Game Primer: OU vs. Ole Miss

Saturday, October 25

Norman

11 a.m.

University of Oklahoma

Ole Miss

Tickets

NORMAN, OK - September 20, 2025 - Oklahoma Linebacker Kip Lewis (#10) during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. Photo By Morgan Givens/University of Oklahoma

Photo by: Morgan Givens/University of Oklahoma

October 24, 2025 | Football

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#13 Oklahoma

#8 Ole Miss

Saturday, Oct. 25 / 11 a.m. CT / Owen Field

ABC / Radio / Live Stats / Game Notes

OPENING KICK

• After two games away from Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, No. 13/11 Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1) returns to Norman to host No. 8/8 Ole Miss (6-1, 3-1) on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT. The Homecoming game will be televised by ABC with Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Molly McGrath announcing.

• Saturday's game will mark Ole Miss's first in Norman. The Rebels own a 2-0 series lead.

• Ole Miss is one of just three SEC programs OU has never beaten. The Sooners are 0-2 against the Rebels, 0-1 vs. Georgia and 0-0 against Mississippi State.

• Friday, Oct. 17, marked the 100th anniversary of the first game played at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, a 7-0 Sooners win over Drake in 1925. Ole Miss will become the 100th OU opponent to play in the stadium. The Sooners' stadium record is a sparkling 427-88-15 (.820). Since the start of the 1999 season (Bob Stoops' first as head coach), the record is 149-15 (.909; best home winning percentage among Power Four programs).

• The 2025 season marks the 131st in OU football history. The Sooners lead the nation with their 50 all-time conference titles, 27 11-plus-win seasons (tied), 33 AP top-five finishes and five No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks (tied). They rank second with their seven Heisman Trophy winners (tied), third with seven AP national championships, their 101 weeks as the AP's No. 1 team and 432 total weeks in the AP Top 5, fourth with their 419 NFL Draft picks and fifth with their 58 bowl appearances.

• Saturday's contest will mark the 1,359th in OU history. The Sooners rank fifth nationally with their .723 all-time winning percentage (956-349-53 record), trailing Ohio State (.737), Alabama (.734), Michigan (.732) and Notre Dame (.732). Since the end of World War II (1946 season to present), OU leads all programs with 712 wins (28 more than Alabama, the program with the next most) and owns a .763 winning percentage.

• OU has already played three games against teams ranked in the AP or coaches polls at the time of competition, and each of its final five opponents are ranked this week: vs. No. 8/8 Ole Miss, at No. 17/17 Tennessee, at No. 4/4 Alabama, vs. No. 15/14 Missouri and vs. No. 20/20 LSU. OU also won this past Saturday at South Carolina, which was ranked as high as No. 10 in both polls.

NORMAN, OK - September 06, 2025 - Fans during the game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK. Photo By Asia Purnell/University of Oklahoma

FOR THE FANS

• Approximately two hours and 15 minutes before each home game (8:50 a.m. this Saturday), OU players and coaches will arrive at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium via team buses and walk to their stadium entrance while being cheered by fans. This year's "Walk of Champions" path again originates from the Jenkins Ave./Brooks St. intersection just northeast of the stadium (view map here). The team will be led by the Sooner Schooner and OU Spirit.

• New this fall, free, public tailgating is open on the historic North Oval. For the first time in university history, fans have the opportunity to set up their tailgates on one of the most recognizable places on campus, creating an electric atmosphere just steps away from Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Fans can claim spaces on the North Oval beginning at 6 p.m. on the Friday before a home game. More tailgating information, policies and a map, click here.

• Once again, "Party at the Palace, Presented by Allstate" will be held on the lawn immediately north of Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for fans of all ages, this week running from 7 to 10:30 a.m. Highlights include food trucks, giveaways, music, interactive games, inflatables and more. Additionally, 107.7 The Franchise, the flagship station of the Sooner Sports Radio Network, originates the start of its pregame show live from Party at the Palace beginning three hours prior to kickoff.

• Also taking place at Party at the Palace, SEC Network's traveling pregame show "SEC Nation" returns to Norman on Saturday. Laura Rutledge will host and be joined by Paul Finebaum, Roman Harper, Jordan Rodgers and Tim Tebow from 9-11 a.m. The "Marty & McGee" show, with Marty Smith and Ryan McGee, will kick off programming live from 8-9 a.m.

