The Oklahoma Sooners made their intentions clear on Saturday night in Norman. They planned to run the ball early and often against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Led by an improving offensive line, the Sooners put up 257 yards rushing on 50 attempts.
Quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] led the way with 25 carries for 131 yards and [autotag]Xavier Robinson[/autotag] had 18 carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Both young Sooners showed great vision and toughness, continually churning out positive yardage.
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer praised Oklahoma’s young stars for their efforts in the win.
“That was the story for them,” DeBoer said. “Those guys — inside, outside, different ways — just moving the chains and then hitting the explosives that they had. It seemed like they were always falling forward and again, there were explosive plays that they had. You’ve got to credit the toughness that they had. I think (Arnold) carried it over 20 times, both of them around that. Credit to those guys on staying with their game plan and doing what they needed to do to win.”
DeBoer’s made an impact at the collegiate level as an offensive guru. So he knows a good game plan when he sees one.
The Sooners had over 200 yards rushing in the first half and held a 10-3 lead at the break. The score could have been even more decisively in Oklahoma’s favor, but the Sooners missed opportunities to cash in on drives into Alabama territory in the first quarter.
However, Joe Jon Finley and the offensive staff stayed true to the game plan and continued to feed the running game. Even when things got a little stagnant in the third quarter, the Sooners were able to stick with the run game after the defense intercepted Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe on the Tide’s first two possessions of the second half.
It was a dominant performance in the running game, which was a site to see as the Sooners have struggled to keep the offensive line healthy and haven’t had much to speak of in the passing game.
Now the Oklahoma Sooners will look to build on it as they get ready for a tough road trip to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers.
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