Oklahoma Sooners football 2024 – Syndication Server

3 keys for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. the LSU Tigers

3 keys for the Oklahoma Sooners against the LSU Tigers.

Week 14 of the 2024 college football season brings us the Oklahoma Sooners matching up against the LSU Tigers. OU is currently 6-5 overall and 2-5 in Southeastern Conference play, as the final week of the regular season features a key matchup in Baton Rouge.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team secured a 26th-straight bowl berth last week with a surprising 24-3 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Now Oklahoma is looking to guarantee a winning record this year and improve their bowl destination.

To get a second-straight win, the Sooners will need to play excellent football on the road against a very good team. The Tigers looked like one of the best teams in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] earlier this season before losses against Texas A&M, Alabama, and Florida put a damper on their season. Still, they are capable of playing with the best of the conference, getting wins over teams like Ole Miss and South Carolina earlier this year.

LSU is coming off of a bounce-back win over Vanderbilt, and it’ll be Senior Night at Tiger Stadium. They are also looking to improve their bowl game and send their seniors off with a win over a blue blood program.

Here are three keys for Oklahoma, as they try to take down the Bayou Bengals.

1. Handle the Atmosphere

Night games in Death Valley can get incredibly rowdy, and that’s exactly the environment the Sooners are walking into on Saturday night. The Tigers have one of the best homefield advantages in all of college football, and that place will be rocking.

The Sooners haven’t handled road atmospheres very well this year, with their only road win coming at Auburn. The quarterback who started that game ([autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag]) won’t be starting this week. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], who started road losses against Ole Miss and Missouri, will have to step up and lead his troops in an environment that will be way tougher than Faurot Field.

2. Another Epic Defensive Performance

The OU defense was on fire against Alabama last week, shutting down the Crimson Tide offense time and time again. One of the most explosive offenses in the conference was powerless to move the ball against [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag]’s unit.

LSU goes about things a bit differently on offense, but they’re still effective. Garrett Nussmeier isn’t a heavy run threat, but he’s thrown for nearly 3,500 yards this season. His weapons can hurt you, as the Tigers are very good at the skill positions. As per usual this season, it’ll be up to the defense to win this game.

3. New Wrinkles on Offense

The Sooners ran the ball almost at will last week, and it was effective. LSU has had a week to prepare for what Oklahoma did against Alabama, so there will have to be some new things in the playbook.

The general tone should stay the same. OU needs to run the ball, run the quarterback, hold onto the ball and shorten this game. LSU has struggled with quarterback run game, allowing Jalen Milroe and Marcel Reed to have big days against the Tigers.

That’s the primary recipe for success for this team, with all of their obvious limitations on offense. The Tigers will almost certainly load up the box this week, forcing the Sooners to throw the ball. Can Arnold do that? It’s the question that might decide this game.

Oklahoma and LSU will kick off at 6:00 p.m. from Baton Rouge, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Taco Bell responds after Brent Venables post Alabama trip

Taco Bell responds after Brent Venables shares post game dinner.

After the Oklahoma Sooners defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide last week in dominant, 24-3 fashion, head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] had an interesting choice to make when it came to his postgame meal.

The duties of a head coach on gameday are many, and after a huge win like that, plenty of time was spent with the players, coaching staff, recruits, radio show and media, as Venables detailed to reporters on Tuesday.

By the time all of those obligations were over with, it was understandably pretty late, and Venables was with his daughters who chose the fast food restaurant Taco Bell to celebrate the big-time win. And apparently, the head coach spent quite a but of money.

Venables told reporters he spent $94 dollars, ordering “everything that looked good on the menu.”

“It was a long line, but man it was worth the wait,” Venables said. “We had to pull over, we ordered so much food they couldn’t get it all ready. We ordered everything.”

Taco Bell responded on social media, telling the Sooners that they “think that the whole team needs some celebratory Taco Bell” so it would seem that there will be some kind of NIL deal coming Oklahoma’s way after their head coach’s spending spree on Saturday night.

3 keys for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide

3 keys to the game between the Sooners and the Crimson Tide.

The Oklahoma Sooners are 5-5 overall in 2024 and just 1-5 in Southeastern Conference play. Year 3 under head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and Year 1 in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] hasn’t gone as expected, and OU now teeters on the brink of missing a bowl game for the first time since 1998.

The Sooners have lost four of their last five games after a 4-1 start, with the only win coming against FCS Maine. Oklahoma must win one of their final two regular season games in order to extend a 25-year bowl eligibility streak.

Venables’ team hasn’t won a conference game since before the first bye week of the season, and now coming off of the second bye week, the task at hand doesn’t get any easier. The Alabama Crimson Tide roll into Norman, looking to make another statement to the College Football Playoff committee and hope to stay on track to reach the SEC Championship Game.

They are led by head coach Kalen DeBoer, wrapping up his first season in Tuscaloosa after being hired to replace Nick Saban after the legendary coach retired following the 2023 season.