• OU Athletics and Sooner Sports Properties are producing limited-edition collectible game programs in high-quality print for home football contests against Auburn, Ole Miss, Missouri and LSU – OU's four 2025 SEC home opponents – plus Big Ten foe Michigan. Souvenir 96-page game programs are available for preorder for $20 each, and the 220-page 2025 OU Football Media Guide can be purchased for $40 (limited stock). Click here for details.

• The University of Oklahoma and the Southeastern Conference have zero-tolerance policies regarding fan field intrusions and throwing debris on the field. Starting in 2025, the SEC will issue member schools a $500,000 fine for violating the field-intrusion policy (paid to the opposing school for conference games) and a $250,000 fine for throwing debris on the field. Violations of these policies could also result in prosecution.

• A reminder that umbrellas are not permitted inside Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. For a full list of OU game day policies, procedures and additional fan information, click here.

KEY STORYLINES

• The lone previous Oklahoma-Ole Miss meetings were both Rebels wins: 27-25 in the 1999 Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., and 26-14 last season in Oxford, Miss. The Independence Bowl, played on New Year's Eve, came in Bob Stoops' first season as OU head coach and was the last college football game of the 20th century. The contest ended with an Ole Miss walk-off 39-yard field goal.

• Through seven games, Oklahoma's defense has been one of the best in the country. OU leads the nation six categories: total defense (213.0 ypg), opponent yards per play (3.7), sacks per game (4.0), tackles for loss per game (10.7), passing TDs allowed (3) and opponent first downs per game (11.7). The Sooners also rank second in scoring defense (9.4 ppg) and touchdowns allowed (6), third in rushing defense (80.4 ypg) and fourth in passing defense (132.6 ypg).

• While OU has flourished defensively, Ole Miss's offense ranks as one of the nation's best. The Rebels are eighth in total offense (491.9 ypg) and passing offense (304.1 ypg) and 16th in scoring offense (37.4 ppg). They also rank second in plays of at least 30 yards (28), fourth in yards per completion (15.4), 11th in first downs per game (25.1) and 14th in third-down conversion percentage (51.7%).

• Forty-five percent of OU's opponents' offensive plays this season (181 of 405) have gone for zero or negative yards. An additional 23 plays have resulted in a one-yard gain, meaning 50% of opponent plays have yielded one or fewer yards.

• Oklahoma has allowed just six touchdowns in seven games, and just five by the defense.

• The Sooners have given up just three points and 16 first downs in the first quarter this season. That's an average of 0.4 points and 2.3 first downs in the first quarter.

• OU is one of just five teams nationally that has produced points on all of its red-zone trips this season. The Sooners are 23 for 23, with 18 touchdowns and five field goals.

• Despite starting just two of OU's seven games, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Taylor Wein leads the SEC and ranks eighth nationally with his 10.5 tackles for loss. Wein has registered at least one TFL in six of seven games (each of the last five) and has racked up 7.0 over the last three outings. Five Sooners rank in the top 23 of the 16-team SEC in tackles for loss. Joining Wein are senior lineman R Mason Thomas (10th; 7.5), redshirt senior linebacker Kendal Daniels (12th; 6.5), redshirt junior linebacker Kobie McKinzie (20th; 5.5) and sophomore lineman David Stone (23rd; 5.0).

• After totaling six catches for 60 yards over OU's first two games, redshirt junior wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III has amassed 31 receptions for 433 yards and four TDs over the last five contests (97 yards at Temple, career-high 127 and a TD vs. Auburn, 75 and a career-high two TDs vs. Kent State, 61 vs. Texas and 73 and a TD at South Carolina). He doubles as the team's punt returner, averaging 11.2 yards on his 18 returns.

• Since the start of the 2023 season, OU is 15-0 when it wins the turnover battle (2-0 this year) and 6-9 when it loses it (4-1 this year).

• This marks the second of at least six straight seasons in which Oklahoma and Ole Miss will face each other. On Sept. 23, the SEC released conference matchups for the 2026-29 seasons, and the Sooners and Rebels are annual opponents. OU will host Ole Miss again next season before alternating sites from 2027-29. The Sooners' other 2026-29 annual opponents are Missouri and Texas.

