Greg McElroy says Oklahoma defense makes OU national title contender

Oklahoma picked up a 24-17 win over Auburn this weekend, and the defense caused many problems for quarterback Jackson Arnold and Auburn. The Sooners were all over Arnold all game long. He was pressured consistently, and the Oklahoma defense forced 10 sacks against Auburn.

Greg McElroy believes the OU defense makes the Sooners a national title contender.

“The amount of relentless pressure that they were able to create. The amount of confusion that they at times created for Jackson Arnold, forcing him to hold the ball, hold the ball, hold the ball, it leads to 10 sacks,” McElroy said. “It was an unbelievable performance from that defense.”

Through 4 games, Oklahoma’s defense has 16 sacks. However, it has yet to cause a turnover in their 4 games. Oklahoma has just 1 forced fumble, which the Sooners did not recover. The Sooners have 0 interceptions on the year. While the pressure they create is amazing, they have had a hard time turning that into turnovers.

Oklahoma is currently the only FBS team in the country without an interception or fumble recovery. The Sooners are off in Week 5 and will host Kent State in Week 6.

The @OU_Football DEFENSE makes the Sooners a National Championship contender #OUDNA | #BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/c8yN3Gh9f0

— Always College Football (@AlwaysCFB) September 23, 2025

Luke Greco