It’s a tall order for Oklahoma this week, but this is college football. Just when you think you know how things are going to go, they change in an instant. That’s what the Sooners are hoping for this week.

Here are three keys to the game between the Sooners and the Crimson Tide.

1. Run The Dang Ball

Interim co-offensive coordinators [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin Johns[/autotag] showed some promising things against Ole Miss, Maine, and Missouri after Seth Littrell was relieved of his duties after the South Carolina loss. But it all came crashing down against Missouri.

The one thing the Sooners were able to do well in that game was run the ball, but Finley seemed reluctant to keep calling run plays and concepts that had worked earlier in the game. Instead, Oklahoma took to the air, which didn’t work at all behind a shaky offensive line and an overwhelmed quarterback.

If [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] is back this week, that bodes well for OU. Getting [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] and [autotag]Xavier Robinson[/autotag] heavily involved in the game is a must, even if Barnes is active. The Crimson Tide are good and explosive offensively, so the Sooners must counteract that with a steady diet of the run game.

Up Next: Keys to Victory

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Oklahoma-Alabama gets ESPN’s lead broadcast crew on Saturday

Fowler, Herbstreit and Rowe will make their second trip to Norman in 2024.

The Oklahoma Sooners will play just their seventh game all-time against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday. Two of the undeniable blue bloods in college football will square off in Norman in front of a primetime, national TV audience in Week 13. ABC will broadcast the game as part of an “SEC on ABC” tripleheader, that concludes with the Sooners hosting the Crimson Tide at 6:30 p.m. central time.

Though ESPN’s “College GameDay” won’t be making a return trip to Norman, the network’s lead announcing crew will. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Holly Rowe will call their third OU game this season and second game on Owen Field.

The trio was in Norman when the Sooners hosted Tennessee in Week 4, OU’s first conference game in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. The Volunteers won 25-15, as Oklahoma struggled offensively in front of the entire country.

They were also in Dallas at the Red River Rivalry in Week 7, as the Sooners fell against the top-ranked Texas Longhorns by a score of 34-3. In the first edition of the rivalry in the Southeastern Conference, Oklahoma again fell flat in front of the nation against their biggest rivals.

Here’s hoping that the third time’s the charm for the Sooners in front of the top broadcast crew for ESPN.

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 Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Oklahoma Sooners captains against Alabama Crimson Tide

The Sooners will be represented by some of their veterans on Senior Day in Norman.

The Oklahoma Sooners will be back at home this week for their final home game of the 2024 season against the Alabama Crimson Tide. It’ll be Senior Day in Norman, as plenty of veteran stalwarts will be playing their final game on Owen Field.

OU head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] announced his game captains for this [autotag]SEC[/autotag] tilt. Quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], defensive lineman [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and defensive backs [autotag]Billy Bowman Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] will represent the Sooners for this key contest.

Arnold will be a captain for the second straight game after a dismal performance against Missouri. His fumble at the end allowed the Tigers to win a comeback on their home field. Arnold’s standing as a captain would seem to indicate that he’s still Venables’ starter at quarterback.

Everett has become OU’s starting center, taking control of the job after getting healthy in the middle of the season. He’s one of the few veterans still healthy on the offensive line, surrounded by portal acquisitions and youth up front.

Downs is a steady presence at defensive end for the Sooners. He isn’t the flashiest player, but he’s always in the right place. He’s grown into a solid leader and clutch player for Venables over the last three seasons.

Stutsman is the heart and soul of this team. He’s the vocal leader and the enforcer at inside linebacker in the middle of the defense. He’ll play one more game at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, and his career in the crimson and cream has been excellent.

Bowman Jr. is another player who decided to return to school this past offseason, turning down a chance at the pros. If Oklahoma is makes a bowl game, it’ll likely be Bowman making a pivotal play to get them there. His scoop and score against Mizzou should have given the Sooners their sixth win two weeks ago.

Washington is the longest-tenured player on the team, having been a Sooner since 2019. He’s seen it all over his six years in Norman and is a respected veteran voice in a young locker room.

The senior group of Downs, Stutsman, Bowman and Washington are the only four defensive players that remain from the Lincoln Riley-Alex Grinch era at Oklahoma. They have been here for the transformation of OU’s defense over the last three seasons and have a huge hand in what that side of the ball looks like today.

As the season winds to a close for the Sooners, the coaching staff will clearly be looking to Arnold and the veterans to pave the way for Oklahoma to try to upset Alabama.

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 Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

What did Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer have to say about the Oklahoma Sooners?

Kalen DeBoer and Brent Venables will meet for the first time when Alabama visits Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Sooners look to gain bowl eligibility on Saturday when they host the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday. OU is 5-5 and has the Tide coming to Norman for the final home game of the 2024 season.

This game has lost some of its luster due to the Sooners being as bad as they are, but it’s a measuring stick to see how far [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team has to go if it wants to hang with the best of the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

The Crimson Tide have a new coach this season for the first time since 2007. Kalen DeBoer replaced Nick Saban after the legendary coach retired after last season. So far, it’s been an 8-2 season for ‘Bama with losses on the road against Vanderbilt and Tennessee.

