers are far from where they hoped to be at this point in the season. However, they have a golden opportunity to correct course.  

Auburn hosts No. 21 Oklahoma, who are also still looking for their first win SEC win of the season. 

ESPN’s Marty Smith believes it is a winnable game for the Tigers. He particularly likes the home-field advantage. 

Smith believes that Auburn’s chances of coming out on top will improve if they can prevent turnovers. 

“I would imagine that the most important thing right now is don’t turn the damn football over,” Smith said.

Both teams are surrounded with questions at quarterback. Auburn decided to go back to Payton Thorne, a decision Smith ultimately believes is the right one.

“I’m glad I don’t get paid to make it,” Smith said on the decision to start Thorne. “Coach (Hugh) Freeze seems completely frustrated with the play at that position. I don’t know that there’s an answer. I think he (Freeze) is probably going with experience and Thorne certainly has much more of that.”

Smith believes that Auburn can find a way to put points on the board despite its offensive struggles and competing against a solid Oklahoma defense.

“Oklahoma is very, very good defensively,” Smith said. “Brent Venables’ entire pedigree, going back to his days at Clemson and OU before that when he was the DC. I think what Auburn really has to do is establish the line of scrimmage and they got to run the football.”

Jordan-Hare Stadium is a challenging place to play, and the Tigers will need all the help they can get from their home crowd.

“The fans are going to have to be super engaged,” Smith said. “This is the loudest stadium in the country when it wants to be and on Saturday afternoon they need it to be. 

Despite Auburn not being where it hoped up to this point in the season, picking up the win over Oklahoma could go a long way toward restoring confidence. 

“It would be colossal because Oklahoma’s a quality opponent,” Smith said. “They need a win, I don’t care if it’s against Oklahoma or New River Community College. A victory for that locker room and for the self confidence and infusion of a brotherhood, that stuff matters.”

Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday. ABC and ESPN+ will carry the television broadcast.