NORMAN, Okla. – A shaky offensive showing was too much for the No. 22 Auburn Tigers to overcome, resulting in them dropping its conference play opener against the No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners 24-17, and extending their losing streak against ranked opponents on the road.

The Tigers struggled to generate momentum on the offensive side of the ball. When the Tigers did manage to score, the momentum was not capitalized on.

When Auburn (3-1) drove 75 yards in 14 plays to take a 17-16 lead in the fourth quarter, its first of the day and the first time Oklahoma (4-0) had trailed all season, the Sooners answered with a 75-yard scoring drive of their own, marking the beginning of the end for Auburn.

When the Tigers got the ball back, Jackson Arnold was brought down in the endzone for a safety, putting the game on ice for the Sooners.

Auburn’s ground attack, the aspect of its offense that has been the biggest difference-maker so far this season, was shutdown. The Tigers finished with 67 yards on the ground, but had negative two in the first half. The seven sacks managed by the Sooners played a role in the number being so low, however. They finished the game with 10, breaking their program record.

"I thought both the defenses stopped the run pretty dang good," said Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze. "It's something you want to stay committed to as long as you can becuase you saw what happens when you get in a two-minute drill and they can pin their ears back. You're trying to constantly balance that with trying to have some efficient runs to get back on track along with drop back passes."

While Freeze adressed Auburn's struggles with pass protection, he made sure to praise Oklahoma's defense for the pressure it brought throughout the game.

"Obviously, some of the credit goes to Oklahoma and their front, but that's way too many," Freeze said. "We got to go back to work and get that corrected."

Penalties also played a role in holding back the Tigers. They were called for 13 total, 10 of them were on the offense for a total loss of 60 yards. The offensive line, a particular point of weakness for Auburn in this contest, accounted eight of them.

"You're just not gonna win on the road in this league when you do that to yourself," Freeze said. "

The Tigers will have another challenging road contest next week when they travel to College Station, Texas to take on the No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT and ESPN will carry the broadcast.