Auburn played out Oklahoma but somehow managed to find a way to lose! For most of the game, the Tigers were dominant with nearly a 100% chance of winning. It looked like they were about to snag their first SEC win of the season but alas! That huge turnover in the fourth quarter won’t make them sleep easily. 

In the fourth quarter, as Auburn led 21-10, RB Jarquez Hunter ran for 22 yards to lock down the biggest running plays of the game for the Tigers. An X post uploaded on September 29 reminded people how Auburn lost a golden opportunity. It said, “Auburn’s win probability after that 22-yard run by Jarquez Hunter was 97.4%. Oklahoma somehow won this game.”

As the Tigers led 21-16 late in the fourth quarter, QB Payton Thorne threw an interception. Oklahoma LB Kip Lewis returned the interception 66 yards for a touchdown, giving the Sooners a lead that later would culminate in a 27-21 epic comeback at Jordan-Hare Stadium. 

The bitter part for Auburn is that they were practically better at every stat in the game including TD passes (3) and total yards of offense where they led with 482 against Oklahoma’s 291. This loss marks their third defeat in a row and their second conference game loss as they’re now 2-3 (0-2 in SEC). But this play also highlights how the Hail Mary play is sort of becoming a trend in college football this season. 

College football QBs embracing Hail Mary

There’s a risk that comes with Hail Mary! Payton Thorne’s Hail Mary pass ended up 13 yards short which proved costly to them. However, the first viral Hail Mary season pass came from Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders in their Baylor game. Unlike Auburn’s turn of events, Colorado benefitted when he tossed a 43-yard pass to LaJohntay Wester. But Thorne isn’t the only QB who did more harm than good with the play. 

Friday’s game between Virginia Tech and Miami at Hard Rock Stadium saw a similar thing that happened with a Hail Mary pass. Virginia Tech QB Kyron Drones hurled a long 30-yard TD pass to receiver Da’Quan Felton. But after closer inspection of the play, it was discovered that it was an incomplete pass which ultimately led to a call reversed to Miami winning the game in an unexpected scenario. What are your thoughts about Hail Mary?

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