RECAPPING SATURDAY'S WIN AT SOUTH CAROLINA

• No. 14/13 Oklahoma held South Carolina to 224 total yards and 3.3 yards per play in a 26-7 road win Saturday. USC converted just three of its 15 third-down conversion attempts (started 0 for 10). Its seven second-half possessions ended in three punts, two interceptions, a safety and a turnover on downs.

• The Sooners racked up 13 tackles for loss (their fifth straight game with at least 11) and did not surrender a TFL until the fourth quarter.

• Over the second and third quarters, OU held the Gamecocks to 63 total yards on 32 plays (2.0 per play).

• Redshirt junior quarterback John Mateer completed 18 of 26 passes for 150 yards and a 20-yard TD pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III without committing a turnover. Sategna finished with game highs of seven catches and 73 receiving yards.

• Mateer also punted once and downed the ball at the South Carolina 1-yard line. On the next play, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Markus Strong registered his first career safety for the game's final points.

• Freshman Tory Blaylock rushed 19 times for 101 yards and a TD, and sophomore Xavier Robinson ran 11 times for 58 yards and a score. Both running backs averaged 5.3 yards per carry. OU's 171 rushing yards were its most against a Power Four team this season, and it held South Carolina to 54 rushing yards (1.6 average).

• OU converted all three of its red-zone opportunities into touchdowns.

• Redshirt junior kicker Tate Sandell made his lone field goal try, a career-long-tying 55-yarder. It was his 12th consecutive conversion (is 12 for 13 on the year).

• The game marked OU's first in the state of South Carolina and resulted in the Sooners' first win over the Gamecocks (improved to 1-1 after losing in Norman last season).

LAST YEAR AT OLE MISS

• Playing for the first time since Joe Jon Finley was named interim offensive play-caller, Oklahoma led 14-10 at halftime but dropped a 26-14 decision at No. 18/18 Ole Miss on Oct. 26, 2024.

• The Sooners racked up 235 yards of offense in the first half but just 94 in the second. Similarly, OU rushed for 125 yards in the opening 30 minutes but just 22 after halftime.

• Oklahoma's eight third-down conversions tied a season high. It was 7 of 9 in the first half but 1 of 9 in the second.

• Sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold made his first start since the Sept. 21 Tennessee game and completed a season-high 22 passes on 31 attempts for 182 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He also rushed for 39 yards (grossed 99 but lost 60 on nine sacks) on 24 official carries.

• Arnold's TD passes went to redshirt junior tight end Bauer Sharp in the first quarter (tied the game at 7-7) and freshman walk-on receiver Jacob Jordan in the second quarter (was the first of Jordan's career and gave OU a 14-10 lead with six seconds left). Sharp finished with career and game highs of eight receptions for a team-high 53 yards. Jordan tied a career high with six catches for 38 yards.

• Junior running back Jovantae Barnes carried 16 times for a game-high 67 yards (4.2 average) while freshman Taylor Tatum had nine rushes for 42 yards (4.7 average). OU tallied six carries of at least 10 yards and became just the second team this season to rush for over 100 yards against Ole Miss (the Rebels entered the day allowing a nation-low 66.6 rushing yards per contest).

• Senior defensive end Caiden Woullard registered Oklahoma's only sack, tied for its fewest of the season, while Ole Miss finished with 10 (for a loss of 61 yards). The 10 sacks were the most by an OU opponent since the Sooners started tracking sacks in 1982. They surrendered three sacks in the second quarter and the other seven in the game's final 7:10.

• Senior linebacker Danny Stutsman registered a team-high nine tackles and 1.5 TFLs, as well as a QB hurry. It was the fifth time this season he led the team in tackles.

• Ole Miss entered the game ranked second nationally in total offense (560 ypg), eighth in scoring offense (41.4 ppg) and 26th in rushing offense (200.6 ypg), but OU held it to 380 yards, 26 points and 69 rushing yards (2.2 per carry).

HOME IS WHERE THE 'W' IS

• Oklahoma is 149-15 (.909) at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since the start of the 1999 season (Bob Stoops' first year as head coach), giving it just one more home loss than conference titles during the period. It is the second-best home winning percentage in the country over the stretch (Boise State [.910] is first and Ohio State [.897] third). OU has outscored its foes by an average of 42-18 in those games.

