< Previous20 STATS COMPARISONS AUBURNTIGERS.COM AUBURN STATS LEADERS RUSHING ATT NET AVG TD LONG AVG/G Jeremiah Cobb 46 314 6.8 4 46 104.7 Jackson Arnold 35 192 5.5 4 27 64.0 Damari Alston 16 84 5.3 1 11 84.0 PASSING CMP-ATT-INT PCT YDS TD AVG/G Jackson Arnold 48-69-0 69.6 501 4 167.0 Deuce Knight 2-5-0 40.0 20 0 20.0 RECEIVING NO. YDS AVG TD LONG AVG/G Cam Coleman 10 149 14.9 1 32 49.7 Eric Singleton Jr. 13 149 11.5 2 30 49.7 Horatio Fields 10 88 8.8 1 11 29.3 DEFENSE UA A TOT TFL-YDS SACKS-YDS Keyron Crawford 13 3 16 5.0-22 3.0-20 Kaleb Harris 12 0 12 1.0-2 0.0-0 Xavier Atkins 10 2 12 4.0-14 2.0-9 OKLAHOMA STATS LEADERS RUSHING ATT NET AVG TD LONG AVG/G Tory Blaylock 31 166 5.4 3 25 55.3 John Mateer 33 161 4.9 4 51 53.7 Jovantae Barnes 18 45 2.5 1 10 15.0 PASSING CMP-ATT-INT PCT YDS TD AVG/G John Mateer 71-105-3 67.6 944 5 314.7 Michael Hawkins Jr. 1-3-0 33.3 5 0 5.0 RECEIVING NO. YDS AVG TD LONG AVG/G Jaren Kanak 14 245 17.5 0 48 81.7 Deion Burks 17 225 13.2 2 34 75.0 Keontez Lewis 15 181 12.1 2 28 60.3 DEFENSE UA A TOT TFL-YDS SACKS-YDS Sammy Omosigho 7 7 14 2.5-5 1.5-3 Kip Lewis 6 7 13 1.0-1 0.0-0 Kobie McKinzie 3 9 12 1.0-4 0.0-0 Here is a quick look at the top team statistics for the Tigers and Sooners. Quick Look n Total Touchdowns 1513 n Rushing Yards 726469 n Passing Yards 521949 STATS COMPARISONS22 COVER FEATURE AUBURNTIGERS.COM COVER FEATURE BY: JEFF SHEARER Defensive linemen, typically, do not fare well in footraces with wide receivers. There’s nothing typical about Auburn junior Keldric Faulk. In the Tigers’ season-opening win at Baylor, the 6-foot-6, 285-pound Faulk chased down speedy Bears’ receiver Ashtyn Hawkins, catching him from be- hind 30 yards past the line of scrimmage. “A play that I had to make,” Faulk said. “Seeing the man go downfield and hav- ing a chance to put another score on the board, I had to go down there and make the tackle so we had a chance to get them off the field.” Late in the third quarter with on-field temperatures still in triple digits, Faulk demonstrated exceptional effort, the type of leadership teammates admired when they elected Keldric as one of their captains. “That’s leading by example,” said Faulk, who recorded his ninth career sack in the Baylor victory. “My guys were depending on someone to make that play and I had to go make it.” “That’s what we expect from him,” defensive coordinator DJ Durkin said. “That’s what he does all the time in prac- tice. When you see that, it’s impressive.” Even more than his production – 80 career tackles in his first two seasons in- cluding seven sacks in 2024 – it’s Faulk’s leadership that impresses outside line- backers coach Roc Bellantoni. “Great player,” Bellantoni said. “He’s going to have a great season. His impact is higher than that. It’s leadership with the defense. He takes charge of that group. He pulls guys to the side. He gets up in the meeting room and helps coach them. He jumps in there. He’s a special kid.” Faulk reminds Bellantoni of another standout defender Roc coached in his first stint on the Plains, Derick Hall. “I’d say it’s once in a lifetime, but I had another guy here like that,” Bellantoni said. “Really happy with what he’s been doing.” Sometimes, like that second-half sprint at Baylor, Faulk leads with actions. Other times, he uses words. “When the guys aren’t feeling the same way they usually are,” Faulk said of when he knows it’s time to intervene. “That’s usually when I come in and speak to the team.” Those times, says Faulk, are infre- quent. “The guys here, we’re hungry for it, we want it,” he said. “It’s rare days when we feel like we need a stern talking to. We all have a drive, and we all have a why. Every day we come here, we show why we play and who we play for.” For Keldric Faulk, the why and the who are one and the same: his mother, Lakendral Barnes, his sister, Erica, and his younger brother and now teammate, J.J., an Auburn freshman linebacker and edge rusher. CAPTAIN KELDRIC: FAULK LEADS AUBURN DEFENSE WITH EFFORT, EXHORTATION24 COVER FEATURE AUBURNTIGERS.COM “A dream come true,” Keldric said of getting to team up with J.J. “I always wanted to play with my brother again, ever since I got to college. Getting that opportunity this year excites me more than anything else. My