Auburn and Oklahoma will meet in a clash of ranked teams on Saturday in Norman, with quarterback Jackson Arnold making his much-anticipated return to Norman.
But Arnold’s status for Saturday was never in doubt. On Friday night, the players whose status is in doubt for the 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ABC were revealed with the release of the Friday night SEC official availability report.
For Auburn, the report revealed some good news, with all 4 Tigers players who were listed as probable on Thursday’s availability report being removed. That means they’re now expected to play on Saturday. Another piece of good news concerned Auburn’s secondary, with starting cornerback Jay Crawford being upgraded to questionable after he was previously ruled doubtful. So, there’s some legitimate hope that Crawford will get on the field to help defend that high-octane passing game led by John Mateer.
Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze told reporters on Thursday that Crawford would likely dress but wouldn’t play many snaps.
Tigers defensive end Amaris Williams was also listed as questionable after separating his shoulder last week against South Alabama.
The 1 player for Auburn who was listed as out on Friday was running back Durell Robinson.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma will be quite shorthanded up front on Saturday, with offensive linemen Troy Everett, Jacob Sexton and Jake Taylor being listed as out against Auburn. Defensive back Jeremiah Newcome was also listed as out on the Friday availability report.
Wide receiver Javonnie Gibson and defensive back Eli Bowen were listed as doubtful for the Sooners.
Auburn and Oklahoma both take 3-0 records into what will be the SEC opener for both teams on Saturday.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
