Big time win over the Auburn Tigers gives Oklahoma Sooners HC Brent Venables the perfect affirmation he needed

The Oklahoma Sooners didn't get an easy win for their first SEC win on Saturday. It was hard, and they had to work for it despite the Auburn Tigers showing they aren't really that good of a team. But, when you factor in everything they have had to go through, it makes sense, and it means more than the Sooners were able to make the comeback.

Despite being 4-1, this season has not started the way we all thought it would. Let's be honest, five games in I'm not sure anyone had true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins as the starter, with fans having conversations about offensive coordinator Seth Littrell being fired. That's just the nature of the environment surrounding a big-time program like Oklahoma.

But, seeing what happened on Saturday against Auburn, when their backs were against the wall, is all the proof in the world that head coach Brent Venables needed to see to know that he was doing it right. The defense stepped up and left Venables almost speechless , the offense stepped up with big plays, and they walked out of Jordan-Hare with a win and affirmation.

“It’s affirmation for everyone who has invested… This program, the foundation is built on the little things," Brent Venables said after the big-time win over the Auburn Tigers. "The little things like believing in yourself.”

It doesn't happen overnight, and it may not even happen this season. But it's clear that they are on track. The Sooners went into one of the toughest places to play in the entire country in their first-ever SEC road game. It was packed and loud. The fan base traveled well, which I feel like is worth mentioning, and the team was injured more than any team I have seen in a long time.

Without their top-five wide receivers, some banged-up guys on the offensive line, Taylor Tatum, a very productive RB, and some defensive starters out, the Sooners were still able to not only show up and win but battle back from down 11 points, where they had almost zero win probability. That's the affirmation that Venables needed. Now, it's time to build on that.

Related: Brent Venables' defense lifts Oklahoma Sooners to miracle comeback win over Auburn Tigers