Matt Johnson
The Alabama Crimson Tide took the field on Saturday in Tuscaloosa with a 17-game home winning streak and a shot to position themselves for a spot in the SEC Championship Game. They looked nothing like a national championship contender, with the Oklahoma Sooners playing a much cleaner style of football and demonstrating they can win in SEC-caliber style on the road in Alabama.
Let’s dive into the winners and losers from Oklahoma vs Alabama.
Winner: Oklahoma Sooners’ CFP Hopes
After losing to Texas and Ole Miss at home in October, there were plenty of reasons to believe the Sooners’ College Football Playoff hopes were effectively over. To have a chance to make it in, the Sooners would need to go into Neyland Stadium and then Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, winning both games against top-15 teams. Thanks to this defense, which generated 6 takeaways in this two-game stretch, Oklahoma (8-2) now has positioned itself to make the playoffs.
Loser: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Crimson Tide Coach
Kalen DeBoer picks up his first career loss in Tuscaloosa, and plenty of the blame has to fall on his shoulders. He’s been unable to get any form of a rushing attack going this season, and he had no answers for mitigating the Sooners’ pass rush. It was especially apparent on Alabama’s final drives, which totaled just 57 yards on 27 plays. Alabama’s College Football Playoff hopes weren’t completely wiped out, but this is a very damaging loss for DeBoer.
Winner: Eli Bowen, Oklahoma Sooners Defensive Back
The Sooners’ offense could get next to nothing in the first half versus Alabama, putting up 92 total yards on five drives with a lost fumble. It made Eli Bowen’s pick-six even more crucial. If Bowen doesn’t snag Ty Simpson’s pass and return it 87 yards to the house, there’s a very good chance the Crimson Tide finish that drive with a touchdown. If he had intercepted it and gone down shortly after, the Sooners’ offense didn’t seem capable of a long scoring drive. Bowen’s pick-six made this a game for Oklahoma.
Loser: Ryan Williams, Alabama Crimson Tide Receiver
It’s been a sophomore season to forget for Ryan Williams. As a freshman, he earned second-team All-America honors with 913 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 17.6 yards per touch. Entering Saturday with just 544 scrimmage yards and a 14.7 yards-per-touch average, Williams was Alabama’s fourth-most impactful offensive weapon, and he lost a fumble on a punt return that the Sooners turned into a 20-yard touchdown two plays later. The rough season continues for Williams.
Winner: Oklahoma Sooners pass rush
Ty Simpson played pretty well on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, especially given the work done by this Sooners pass rush. Oklahoma recorded 10 pressures in the first half in a game where it didn’t have standout defender Mason Thomas (quad). Pressures turned into sacks in the second half, including a strip-sack by Taylor Wein that the Sooners recovered and turned into a field goal. On the very nice drive by the Crimson Tide in the fourth quarter, sophomore Devon Jordan recorded his first-ever sack on a critical third down. It delivered again on the final drive, with a sack and then pressure to stop Alabama’s hopes at a game-winning score.
Loser: Alabama Crimson Tide’s Ground Game
Alabama’s long-standing problem remains. Coming into Week 12, the Crimson Tide offense ranked 118th nationally in rush yards per game (111.9) and averaged just 3.5 yards per carry. Daniel Hill provided Alabama with a 28-yard run against Oklahoma on Saturday. Outside of that, Alabama’s running backs totaled 58 rushing yards on 23 carries, a 2.52 yards-per-carry average. If Alabama can’t run the ball at this point against SEC teams, there’s no reason to be optimistic that a turnaround will come in the College Football Playoff.
