Tag: oklahoma sooners

Alabama vs. Oklahoma injury report: Latest updates, news for Week 13

All the latest updates and news on Alabama’s injury report ahead of a Week 13 game vs. Oklahoma.

This Saturday night, the Alabama Crimson Tide will officially make their return to SEC play after a blowout victory over Mercer in Week 12, as the program will travel west to Norman for a showdown with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Alabama’s first conference game against Oklahoma in the SEC, this will be yet another must-win for the Crimson Tide in order to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive, as well as their chances to play for a SEC title.

A key game for both teams – Alabama to keep their CFP chances alive, and Oklahoma to become bowl eligible – let’s take a look at the latest injury report for both Alabama and Oklahoma as of Wednesday night:

Alabama Crimson Tide injury report

  • Keon Sabb, Defensive Back – Out
  • Cole Adams, Wide Receiver – Out
  • Que Robinson, Linebacker – Out

Alabama has three different players listed as “out” for the Oklahoma game, each of which are done for the season. Both of Sabb and Robinson were a starter on defense, while Adams was a prominent special teams player, as well as a receiver who saw action.

Oklahoma Sooners injury report

  • Jayden Gibson, Wide Receiver – Out
  • Nic Anderson, Wide Receiver – Out
  • Andrel Anthony, Wide Receiver – Out
  • Gentry Williams, Defensive Back – Out
  • Kendel Dolby, Defensive Back – Out
  • Geirean Hatchett, Offensive Line – Out
  • Jacob Sexton, Offensive Line – Out
  • Jake Taylor, Offensive Line – Out
  • Deion Burks, Wide Receiver – Doubtful
  • Jovantae Barnes, Running Back – Questionable
  • Joshua Bates, Offensive Line – Questionable

Oklahoma’s injury report is much longer than Alabama’s going into Week 13, with one of the most glaring names listed that of wide receiver Deion Burks, who is listed as “doubtful.” Another notable name is Javontae Barnes, as the Sooners leading rusher is listed as “questionable.”

Everything Alabama DC Kane Wommack said about facing Oklahoma’s offense

The Alabama DC commented on the Sooners offense Monday.

Throughout the 2024 college football season, the Oklahoma Sooners offense has likely been one of the more disappointing in the SEC.

Averaging only 25.1 PPG, Oklahoma ranks No. 15 in the SEC when it comes to scoring, as well as last in the conference in total yards per game, sitting at an average of 326.8.

However, this is still a dangerous team for the Alabama Crimson Tide due to their talent on the defensive side of the ball, as well as through the fact that they could give the Crimson Tide different looks offensively by using two different quarterbacks in Jackson Arnold and Michael Hawkins Jr..

Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack was also asked about the Sooners offense in particular during his press conference Monday afternoon, as well as what the Crimson Tide could do against Oklahoma.

Here is everything that Wommack said about Oklahoma’s offense Monday:

Kane Wommack’s comments on Oklahoma Sooners offense

“Going into this week, this is certainly an exciting environment that we’re going in to play in Norman, Oklahoma,” Wommack said. “A very proud program who’s entering the SEC this year, and is going to fight. They’ve had some ups-and-downs, but I think they’ve fought really hard as a football team, and they’ve got a quarterback that to me is very talented, can make all the throws, and does some things with his feet that has kept them in a position to move the chains. He does a really good job in some of their zone-read game and all of the different quarterback option concepts that they have. Does a nice job delivering the ball. Can make all the throws across the board. I think they run the ball hard out of the backfield, and then they’ve got some guys that are coming back in their wide receiver corps that are pretty dynamic, and when they were healthy at the beginning of the year, they were doing some really special things, and you’re starting to see those guys back and playing now. It’ll be a great challenge for us again going on the road. Certainly what we were able to do the last time on the road, I think our players have understood what it takes to go have a sense of urgency to go play well on the road, so that needs to show up this Saturday night. Looking forward to the week of preparation, and to prepare our guys to maximize their opportunity in Norman.”

Kane Wommack comments on Oklahoma using both quarterbacks Jackson Arnold, Michael Hawkins Jr.

“Every single week, if you’re doing your due-diligence as a defensive staff, you go, what is this team’s identity, what do they want to get done from the quarterback position, and who do they want to feature from a skill position standpoint, and then if they have another quarterback that comes into the game, what are your answers going to be,” Wommack said. “You’re either working those things and maximizing your opportunities if that happens, or you don’t, so that’s something that every single week we’re going to look at and try to do. I do think there are a lot of similarities in what they ask those guys to do. Skill-set wise, there might be some nuances there, but for us, I don’t know if it is completely different from one guy to the next in terms of what they were asking those guys to do schematically. It’ll be a challenge though. I think this team, when you’re playing a night game in your home stadium against Alabama, we’re going to get every bit of their best effort. Regardless of who you’re playing.”