• Not including this week's game, OU has sold out 163 straight originally scheduled home contests dating back to the start of the 1999 season. Only Nebraska has a longer current streak.

• Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium celebrated its 100th season in 2024. The 100th anniversary of the first game played in the stadium was Oct. 17. On that day in 1925, the first contest was played in front of the new 16,000-seat west stands, a 7-0 victory over Drake.

• The first game played at the current stadium site, called Owen Field and named after former head coach and athletics director Bennie Owen (a charter member of the College Football Hall of Fame), took place in 1923, before stadium construction got underway.

• OU owns a sparkling 427-88-15 (.819) all-time record at the "Palace on the Prairie" and has faced 99 opponents there (Ole Miss and LSU this season will take that number to 101).

COLUMBIA, SC - October 18, 2025 - Oklahoma Running Back Tory Blaylock (#6) during the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Oklahoma Sooners at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC. Photo By Morgan Givens/University of Oklahoma

YEAR TWO IN THE SEC

• Oklahoma and Texas officially joined the Southeastern Conference on July 1, 2024, after 28 years in the Big 12 Conference. OU won half (14) of the Big 12's football titles in its 28 years in the league and posted a 187-61 (.754) record against conference competition (includes an 11-1 record in Big 12 championship games).

• Oklahoma's 14 Big 12 titles were 10 more than the program with the next most (Texas won four). From 2010 through 2023, OU won eight Big 12 titles and was followed by Baylor (three), Kansas State (two) and Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas (one each).

• This week's AP poll features a nation-leading 10 SEC teams (including nine of the top 17): No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Georgia, No. 8 Ole Miss, No. 10 Vanderbilt, No. 13 Oklahoma, No. 15 Missouri, No. 17 Tennessee, No. 20 LSU and No. 22 Texas. The Big Ten ranks second with five AP top-25 teams while the Big 12 has four and the ACC three.

MATEER'S SUPER START

• Redshirt junior quarterback John Mateer, who transferred from Washington State in January, has completed 133 of 205 pass attempts (65%) for 1,567 yards (261.2 average) and seven touchdowns through his six games (he missed the Kent State contest due to right hand surgery). He is also OU's second-leading rusher with 209 yards and has a team-high five TDs on the ground.

• Mateer ranks in the top 25 nationally in total offense (13th; 296.0 ypg), completions per game (17th; 22.1) and passing yards per game (23rd; 261.2).

SECOND-STRING STANDOUTS

• Three of OU's top five tacklers and four of its top seven, as well as its tackles-for-loss leader, have mostly played in non-starter roles. Junior linebacker Sammy Omosigho (27) ranks second on the team in tackles, sophomore defensive lineman David Stone and redshirt junior linebacker Owen Heinecke (25 each) are tied for fourth and redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Taylor Wein ranks seventh (23). Wein leads the SEC with his 10.5 TFLs while Stone, an AP and CBS Sports midseason All-American, ranks fifth on the squad (5.0) and Heinecke sixth (3.5). The only starts among the group have been by Wein (two; vs. Michigan and Auburn) and Stone (two; vs. Kent State and South Carolina).

• Wein has registered at least one TFL in all but the Michigan contest and has seven over the last three games for a loss of 38 yards.

MORE ON THE OFFENSE

• True freshman running back Tory Blaylock leads the team with 391 rushing yards on the season (team highs of 4.5 yards per carry and 55.9 per contest) and has registered two 100-yard performances (100 and two TDs at Temple; 101 and one TD at South Carolina). Against Temple, he became the first OU freshman (true or redshirt) running back to register a 100-yard rushing effort in at least one of his first three games since current running backs coach DeMarco Murray in 2007 (100 in third game). Prior to Murray, the last Sooner to accomplish the feat was Adrian Peterson in 2004 (at least 100 in each of first nine contests).

• Redshirt junior receiver Isaiah Sategna III leads OU with 37 receptions while redshirt senior Deion Burks ranks second with 32. Sategna III, a first-year Sooner who transferred from Arkansas, paces the squad with 493 receiving yards (70.4 per game), and over the past five contests has racked up 31 catches for 433 yards (86.6 average) and four TDs.

