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Oklahoma defeated Alabama 24-3 on Saturday night in Norman.
It’s a stunning result for a number of reasons. This is Oklahoma’s first-ever home SEC win, as its only other league victory this season came on the road at Auburn earlier this season.
This is also Alabama’s third loss of the season, which will likely eliminate the Crimson Tide from College Football Playoff consideration.
Here are 3 takeaways from OU’s win:
Oklahoma’s offense had its best game of the season
Oklahoma is in the midst of its worst offensive season in decades, but the Sooners’ running game came to play vs. Alabama on Saturday night.
OU was particularly effective offensively in the first half. The Sooners averaged 6.5 yards per play led by a strong effort by both quarterback Jackson Arnold and running back Xavier Robinson.
Robinson has been a revelation over the past few weeks. A former 3-star prospect, Robinson has emerged as OU’s best running back during his true freshman season. He finished the game with 107 yards on Saturday vs. the Crimson Tide, averaging 5.9 yards per rush. He also scored 2 touchdowns.
Arnold also rushed for 131 yards on 25 carries.
OU’s pass rush was dominant
Alabama simply had no answer for Oklahoma’s pass rush on Saturday night. Jalen Milroe was under constant pressure and it impacted his decision-making throughout the evening.
OU only registered 1 sack on the night, the Sooners were also credited with 4 quarterback hurries and 9 tackles for loss. More importantly, OU’s pass rush helped force a trio of interceptions — including 1 that was returned for a touchdown — on the night.
Alabama averaged just 4.1 yards per play. That’s the second-lowest total in a game this season for the Crimson Tide behind only their 4-yards-per-play performance in a loss to Tennessee last month.
Signature win for Brent Venables
In what has been a nightmare maiden season for Oklahoma in the SEC, Brent Venables now has a signature win in Norman.
The Sooners are now 6-5 on the season and will continue their postseason streak to 26 consecutive seasons. Entering the night, that was in serious jeopardy as OU needed to beat either Alabama or LSU on the road in order to reach bowl eligibility this season.
Perhaps most importantly, this win gives Oklahoma some momentum heading into the offseason. Venables will be looking to bring in a new offensive coordinator — and possibly other new offensive assistants — this offseason, and any additional job security he can provide will be valuable in that pursuit.
This is a well-earned victory. It’s OU’s first win over a ranked SEC team this season and just its 4th ranked win of the Venables era overall.
Oklahoma will close out the 2024 season at LSU next weekend.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
