Oklahoma Sooners battle adversity to put together their best game of the 2024 season in win over Alabama.
The Oklahoma Sooners overcame significant odds on Saturday night to pull off a dominant upset of No. 7 Alabama.
In a season where the Sooners have battled an injury report a mile long, they showed the fight and determination that their head coach has been building to. In the 24-3 win, head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ vision became the clearest it has been in any of his three seasons in Norman.
The Sooners used a ground attack led by [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], Xavier Robinson and the offensive line to set the tone and control the pace of the game. But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.
In the first quarter, the Oklahoma Sooners blew opportunities to score, first on a Taylor Tatum fumble deep in Alabama territory. Then, on the next series, there was a dropped pass by a wide-open Bauer Sharp and a missed field goal by Zach Schmit. In the first 15 minutes, it looked like the Sooners were going to shoot themselves in the foot all game long on offense like they’ve done a number of times in 2024.
But that wouldn’t be the case. Tatum’s fumble was the Sooners’ only turnover on the evening. Oklahoma fought on both sides of the ball, displaying toughness and physicality, which is what Brent Venables wants his team to be about.
They didn’t let the poor first quarter on offense snowball for the rest of the game. After trailing 3-0 in the second quarter, the Sooners outscored Alabama 24-0 the rest of the way.
In his postgame interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, Venables became emotional talking about the journey of his Oklahoma Sooners in 2024.
“We finally did the things that winning requires…,” Venables said. “These guys are amazing. Their guts, their toughness. They punched first, they punched back, and tonight we finally punched back.”
Oklahoma’s had halftime leads against Ole Miss and Missouri, and even had a lead in the final two minutes against the Tigers two weeks ago. But they couldn’t find a way to close those games out and earn wins. But against Alabama, they found a way.
“There’s not been anything easy about this season for us,” said Venables. “I guess the harder it is, the more epic the story. What these guys have had to go through and overcome … What a night. What a performance.”
From injuries to changes on staff and at quarterback, the Sooners have had their issues to overcome. They weren’t given much of a chance against Alabama as two-touchdown underdogs at home. But the Sooners were able to battle through the adversity they’ve faced all season and, in the first quarter Saturday night to beat Alabama.
The Sooners are now 6-5 on the season, with a road trip to Baton Rouge and a bowl game to close out the season. After what’s been a trying year for everyone in the program, having a chance to finish with a winning record didn’t seem possible a few weeks ago. Now, if Oklahoma can continue to build on that performance against Alabama, they could finish the season on a high note heading into 2025.
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