• Burks, who spent three years at Purdue and is in his second at Oklahoma, caught seven passes and one TD in each of the first two games this season and has 358 receiving yards. His 88 yards vs. Illinois State and 101 vs. Michigan represent his two highest totals at OU.

• Senior tight end Jaren Kanak played linebacker his first three years (started nine games in 2023 and one last season) before converting to tight end in the spring. The former high school receiver and quarterback has 24 catches for 364 yards (15.2 yards per reception) through seven games. The 364 yards rank fourth nationally among tight ends and represent 80% of the receiving yards by OU's tight ends all of 2024 (455).

• Redshirt senior receiver Keontez Lewis has 19 receptions for 226 yards on the season and caught two TD passes in the opener against Illinois State. His nine catches vs. the Redbirds were a career high (he finished with 119 receiving yards). He did not play Saturday at South Carolina.

• The Sooners threw for at least 270 yards twice in 2024 (284 vs. Maine and 275 vs. Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl), but have done it four times in seven games this season (392 vs. Illinois State, 270 vs. Michigan, 287 at Temple and 271 vs. Auburn).

• In the win over No. 15 Michigan, Michael Fasusi became the first OU freshman to start at left tackle in his first career game. He played 66 snaps and allowed just one QB pressure. He missed the opener vs. Illinois State and the game at Temple before returning in a reserve role against Auburn and starting the last two outings vs. Kent State and Texas.

• Redshirt senior offensive lineman Febechi Nwaiwu is the only OU offensive lineman to start all seven games this season. He has started all seven contests at right guard (also started all 13 games there last year).

MORE ON THE DEFENSE

• In a variety of defensive categories, Oklahoma is off to its best seven-game start in several decades. OU has held its opponents to 1,491 total yards, 66 points, six total touchdowns, three passing touchdowns, 928 passing yards, 563 rushing yards and 82 first downs. It has been since 1987 the Sooners have allowed their first seven opponents to fewer yards (1,342), fewer points (42), fewer touchdowns (three), fewer passing yards (761) and fewer first downs (79). It has been since 2012 they have permitted three or fewer passing touchdowns (also three) and since 2009 they have allowed as few as 563 rushing yards (491).

• Of Oklahoma's opponents' 77 possessions this season, 33 of them (43%) have resulted in a 3-and-out with no points.

• The strength of the Sooners' defense very well could be its line, with three players returning who started a combined 33 games last season (senior Damonic Williams 12, senior R Mason Thomas 11 and freshman Jayden Jackson 10) and another who started three and saw extensive field time (senior Gracen Halton). That quartet totaled 118 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 17 sacks and 16 QB hurries last season. That doesn't include sophomore David Stone, a former five-star high school recruit who ranks fourth on the team with 25 tackles this season, or redshirt sophomore Taylor Wein, who leads the SEC with 10.5 tackles for loss. Phil Steele ranked OU's defensive line as the best in the country this summer, and ESPN/SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic said in May the Sooners have the league's best defensive line, "... and it ain't even close."

• Stone has blossomed this season, earning first-team midseason All-America honors from CBS Sports and second-team acclaim from the Associated Press. Most of his production has come in non-starts (he only started vs. Kent State and at South Carolina). The former consensus five-star recruit, who was ranked as the nation's top defensive tackle by ESPN and Rivals, turned in back-to-back career highs in tackles with five vs. Auburn and six vs. Kent State, and has added six in two games since. As a freshman last year, Stone played in all 13 games but logged just six tackles (2.0 for loss).

• Four linebackers rank in the top four on the team in tackles. Redshirt junior Kip Lewis leads the squad with 31 stops, junior Sammy Omosigho ranks second (27), redshirt senior Kendal Daniels ranks third (26) and redshirt junior Owen Heinecke is tied for fourth (25).

• Against Illinois State, Courtland Guillory became only the second OU true freshman to start at cornerback in a season opener (the other was P.J. Mbanasor in 2015). Guillory has 13 tackles, two pass breakups and a QB hurry in his seven games (started first five).

