It’s not every day you see a cheerleader take out a football player before the game even begins, but that’s exactly what happened during Saturday’s clash between Auburn and Oklahoma. In a surprising pre-game moment at Jordan-Hare Stadium, an Auburn cheerleader inadvertently collided with an Oklahoma player while performing a series of flips.
As the Oklahoma Sooners jogged onto the field, the Auburn cheerleader, focused on her routine, started executing an impressive set of backflips right in the players’ direction. While most of the Sooners sidestepped her, Oklahoma defensive back Makari Vickers didn’t see her coming and ended up in her path. The result was an unexpected collision, leaving both the cheerleader and Vickers momentarily stunned.
Luckily, neither the cheerleader nor Vickers seemed hurt after the incident. Several Oklahoma teammates checked in on Vickers to make sure he was okay. The video of the collision quickly made the rounds on social media, where users had a field day sharing their thoughts.
One user on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, joked, “Auburn threw everything they had at OU, including a ninja cheerleader.” Another commented, “Auburn cheerleaders are better blockers than the football players,” while a third quipped, “Get that Auburn cheerleader at linebacker immediately.”
Despite the unusual pre-game moment, the game itself remained the main attraction. Oklahoma started strong, taking an early 7-0 lead. However, Auburn mounted a comeback and went into halftime leading 14-7. In the second half, the Sooners turned the tide, scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter to secure a 27-21 victory over the Tigers.
The win marked a much-needed bounce back for Oklahoma, who were ranked No. 21 in the nation and coming off a tough 25-15 loss to Tennessee the previous week. With the victory, the Sooners improved their record to 4-1 and are now preparing for a high-stakes matchup against top-ranked Texas on Saturday, Oct. 12.
Auburn cheerleader accidentally takes down an Oklahoma player pregame
📹 @dBriceJ pic.twitter.com/01euIoWkzz— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) September 28, 2024
As for Auburn, the loss dropped them to 2-3 on the season, and their schedule isn’t getting any easier. They will face No. 2 Georgia next week, a team hungry to rebound after a heart-wrenching 41-34 loss to Alabama.
In the end, while the pre-game collision between the cheerleader and Vickers became a viral moment, it didn’t have any lasting impact on the game’s outcome. Both Auburn and Oklahoma will now shift their focus to what promises to be challenging matchups in the coming weeks. Still, it’s likely that fans won’t forget the day an Auburn cheerleader made headlines for tackling a Sooner before the game even started.
