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Hugh Freeze Thinks Auburn’s Defense ‘Played Phenomenal’ Against Oklahoma

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Hugh Freeze Thinks Auburn’s Defense ‘Played Phenomenal’ Against Oklahoma


Despite starting 2-3, dropping three winnable games at home and having to play on the road for the entire month of October, there are some positive things for the Auburn Tigers to take away from their season so far.

Auburn’s defense has kept it competitive in each game, and Saturday’s 27-21 loss to the No. 21 Oklahoma Sooners was another example of that. Auburn held the Sooners to just 291 yards of total offense.

Head coach Hugh Freeze was pleased with the Tigers’ effort on that side of the ball against the Sooners and believes the unit has improved throughout the season.

“Other than the third and longs they’ve been really constant and containing the quarterback with rush lanes,” Freeze said. “So you take this game you can’t argue the improvement on containing rush lanes and the third down defense. I thought that our kids and our staff did a marvelous job, it comes down to the few plays we’ve described earlier when you asked me about that. And then defensively, it comes down to, truthfully, the explosive pass play that we gave up in the fourth quarter.” 

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The Tigers have not always played at a high-level on defense this season but they stepped it up against the Sooners, particularly on third-down.

“Defense held them to 290 yards, 2-for-11 on third downs, which is a huge improvement from the previous weeks on our third down work,” Freeze said. “It’s just frustrating to sit here and tell you all that and to know what the results are.

“That quarterback was going to have one or two, but I’m glad it came early. Then after that I thought our rush lanes were contained pretty well. The big, explosive plays there later in the games were the ones that really hurt us. Outside of that, I thought our defense played phenomenal.”

An impressive factor of Auburn’s improvement on defense has been the emergence of young players contributing to its success. Freshman Demarcus Riddick led the team with six tackles and a sack.

“I thought he (Demarcus Riddick) and Jay Crawford played solid also,” Freeze said. “(Malik) Blocton is playing a ton of snaps and of course all the receivers. Just playing a lot of young kids for sure and proud to see them start having some successes. T (Terrance) Love got in the game and did some good things and that’s good to see. Playing a lot of freshmen and sophomores. It’s good to see and get those experiences in the game.”

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Auburn’s level of play on defense will be even more important as the team plays three road games in a row; two of them against top 10 opponents.



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Former Oklahoma State QB Zane Flores announces transfer destination in the Big 12

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Former Oklahoma State QB Zane Flores announces transfer destination in the Big 12


Former Oklahoma State quarterback Zane Flores has committed to Iowa State, via the NCAA Transfer Portal, per On3’s Pete Nakos. Flores spent three seasons with the Cowboys.

Flores began the 2025 campaign as Oklahoma State’s backup QB, but took over starting responsibilities in Week 2 after Hauss Hejny suffered an injury in the season-opener. Flores made nine appearances this past season.

He completed 59.8% of his pass attempts for 1,490 yards and three touchdowns, while throwing seven interceptions. Additionally, Flores recorded 117 yards and two scores in the ground game.

Zane Flores played high school football at Gretna (NE), where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 467 overall player and No. 29 QB in the 2023 recruiting cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.

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Flores is the 33rd player who has committed to Iowa State this offseason via the NCAA Transfer Portal. At the time of his commitment to the Cyclones, Flores was the No. 97 QB in On3’s 2026 Transfer Portal Player Rankings.

Iowa State is entering a new after longtime head coach Matt Campbell left the program to take over at Penn State. Campbell had been the head coach at Iowa State since 2016. In his 10 seasons at the helm of the program, he amassed a 72-55 overall record and a 50-40 mark in conference play.

In response to Campbell’s decision, Iowa State hired Jimmy Rogers to be its next head coach. Rogers was Washington State‘s HC in the 2025 campaign. He led the Cougars to a 6-6 overall record.

Prior to his time at the helm of WSU, Rogers was South Dakota State‘s head coach. In just two seasons with the Jackrabbits, he led the program to a 27-3 record and a 15-1 mark in conference play.

Moreover, in 2023, South Dakota State won the FCS National Championship. The team lost in the national semifinals in 2024, but won the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Now, he’ll look to lead Iowa State to similar heights.

