NORMAN, Okla. — No. 7 Alabama (8-3) kept its hopes of an SEC title in the College Football Playoff alive with a 24-3 loss to Oklahoma (6-5) on Saturday at OU Memorial Stadium.
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe finished 11-for-26 for 164 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions after completing just two passes in the first half. The Crimson Tide’s first two drives of the third quarter resulted in interceptions by Milroe, and their second drive was returned 49 yards for a touchdown by Oklahoma’s Kip Lewis. Oklahoma outgained Alabama by 325 yards to 234, thanks largely to the Sooners’ 257 rushing yards.
“We finally did what we needed to do to win,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said after the game. “All three steps complemented each other. They punched first and then punched again. Tonight, we finally threw the final punch.”
It was the Crimson Tide’s lowest scoring loss since a 20-3 loss to South Carolina in 2004. Alabama has never lost by more than 21 points, including against Virginia Tech (38-7) in the 1998 Music City Bowl. ).
The Crimson Tide is 1-3 against SEC opponents this season, and the Sooners earned their first Power 4 win since Sept. 28 against Auburn.
“The more difficult it is, the more epic the story is.”
After Brent Venables @OU_Football‘s win over No. 7 Alabama 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Dytz9r0FQa
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) November 24, 2024
What does this mean for Alabama’s postseason hopes?
The Tide are no longer in control of their own destiny and are now likely to be the winners in the playoffs. They had an inside path to the CFP as the second-best SEC team on their schedule, along with a 5-5 Oklahoma team and a 4-6 Auburn team. It all blew up.
In terms of CFP, the Tide now falls behind Tennessee, which had a win on Saturday against Georgia, which has just two losses, and Alabama. Saturday’s losses to Indiana, Ole Miss, BYU, Texas A&M and Colorado could help keep the Tide from falling too far back and staying on the edge of the at-large mix, but getting a first-round home is out of the question. The biggest winner from Saturday’s extravaganza may be the ACC’s hopes of receiving two bids. According to athleticAlabama’s odds of making the playoffs went from 76% before Week 13 to 11% after the loss to Oklahoma, according to ‘s prediction model.
Alabama’s SEC championship hopes were also extinguished with three conference losses. Georgia is scheduled to meet the winner of Texas-Texas A&M in Atlanta.
deeper
College Football Playoff 2024 Predictions: Indiana Survives Elimination of Alabama and Ole Miss
What does this mean for Oklahoma?
It’s been a rough season for the Sooners, who haven’t won a game against an FBS opponent since September. But it should feel good to qualify for a bowl and get a big win on Senior Night. Through all the quarterback issues and offense issues as the year went on, the defense continued to play hard and keep the Sooners in the game. He scored 14 points with two interceptions, including a pick-six that led to three points.
Oklahoma’s 257 rushing yards were the most allowed by Alabama this year. Quarterback Jackson Arnold didn’t do much in the passing game (68 total yards), but he didn’t need to. The offensive coordinator search is still ongoing, and the Sooners may not have another season like this, but Venables will feel good heading into an offseason where the program will need fixing.
Kip doesn’t like the Alabama team…@KipLewis9 | #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/jCLU5BjI6G
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) November 24, 2024
An all too familiar fate on the road for Alabama this season.
Vanderbilt. Tennessee. Now Oklahoma. All three road losses in Alabama have one thing in common: costly turnover. The latest misfortune occurred in a game that could have eliminated the Tide from the playoffs.
Milroe’s three second-half interceptions came at key moments. Milo’s 11-for-26 passing percentage was his worst performance of the season. This was part of a comprehensive, flat offensive performance that yielded 234 yards, 70 yards on the ground, and just 4.1 yards per play.
Oklahoma’s top-ranked rushing defense focused on Milroe-designed runs from the start, allowing just three rushing yards on its first eight carries. Milroe had just seven rushing yards on 15 attempts, while Jam Miller and Justice Haynes combined for a total of 15 carries. Without those elements, Alabama’s offense couldn’t gain momentum. It doesn’t hurt that there are a ton of mental errors that result in positive plays on offense due to drops, missed missions and penalties.
Defensively, Saturday’s loss felt similar to Alabama’s first road loss at Vanderbilt. A game out was planned against the overmatched and rushing attack at the line of scrimmage. Despite ranking 83rd in the nation in rushing offense, Oklahoma gained over 250 yards on the ground, 128 of which came from quarterback Jackson Arnold, who only passed for 68 yards.
This was a summary of Alabama’s season to date. At times they were dominant and seemed like they could play with anyone, and at other times they were disjointed where errors piled on top of each other, sometimes resulting in insurmountable deficits. Saturday’s game can’t help but be viewed as a collapse at a crucial moment, but there are moments this season that are familiar from high to low.
How did Oklahoma win the game? Turning the seasons upside down
Oklahoma’s season has been marred by bad luck, but it had all the makings of a top-10 finish Saturday night. The Sooners come off a bye and host Alabama on Senior Night with bowl eligibility on the line. On the field, Oklahoma turned a weakness into a strength.
Oklahoma entered Saturday night having given up the most sacks (41) and the fourth-most tackles for loss (80) in the country. Saturday? Zero sacks allowed and four tackles for loss.
Oklahoma entered Saturday with the 86th-ranked rushing attack in the nation (143 yards per game). Saturday? 270 rushing yards on 2.3 yards per carry.
Oklahoma ranked 73rd in turnover margin (-1) and 107th in turnovers lost (18) on Saturday. Saturday? Oklahoma won the turnover battle by a +1 margin and scored 14 points off turnovers.
Oklahoma ranked 105th nationally in minutes of possession (28) on Saturday. Saturday? Behind a dominant run game, the Sooners converted 7 of 15 third down attempts and held the ball for more than 35 minutes.
On a day when home underdogs pulled off a comeback win, Venables earned a signature win and rushed the field for the first time at Oklahoma since 2000.
The play that defined the fourth quarter
For a moment, it looked like Alabama was on the mend. With 24-3 on fourth-and-2 with 14:13 left, Milroe came out and found Ryan Williams about 40 yards downfield for a highlight-level touchdown, with Williams hitting a shot in the corner of the end zone. I lowered it down. However, the organizers threw a flag at Williams for illegal contact, clearing the score.
Alabama thought they had scored on Ryan Williams’ fourth down play, but the play was overturned due to an illegal touch. pic.twitter.com/25U0QuLjQH
— ESPN (@espn) November 24, 2024
It was a puzzling call in the moment and on replays, as Williams did not appear to break down before the snap or during the play. But after the initial call and referee conference, the call stood and Oklahoma took over on downs. . Alabama never reached Oklahoma territory again.
(Photo: David Stacy / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