A look at Alabama vs. Oklahoma head-to-head football history

This will be the seventh all-time meeting between Alabama and Oklahoma.

When the Alabama Crimson Tide take the field Saturday night in Norman, they will be doing so against one of the newest members to the SEC in the Oklahoma Sooners.

Having joined the conference from the Big 12 this season, Oklahoma is an opponent that Alabama are not as familiar with however, as the two teams have not met since 2018, as well as during the regular season since 2003.

A matchup that dates back to 1962, Oklahoma leads the all-time series over Alabama a combined 3-2-1, with the Sooners having also owned the recent history against the Crimson Tide, aside from one meeting.

Alabama won the first-ever meeting between the two back in 1962 in Miami, with the two teams eventually tying the next game in 1970 in Houston. The Crimson Tide would not win another game in the series until the most recent in 2018, where Alabama topped the Sooners by a final score of 45-34 in the College Football Playoff Semifinal, which also took place in Miami.

Between that tie and the 2018 game however, Alabama struggled against the Sooners by losing three-straight, likely the most high-profile of which was the 2013 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans where Oklahoma defeated the Crimson Tide, 45-31. The other two meetings came in Norman back in 2002, as well as in Tuscaloosa a year later in 2003.

In fact, Alabama and Oklahoma have met only once before in Norman, as well as Tuscaloosa. Alabama’s lone trip to Norman, as mentioned previously, was a loss, falling by a final score of 37-27 in 2002.

Will the Crimson Tide pick up their third win all-time against Oklahoma on Saturday night?

Alabama OC Nick Sheridan comments on facing Oklahoma’s defense in Norman

Alabama’s offensive coordinator comments on facing the Oklahoma defense this Saturday.

When the Alabama Crimson Tide take the field this upcoming Saturday night in Norman, the program will not only be facing a strong Oklahoma Sooners defense, but they will also be doing it in front of one of college football’s top environments in Memorial Stadium.

Alabama’s last true-road regular season game, the Crimson Tide have had a few troubles on the road this year, losing at both Vanderbilt and Tennessee.

This is obviously no secret as well, and will be key for Alabama to play more like they did at LSU a few weeks ago offensively, rather than those games at Vanderbilt and Tennessee.

Alabama offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan commented on both of these things Monday afternoon as well, saying first of what jumped out about the Sooners defense overall:

“I think obviously the schematics are one thing, but with their coaching staff and their history, just the way that they play, and I say that in the highest of compliments,” Sheridan said. “The toughness, the effort, the swarming to the football, the physicality with which they play. I just have a ton of respect for their players and their staff on how they play. Certainly there is the schematic challenges that you deal with each-and-every week, and this week will certainly be a challenge from that standpoint, but more than anything, just the way that they play football. I have a tremendous amount of respect for their staff and players on how they do that.”

Shortly after this, Sheridan was also asked about playing on the road where every game is important, and if Alabama can build off their success at LSU on Saturday night against Oklahoma, saying:

“I think you lean on your experiences in some of those environments,” Sheridan said. “No two situations are the same, but certainly relative to things that you have to deal with on the road, I think each time that you’re able to do that, you learn and grow to hope you handle those situations a little bit better. Certainly this will be an electric environment against a really quality opponent.”

Alabama will travel to Oklahoma this upcoming Saturday night, November 23, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Kickoff time, TV info announced for pivotal Alabama football showdown vs. Oklahoma

Here’s when Alabama will play the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman on Nov. 23.

The SEC on Monday announced kickoff times and TV info for Week 13 games, including the showdown between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Oklahoma Sooners on Nov. 23 in Norman.

The Crimson Tide and Sooners will kick off in prime time at 6:30 p.m. CT at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised on ABC, marking the third time this season that Alabama will play in the prime time slot on the network.

Kalen DeBoer’s team is ranked No. 9 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 poll following their 45-13 victory over the LSU Tigers over the weekend at Tiger Stadium. Alabama improved to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in SEC play.

RELATED: Photos from Alabama’s blowout 42-13 road win at LSU

Brent Venables and the Sooners are 5-5 in their first season in the SEC after falling 30-23 to the Missouri Tigers in Columbia on Saturday. Alabama and Oklahoma last met in the 2018 Orange Bowl in Miami, a 45-34 win by Nick Saban’s team over Kyler Murray and the Sooners to reach the College Football Playoff Championship Game.

