Oklahoma LB Kip Lewis' Pick Six Felt Like a 'Movie'

The redshirt sophomore linebacker penned a piece of Sooner historoy with his 63-yard interception return that pushed OU past Auburn.

Sep 28, 2024; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Kip Lewis (10) celebrates with defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. (2) after intercepting an Auburn Tigers pass and returning it for a touchdown during the fourth quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium. / John Reed-Imagn Images

AUBURN, AL — Oklahoma conjured Sooner Magic as a member of the SEC for the first time inside Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday night. 

The Sooners spent much of the fourth quarter down 21-10 after trailing since the second quarter, but the visitors finally found life after Michael Hawkins Jr. found J.J. Hester for a 60-yard bomb down the OU sideline. 

While Oklahoma’s offense has been devoid of explosive plays virtually the entire season, that wasn’t the magical part. 

Kip Lewis ushered that in. 

With Auburn needing a handful of first downs to ice an uncomfortable victory, Hugh Freeze elected to let quarterback Payton Thorne take to the skies on third-and-4.

OU defensive coordinator Zac Alley called a zone blitz in an effort to put pressure on the turnover-prone quarterback. 

Lewis did his job, showing pressure before dropping back into coverage, but then he turned a good play into the spectacular. 

The redshirt sophomore stepped into the throwing window and picked Thorne off, he turned upfield to the left and sent the crimson-clad Oklahoma fans who made the long trip into a frenzy. 

Lewis outran Auburn’s offense 63 yards, only absorbing contact as he crossed the goal line to put Oklahoma on top. 

That just happened. @KipLewis9 | #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/xmmZmYgoma

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 28, 2024

“My only one thought is don't get caught,” Lewis said after the game. “By the time I got to the 20, I was dead ... and I was like 'you have to drag through, Kip.’”

Hawkins then punched in a fearless two-point conversion play, kicker Zach Schmit nailed an insurance field goal and the defense held strong to close out the 27-21 win to move OU to 4-1 on the year and 1-1 in SEC play.

“This win just shows that we belong here,” Lewis said.

Lewis said it was the first touchdown he had scored in either high school or college, but teammate Danny Stutsman said he had no doubts it was going to be a house call once Lewis came down with the interception.

“Made a phenomenal play and that’s one of the fastest guys on the field. I knew once he caught that ball it was going to happen,” Stutsman said. “… I mean what a huge play. In the biggest moment your players have to make plays like that. … Super proud of Kip.”

Oklahoma linebacker Kip Lewis powers over the goal line to put the Sooners in front of Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium. / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

To go along with the touchdown, Lewis also had five tackles on the night and a tackle for loss. 

OU’s defense was on the field for over 35 minutes in the win, but OU head coach Brent Venables was proud of Lewis’ ability to stay dialed in on the small details to change the game. 

“It’s a zone blitz. So it’s getting his eyes back, has to draw the protection to help free up an unblocked rusher,” Venables said. “He did that part of it, which is incredibly important. Otherwise, they slide to the unblock guy and the throw isn’t forced, and he may not get it. He was under pressure.”

From there, all Venables had to do was step back and watch his young linebacker go to work. 

“What incredible will and instincts to take it, and he wasn’t going to get tackled,” Venables said. “… What a play. The fourth-longest in OU history by a linebacker. There have been some pretty good linebackers here. Kip is one of the great ones.”

An hour after the game, Lewis hadn’t yet watched the play back.

But the memory that will run on repeat in his head will be burned into the memory of Lewis, the OU fans and the Auburn crowd who took in the “Kip Six.”

“When I was running down the sideline,” said Lewis, “I was like 'wow, this is kind of like a movie moment.’

“… It was like Sooner Magic at its finest.”