NORMAN — Oklahoma cornerback Eli Bowen went down the list after practice Monday night.

He started with Trystan Haynes, the sophomore who replaced him in the starting lineup for four games when Bowen was injured.

Then he moved on to safety Peyton Bowen, his older brother who was recently named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award for the nation’s best defensive back.

Finally there was Courtland Guillory, another sophomore cornerback who came up big with an interception in the third quarter of last week’s 23-7 win at Florida and had another massive interception that set up the final drive to win against Texas in early October.

Despite injuries to both Bowens, free safety Michael Boganowski, and to several key depth pieces at cornerback, the Sooners’ secondary has remained among the country’s best.

The group comes into Saturday’s game against No. 19 Ole Miss (3:15 p.m., SEC Network) as the driving force in putting Oklahoma No. 11 nationally in passing yards allowed per game.

Opponents are averaging just 170.7 yards per game through the air on the Sooners.

Oklahoma is No. 4 nationally in third-down defense and No. 6 in the red zone.

The Rebels figure to test the secondary in a way they haven’t been tested much this season.

Ole Miss is No. 23 in FBS in passing yards per game at 271.4.

The highest ranked passing attack the Sooners have faced so far is Mississippi State, at No. 40.

Of course, Oklahoma’s secondary has played a significant role in keeping their opponents’ averages down.

Only two teams — South Carolina and Texas — have thrown for more than 200 yards against the Sooners. Florida’s 133 passing yards last week against Oklahoma were a season low for the Gators. Kentucky’s 158 yards through the air against the Sooners last month was the Wildcats’ second-lowest total of the season.

Now, on to Eli Bowen’s praise for his teammates, starting with his brother. 

I don’t know how else to describe it besides ‘excited,’” Eli said of watching Peyton bloom from a really good player into one of the best safeties in college football. “I wish there was a word bigger than excited, but I don’t think there is. It’s a blessing just to see him go out there and chase his dreams and just be confident in how he’s playing and trust what he’s seeing, playing fast, playing aggressive, playing smart. It’s what I’ve seen my whole life, so watching him be able to do it out here consistently every game — it’s just a beautiful thing.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Peyton Bowen is the second highest-graded safety in the SEC, grading out at 84.7 to lead Oklahoma defenders.

Only Guillory, cheetah Reggie Powers III and linebacker Owen Heinecke have played more snaps than Peyton Bowen this season.

Guillory not only has a knack for coming up big in key moments, but also has earned a reputation for his physical play.

“It brings energy to not just our room but the team,” Eli Bowen said of Guillory. “Seeing him go out there and strap receivers and get hands on and be aggressive and make tackles and break the ball up, it brings energy to the team that just makes us play with more passion because something that fiery is on our team.

“If he’s playing with energy, we got to match that energy, so it just raises the bar.”

Haynes filled in well when Bowen was hurt, despite not being used much to that point.

Now that Bowen is back, Haynes has added depth to the cornerback spot that had been severely thinned by injuries.

It appears the Sooners secondary will get another boost this weekend.

Jacobe Johnson, who had been Oklahoma’s third cornerback before being injured Sept. 26 at Georgia, is listed as probable for Saturday’s game.

The secondary’s success bleeds over to the rest of the defense.

“They just cover up for our mistakes,” Heinecke said. “Whether it’s in the run game or the pass game, they’re all over the field. So it gives a lot of relief to the defense. I think it gives a lot of relief to the play callers, because you can afford to be aggressive with your linebackers, and know that he’s gonna cover it up, they are gonna cover it up on the back end.”