In that game, Tua Tagovailoa completed all but three passes against Oklahoma’s defense and was 24-of-27 for 318 yards and four touchdowns through the air. The Sooners lead the all-time series against Alabama, 3-2-1.

Alabama will face the Mercer Bears this Saturday at 1 p.m. CT at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game can be seen on SEC Network+.

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Oklahoma Sooners roll Lindenwood in season opener 93-60

Takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 36-point win over Lindenwood in the 2024-2025 season opener.

Basketball season is officially underway in Norman as Porter Moser and the Oklahoma Sooners started their first season as SEC members with a dominant 93-60 win over Lindenwood.

Oklahoma has been searching for that elusive return to the NCAA tournament, and while they narrowly missed it last year, the Sooners have almost a completely new look.

The Sooners hit the transfer portal and recruiting trail hard for the second straight year and revamped their roster. Monday night, we saw the fruits of the coaching staff’s recruiting efforts.

Oklahoma never trailed in this game and finished with five different players tallying double-digit points. As a team, the Sooners shot over 40 percent from three and just a tick under 65 percent from the field.

Jalon Moore, the team’s best returning player from last year, was dynamic and led all scorers with 22 points on 8 of 13 shooting from the field.

Here are our takeaways from the Sooners win.

Jalon Moore is the guy

For all the talk about Oklahoma and their prospects as a team this year, one thing repeatedly is mentioned: Jalon Moore needs to be a big part of whatever the Sooners plan to do. After Monday night’s performance, it’s hard to disagree.

Moore entered his name into the NBA Draft this past summer to get feedback, and on Monday, he showcased the work he put into his game. What stood out the most was his shooting. Moore went 3 of 5 from long range.

Sure, the opponent wasn’t the best but he shot every jumper with much more confidence than he did a season ago.

It’ll be fun to see how much his offseason work is displayed in the nonconference schedule.

Jeremiah Fears is the real deal

It wouldn’t be right to talk about OU basketball and not mention the play of Oklahoma’s highest-rated recruit since Trae Young. Jeremiah Fears, a true combo guard, is a dynamic player with the ball in his hands. His upside is tremendous, and at Oklahoma, he should have the floor to play his game.

On Monday, he showcased a few of the traits that make him a potential pro. His quickness showed in the half court and in transition. His vision led him to six assists, with his first coming on a beautiful set play that led to an alley-oop to Jalon Moore.

Fears made the game easier for his teammates with his ability to score (16 points), but also by finding guys in their spots and making crisp passes and the right decisions.

If he continues playing like this, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be starting by January at this rate.

Oklahoma’s transfers looked solid

The bulk of Oklahoma’s scoring had to be replaced via the transfer portal, so the Sooners went out and added names like Duke Miles, Brycen Goodine, Mohamed Wague, and Kobe Elvis.

On Monday they combined for 36 points and 12 assists to just 2 turnovers. The early returns on the new veterans were extremely positive.

Oklahoma starts the season 1-0 and will be back in action next Monday night at the Lloyd Noble Center when they take on Northwestern State.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on X @thatmanbryant.

Ole Miss fans go nuts as squirrel scores touchdown

A squirrel captured the fans’ imagination at Oklahoma-Ole Miss

Ole Miss played host to Oklahoma in an SEC game on Saturday. There were thousands of fans and an unexpected guest on the field.

A squirrel made an appearance on the field at the 17-yard line. The fans loved it as the little fella showed speed and dexterity as he headed to paydirt.

Legendary Oklahoma coach questions if Sooners can compete with Texas

Barry Switzer joined the Paul Finebaum Show to discuss his beloved Sooners and how they measure up to Texas on the NIL front.

The college football world isn’t that far removed from the Texas 34-3 thumping of Red River rivals, the Oklahoma Sooners. This is the second time in three seasons under head coach Brent Venables that OU failed to score a touchdown in their biggest regular season game of the year. In 2022 and 2024, Texas outscored Oklahoma 83-3. That is a tough pill to swallow.

The Sooners did get a measure of retribution last season handing the Longhorns its lone regular season loss of the year. Texas would eventually go on to win the Big 12 and earn a spot in the College Football Playoffs, while Oklahoma was relegated to playing in the Alamo Bowl.

These Sooners don’t look like the teams under head coach Bob Stoops or Barry Switzer.

On the “Paul Finebaum Show” Switzer alluded to the fact that the Texas Longhorns are far ahead of Oklahoma and it may be difficult for the Sooners to catch up.