brother is my best friend, so having my best friend back in the same area as me is one of the best things in the world.” After three victorious nonconference matchups, Faulk and the No. 22 Tigers begin SEC play Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT at fellow unbeaten No. 11 Oklahoma on ABC and the Auburn Sports Network, the Tigers’ first visit to Norman, Oklahoma. “I’m excited,” said Faulk, who has re- corded eight tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack through Auburn’s first three games. “It’s a long time coming. We play a great team in Oklahoma. It’s going to be a thriller.” Memories of last year’s meeting, a 27- 21 Sooners win on the Plains in which the Tigers led by 11 points early in the fourth quarter, motivate Faulk. “We could have had them beat last year,” he said. “They’re a really good team and so are we. I feel like we are more than prepared and excited to go out there and handle business.” In fewer than three seasons, Keldric Faulk has made the adjustment look easy from class 2-A Highland Home High School 40 miles south of Montgomery to the SEC, becoming a team leader and one of the faces of the program. “God has a plan for everybody,” he said. “My plan was to come to Auburn and make success out of this. My plan for the 2025-26 season is to help Au- burn be playoff contenders at the end of the year. I’m going to continue to follow God’s plan.” Part of Keldric’s plan is to never give up on a play, even if it means running down receivers 30 yards downfield. COVER FEATUREOFFICIAL INTERCOLLEGIATE SPORTS MEDICINE PROVIDER OF AUBURN TIGERS ATHLETICS WE ARE HERE FOR L TO R: Michael Goodlett, MD, FAAFP- Team Physician Benton A. Emblom, MD - Team Orthopaedic Surgeon Jos Edison, DO - Associate Team Physician At Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center, we’re here for the competitor in all of us — from rookies chasing their dreams to legends who never quit. We’re here for the believers, the driven, the passionate. We’re here for the ones who rise, again and again. We’re here for the Auburn Tigers. To schedule an appointment, call us at 205-939-3699 Locations: Birmingham | Cullman | Gardendale | Hoover | Pelham | Trussville ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEONS James R. Andrews, MD, Emeritus Christopher M. Beaumont, MD E. Lyle Cain, Jr., MD Andrew M. Cordover, MD Jeff rey C. Davis, MD Jeff rey R. Dugas, MD Benton A. Emblom, MD Christopher H. Garrett, MD Daniel C. Kim, MD Wayne McGough, Jr., MD Kathleen E. McKeon, MD K. David Moore, MD Charles C. Pitts, Jr., MD Marcus A. Rothermich, MD Norman E. Waldrop, III, MD NON-SURGICAL SPORTS MEDICINE PHYSICIANS Matthew B. Beidleman, MD Christopher S. Carter, MD Emily Bell Casey, MD Ricardo E. Colberg, MD Rachel G. Henderson, MD Monte M. Ketchum, DO JoséO.Ortega,MD T. Daniel Smith, MD Jay S. Umarvadia, MD PHYSICIAL MEDICINE & REHABILITATION Charles T. Carnel, MDY O U R T E A M S . Y O U R S T A T I O N S . WINGSFM.COMESPNAU.COM FOOTBALL/MEN’SBASKETBALL/WOMEN’SBASKETBALL/BASEBALL/TIGERTALK ALLPLAYHERE. Auburn-Opelika’sOfficialFlagshipStationsoftheAuburnTigersCOMPETITIVE COMPETITIVE THE COMPETITIVE EDGE EDGE EDGE HARBERT COLLEGE OF BUSINESS HARBERT.AUBURN.EDU At the hArbert college of business excellence goes beyond the classroom. From boardrooms to stadiums, our students lead with grit, purpose, and the Auburn spirit. WE’RE NOT JUST PREPARING BUSINESS LEADERS —WE’RE INSPIRING EXCELLENCE ON AND OFF THE FIELD. X Sophie is a senior Business Analytics major with a minor in Business Engineering Technology. She’s active in Women in Technology and Sports Analytics student organizations.28 HEAD COACH HUGH FREEZE AUBURNTIGERS.COM Hugh Freeze became the 31st head football coach in Auburn history in No- vember 2022. Freeze has more than three decades of continued coaching success, including head coaching ex- perience that has led to conference ti- tles, nationally ranked recruiting classes and bowl appearances at multiple stops during his highly decorated career. In Freeze’s first season at Auburn, despite a shorthanded roster, the 2023 Tigers posted a 6-7 record and earned a Music City Bowl berth. In 2024, the Tigers continued to build on and off the field. Every home game was sold out for the second