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“My family and I are excited to be joining the Iowa State University community and the Cyclone football program,” Rogers said. “Iowa State has been one of the nation’s top programs for the last decade and we look forward to building upon its upward trajectory. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity that Jamie Pollard has given me to lead the Cyclones.”

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.





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Oklahoma Insurance Department offers guidance after Jan. 8 storms and tornado damage

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Oklahoma Insurance Department offers guidance after Jan. 8 storms and tornado damage


The Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) offers support to residents affected by the severe storms that hit central and eastern Oklahoma on Jan. 8.

Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready emphasized the department’s commitment to helping those impacted.

“As we begin recovery after this severe weather, the Oklahoma Insurance Department is here to help,” Mulready said. “We want everyone affected to know that if you have questions about your policy, need assistance with the claims process, or just aren’t sure where to start, our Consumer Assistance Division is ready to support you every step of the way.”

Residents can reach out to OID’s Consumer Assistance division at 800-522-0071 or visit oid.ok.gov for support. Mulready also urged Oklahomans to report damage at damage.ok.gov.

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The department provided several post-storm tips for victims, including documenting damage with photos or videos, making necessary temporary repairs, and consulting with trusted roofing contractors. Residents are advised to contact their insurance company after obtaining repair estimates and to save all receipts for any repairs made.

Additionally, the OID warned against contractor fraud, advising residents to get multiple bids, check references, and avoid paying upfront. Suspected fraud should be reported to the Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General Consumer Protection Unit at 833-681-1895.

For more information on storm preparation and insurance coverage, visit oid.ok.gov/GetReady.

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Oklahoma storms bring widespread damage, tornadoes in Purcell and Shawnee

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Oklahoma storms bring widespread damage, tornadoes in Purcell and Shawnee


8:45 p.m. Tornado Update from NWS Norman:

EF1 (high end) at Purcell
EF0 near Lake Thunderbird (south of Stella/northwest of Little Axe)
EF1 west and near the Shawnee Twin Lakes
EF1 in north Shawnee.
There are other areas of damage that we will continue to investigate.

Original story:

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Storms moved through parts of Oklahoma on Thursday morning, with at least five tornado warnings issued and two tornadoes that touched down in Purcell and Shawnee, leaving behind damage.

A line of strong to severe thunderstorms moved through central and eastern Oklahoma early Thursday that producing tornadoes, damaging winds, and power outages.

Preliminary information from the National Weather Service in Norman shows that at least EF-1 damage was found in Purcell. Survey teams are continuing to assess the damage that was left behind from the morning storms.

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Officials also reported that widespread power outages occurred in the city, along with downed trees and powerlines, with nine homes having damaged roofs, and a semi-truck rollover accident on I-35 with one injury.

Shawnee also suffered some damage Thursday morning, which includes downed fences and partial roof loss at the Holiday Inn Express. As of Thursday evening, NWS officials confirm that a tornado did touch down in the northern portion of Shawnee; however, a preliminary rating hasn’t been given at this time.

According to Comanche County Emergency Management, damages related to the storms were reported across the City of Lawton, with roof damage at Sheridan and Lee, along with power pole and power line damage.

Lawton Fire Department responded to a rooftop fire at MacArthur High School on Thursday morning, caused by wind damage to AC units.

Lightning strikes in Edmond were reported to have caused a transformer fire near Covell and Kelly, with another lightning strike having caused a tree to fall on top of a vehicle near Covell and Broadway, resulting in one person being injured.

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Straight-line winds were also reported to have destroyed a barn north of Guthrie, while structures were damaged in south Wynona, including a shop building that was devastated and a mobile home that was damaged.

Damage assessments are said to be ongoing at this time. News 4 will provide updates as we learn more.

According to NWS Norman officials, the last time the department issued a tornado warning in January was on January 10, 2020. However, Thursday’s reported tornado was not the earliest for a tornado to occur in Oklahoma. Tornadoes happened in Osage, Mayes, McIntosh, Ottawa, and Sequoyah Counties back on January 2, 2023.



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