“We’re short in a lot of areas, Paul,” Switzer stated on the show. “We need help all across there. Defensively, we’re probably better than we are offensively. We’re short offensive line, with running backs, receivers, quarterback. Every area of the offense needs help, and it’s gonna take a while to get there. But I think they can. I don’t know. I question sometimes with NIL whether we can or not, whether we can compete against Texas every year. They can raise more money than we can. We’re a small state, we’ve only got 3.5 million people and it’s gonna be more difficult than it is for the University of Texas, where they’ve got 35 million people. A wealthier state and people to be able to support the programs. We’ll have to wait and see.”

You can see the full interview below:

Mark Andrews makes history on Monday Night Football

Former Oklahoma star Mark Andrews makes history on Monday Night Football.

Monday night was entertaining for Oklahoma fans who watched Monday Night Football. [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag], Sterling Sheperd, [autotag]Mark Andrews[/autotag], and [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag] highlighted the slate.

In Arizona, Murray helped lead the Cardinals to a win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Mayfield and the Buccaneers squad took on Mark and his Ravens squad in Tampa. Andrews got the best of Mayfield as the Ravens triumphed 41-31 in large part to a record-breaking night for Andrews.

Andrews, who shined as a unanimous All-American and the Mackey Award winner at Oklahoma for the nation’s best tight end, has had a terrific pro career. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2021 and has been named a Pro Bowler thrice. On Monday night, he reeled in four catches for 41 yards. Two of his four catches were touchdowns, with the first touchdown cementing him atop the Ravens history books.

https://twitter.com/Ravens/status/1848527797201080805

Andrews passed Todd Heap for the most touchdown receptions in Baltimore Ravens history.

“Incredibly grateful,” Andrews said on breaking the record. “Getting drafted to this incredible organization, I’ve been blessed with incredible teammates, obviously No. 8 (Lamar Jackson) and having that connection. … You got to look back at the guys like Todd Heap and the guys that have done it before you and just be grateful that I’m in this situation.”

Andrews has now hauled in three touchdowns in two games after murmurs that he can no longer be an integral part of the Ravens’ offense. The Ravens look like one of the NFL’s best offenses, and Andrews’ resurgence makes them even more challenging to defend.

Time for some self reflection in Southern California and Oklahoma, both hires are duds

Time to look in the mirror and determine which head coach is going to sink and who is going to swim.

Whether they wanted to be or not, the USC Trojans and Oklahoma Sooners jobs are going to be linked together. After all Lincoln Riley bolted for the Trojans job following the 2021 season allowing Brent Venables to leave Clemson to take over the program.

Fast forward to Sunday and both hires are looking very poor at this point. Riley has built a reputation on high-powered offenses and producing Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks. But beyond that he leaves a lot to be desired in terms of postseason success. He is just 2-4 in bowl games and 1-4 in New Years Six/College Football Playoff games.

On the plains of Oklahoma, we have the Sooners that aren’t having much fun these days on the football field. Venables’ team has lost back-to-back games where they gave up 34+ points while only scoring in the single digits. On Saturday they threw the first passing touchdown since the Sept. 21 matchup against Tennessee in the SEC opener.

His calling card is defense but apparently the offense is optional. It is hard to keep teams off the scoreboard when your offense is among the worst in the Power Four at 4.1 yards per play. That is just ahead of Kennesaw State and Stanford. That puts your defense at a disadvantage when they are constantly on the field after short drives. It is easier to swallow when you are putting points on the board.

Lincoln Riley and Brent Venables Record

Lincoln Riley: 22-12 (14-9)

Brent Venables: 20-13 (11-11)

Riley was hoping to revitalize the USC program but it feels like Clay Helton never left the sidelines. The Trojans did enjoy an 11-2 record before blowing the lead against Tulane in the Cotton Bowl, seems to be a recurring theme for USC. Riley is just 11-9 over his last 20 games which won’t sit well with the locals. Especially when you consider that the head coach is making $10 million this season according to the USA TODAY Sports’ coach salary database.

Venables was coming into the season off a 10-win campaign but lost in the Alamo Bowl. He is still looking for that first postseason win. Outside of last season, Venables is a combined 10-10 in 20 games. He does have some impressive recruiting classes for Oklahoma but ask Hugh Freeze what top recruiting classes and no success on the field will get you? A lot of angry locals.

Bottom line is that the coaches are performing under their salaries.

Lincoln Riley and Brent Venables Buyouts

Riley is employed by USC which is a private university and doesn’t have to release his salary information. We have no buyout information at this time for Lincoln Riley.

According to the database, Venables buyout number is set at $44.8 million. That number increased by almost $15 million when Oklahoma gave him an extension after the 10-3 season.

These two “Blue Blood” programs have looked nothing more than pedestrian in two of the three seasons and that falls squarely at the feet of the head coach.

In the Lincoln Riley-Oklahoma divorce, everyone lost.