consecutive season as fans embraced Freeze’s brand of football and Auburn garnered top 10 recruiting class- es for the 2024 and 2025 campaigns. Freeze came to Auburn from Liber- ty University, where he was head coach from 2019-22. Freeze led the Flames to four bowl games and a 34-15 record. Freeze experienced similar success at each of his head coaching stops prior to Liberty that include Lambuth Univer- sity (2008-09), Arkansas State (2011) and Ole Miss (2012-16). Freeze led each school to double-digit win seasons, while helping Ole Miss to a top 10 national fin- ish in 2015. His on-field coaching record in 14 seasons is 114-61. Liberty was just one of five FBS teams in the country to win a bowl game each season from 2019-21, joining Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Louisiana. It was the second team in NCAA history to win a bowl game during its first three full sea- sons at the FBS level, all coming under Freeze’s leadership. Freeze guided Liberty to a 10-1 overall record in 2020 and the team’s first-ever national ranking as it finished No. 17 in the country. That season, Liberty had the best start in program history (8-0), tied the program record for wins (10) and de- feated two Power 5 programs in Syracuse and Virginia Tech. For his efforts, Freeze was a finalist for the George Munger Col- legiate Coach of the Year Award. Known for his fast-paced offensive style, Freeze’s 2020 Liberty team set a school record for rushing yards in a season (2,776) and ranked No. 9 in the country in rushing offense. Liberty also ranked No. 15 nationally in total offense (482.7 yards per game) and No. 11 in to- tal defense (317.7 yards per game). The Flames were one of three teams in the country to rank in the top 20 in both total offense and total defense in 2020, join- ing Clemson and BYU. Spearheading Liberty’s outstand- ing offense in 2020 was former Auburn quarterback Malik Willis, who burst into the spotlight leading the nation in rushing yards (944) and touchdowns (14) by a FBS quarterback. Willis earned All-America honors, was named to the Davey O’Brien Award Quarterback Class of 2020 and was on the 2020 Maxwell Award watch list. The Flames posted an eight-win sea- son in 2021 after facing eight bowl-eli- gible teams during that campaign. Lib- erty’s defense finished the 2021 season ranked No. 7 nationally in passing yards allowed, No. 11 in total defense and No. 24 in scoring defense. Offensively, Lib- erty finished 2021 ranked No. 25 in the country in scoring offense and No. 8 in passing yards per completion. Leading the charge for the Flames in 2021 once again was Willis, who was a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Na- tional Quarterback Award and the Max- well Award and a top 10 candidate for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Willis was a third-round draft pick of the Ten- nessee Titans in the 2022 NFL Draft. In 2022, Liberty finished the regu- lar season 8-4 with wins over Arkansas and BYU; three of the four losses came by a combined five points. The Flames earned a berth in the Boca Raton Bowl. While head coach at Ole Miss, Freeze took the Rebels to bowl games in three of his five seasons, including wins in the 2013 Music City and the 2016 Sugar bowls. Freeze’s time in Oxford was highlight- ed by a 10-3 campaign in 2015, the pro- gram’s first 10-win season since 2003. The Rebels won their first four games of the 2015 season, including a 43-37 road victory over No. 2 Alabama, Ole Miss’ first win in Tuscaloosa since 1988. The Rebels were ranked as high as No. 3 in the national polls in both 2014 and 2015 and finished in the national Top 10 for the first time since 1969 after the Sugar Bowl win. Ole Miss was ranked in the top 25 for 45 weeks over Freeze’s five-year tenure, including a string of 27 straight weeks in the polls for the first time since 1957-62. Freeze collected four nationally ranked recruiting classes at Ole Miss. In 2013 and 2016, his recruiting classes ranked in the top five nationally, the best in program history. Freeze and his staff developed 20 players who earned all-SEC honors, in- cluding All-Americans Cody Prewitt, Senquez Golson, Robert Nkemdiche, Laremy Tunsil, Evan Engram, Laquon Treadwell and Trae Elston. HUGH FREEZE HEAD COACHNext >