A LOOK AT SPECIAL TEAMS

• Oklahoma ranks 26th nationally with its 46.4 yards per punt. Redshirt sophomore Jacob Ulrich (first-team All-Conference USA last season at Kennesaw State) averaged 47.5 yards on two punts in the opener before giving way to redshirt junior Grayson Miller the last six games. A Sports Illustrated second-team midseason All-American, Miller ranks 12th nationally with his 46.5-yard average. The transfer from NCAA Division II Central Oklahoma has booted 10 of his 25 punts over 50 yards (long of 66), with 10 downed inside the 20 and only two touchbacks. He was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 54.4 yards on five punts against Auburn, good for the third-best average in school history (min. five punts).

• Redshirt junior Tate Sandell has handled placekicking and kickoff duties the first seven games. The first-year Sooner leads the SEC with his 92.3% field-goal conversion rate (12 for 13; made his last 12), which includes a make from 52 yards and two conversions from 55 yards. He has also made all 21 of his PAT tries this season and was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week after nailing all three field goal tries against Kent State three games ago.

• The Sooners rank fifth nationally and first in the SEC by allowing just 13.2 yards per kickoff return.

• Redshirt junior Ben Anderson is OU's long snapper for the third straight year. He earned third-team All-SEC honors last season and is a 2025 third-team preseason All-American by Phil Steele.

• OU's special teams units were drastically improved in 2024 under first-year coordinator Doug Deakin. After finishing No. 107 in the FEI (Fremeau Efficiency Index) special teams ratings in 2023 the year before Deakin's arrival, the Sooners jumped to No. 34 last season and were No. 15 through six games this year.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S BEST

• During the modern era of college football (since the end of World War II), the Sooners are the nation's No. 1 team with more wins (712) than any other program (next most is 684 by Alabama).

• Oklahoma has finished in the top 5 of the AP poll a nation-leading 33 times (Ohio State is second with 31).

• OU leads all FBS programs with 50 all-time conference championships. The rest of the top five includes Nebraska (46), Michigan (45), Ohio State (39) and USC (37). The Sooners' 14 league titles since 2000 are the most among Power Five programs (Ohio State ranks second with 11).

• No program has more all-time 11-win seasons than Oklahoma's 27 (Alabama also has 27).

• Since the start of the 2000 season, OU ranks second with 18 seasons of at least 10 wins and ranks second with 266 victories.

• Since former head coach Bob Stoops arrived in Norman in 1999, OU leads the country with its 13,291 points scored. Boise State (12,947) is second and Oregon (12,687) third.

• Oklahoma's 81 consensus All-Americans since 1950 lead the nation (Alabama and Ohio State rank second with 77 each). Since 2000, OU has produced 31 consensus All-Americans, tied with Ohio State behind only Alabama.

EXTRA POINTS

• The Sooners are 9-4-1 all-time as the No. 13-ranked team in the AP poll (5-1 at home). Oklahoma was ranked 13th earlier this season in a 42-3 road win at Temple. Prior to this season, Oklahoma was last ranked No. 13 in the AP poll in 2023 when it defeated TCU 69-45 at home. OU's lone home loss as the AP's 13th-ranked team was in 1992 (20-10 to USC) and its last loss overall when ranked No. 13 was in 2011 (44-10 at Oklahoma State).

• ESPN's Heather Dinich slotted the Sooners as the No. 9 seed in the College Football Playoff this week, playing at No. 8 seed Oregon in a first-round matchup. Ole Miss was projected as the No. 7 seed.

• OU tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley, who was named interim offensive coordinator and play-caller the week of last year's game at Ole Miss, coached the 2020 season as a member of Lane Kiffin's first Rebels staff. Finley served as passing game coordinator and tight ends coach, helping Ole Miss to one of the best offensive seasons in program history. It ranked No. 3 nationally in total offense (school-record 555.5 ypg), No. 5 in pass efficiency rating (178.7), No. 7 in passing offense (344.9 ypg), No. 10 in yards per play (7.0) and No. 14 in scoring offense (39.2 ppg). Following that season, Finley joined the Sooners staff.

• Oklahoma leads all SEC programs with its 914 all-time appearances in the AP poll (followed by Alabama with 899 and Texas with 798).

• The Sooners have won their last 87 games when holding opponents to under 21 points. Their last loss under the circumstance came at Nebraska in 2009 (10-3).

• In their 22 wins since the start of the 2023 season, the Sooners have outscored opponents 189-35 off turnovers. In their 11 losses during the same span, they have been outscored 105-27 off turnovers.