Alabama is still right in the mix to play in the SEC Championship game and they can’t afford a loss against Oklahoma. DeBoer has had the tough task of stepping in for an icon, but he’s done well in his first season in Tuscaloosa. He gave his initial thoughts on OU during his Monday press availability.

“It’s going to take a great week of preparation,” DeBoer said. “A physical football team all around. Their defense is, I think, an extremely tough defense, always just what they do with their scheme and then their personnel and the way they fly around. We’ll have to get ready for their offense with a couple of quarterbacks, potentially, just some skilled players.”

DeBoer went on to highlight the number of close games the Sooners have been in this season, specifically their last loss against the Missouri Tigers.

“You look at the games they’ve played, a lot of close games going into the second half and even the fourth quarter,” DeBoer said. “The Missouri game obviously was a crazy ending and some plays made both ways just in the final two minutes. Each and every game takes on its own life and for us, we’re focused on the next play and for us, the next game and everything that goes into being our best and that’s what our recipe for success has been here over the last month.”

DeBoer and Bama will have a great deal of confidence as they swagger onto Owen Field this week. It’ll be up to Venables and OU to halt their momentum to get win No. 6 on the season.

Kickoff between Oklahoma and Alabama is set for 6:30 p.m. Central. The game will be broadcast on ABC.

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 Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Oklahoma Sooners defensive back still has confidence in team with two games left

Oklahoma’s Peyton Bowen believes the Sooners have what it takes to get to a bowl game.

The Oklahoma Sooners fumbled away a golden opportunity to become bowl eligible last week, losing on the road against the Missouri Tigers. OU will have to win at least one of their final two games to make the postseason. If they fail, it’ll break a 25-year streak of bowl-eligibility.

It’s been quite a fall from grace in Norman over the last few years, as a program that was strong and a frequent contender under Bob Stoops became an explosive, yet ultimately flawed product under Lincoln Riley. Three years in under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], the Sooners are just flawed.

From the elite ranks of college football to fighting to win as many games as they lose, no one saw quite this much of a regression from Oklahoma. But there’s still belief in the 2024 team from none other than some of the players in the locker room.

One such player is sophomore defensive back [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag], one of OU’s trio of safeties that have been very good this season. He was asked about this team’s mindset coming off of last week’s embarrassing loss, with chances at getting to six wins running out.

“We’ve still got a lot to play for,” Bowen said. “Bowl eligibility with these two games, we’ve got one more in The Palace and one more in Death Valley. Like I said at the beginning of the year, every game is winnable. We’ve got the guys to do it, and I think we can, I know we can, and we’ve just got to go out there and win them.”

That’s what you want to hear from a second-year player, even if OU fans don’t quite share the same sentiment. Bowen is about to have so much more responsibility placed on his shoulders next season when players like Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman head to the pros. If Robert Spears-Jennings decides to go to the league as well, Bowen would suddenly be the leader of the safety position in 2025.

Oklahoma will host the Alabama Crimson Tide on Nov. 23 for Senior Day in Norman, and the final game of the season will be on the road against the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Kickoff time, TV information announced for Oklahoma-Alabama

Oklahoma will host Alabama under the lights in their final home game of the season.

The Oklahoma Sooners will play their penultimate game of the 2024 season next week, after their upcoming bye week. With OU fielding their worst team since the John Blake years in the late 1990s, one might hope that the Sooners could go quietly about their business of losing and avoid the spotlight, before the offseason.

However, that won’t be the case. OU’s home finale will come against Alabama on Owen Field, and the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] has decided to put the game in primetime.

It’ll be a 6:30 p.m. kickoff in Norman for the Sooners and the Crimson Tide on Saturday November 23rd, and the game will broadcast on ABC in front of a nationally-televised audience.

It’s another bad break in a season full of them for Oklahoma, as the entire country will be able to tune in to watch [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] against a red hot Alabama Crimson Tide.

At the very least, it’ll be one final opportunity for seniors like [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] to play in their home stadium. Both players deserved better than what they got this season, but hopefully they will be celebrated one last time at home.

3 Oklahoma Sooners freshmen to watch against Missouri

Three freshmen to keep your eye on as the Sooners battle the Tigers.

The Oklahoma Sooners will look to win their second straight game on Saturday, as they’ll visit the Missouri Tigers. OU defeated Maine last week, with several true freshmen getting plenty of snaps in a blowout win over an FCS foe.

This week, it’s back to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] grind for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ squad, as Oklahoma looks to reach bowl eligibility. With plenty of injuries still hampering the Sooners, it could be another opportunity for some young players to step into the spotlight on the road.

Here are three freshmen to keep your eye on when Oklahoma takes on Missouri.

1. Xavier Robinson, RB

Running back [autotag]Xavier Robinson[/autotag] was impressive last week against the Black Bears. He was playing in mop-up duty against lesser competition, but his physicality and burst has some clamoring to see what he can do at the highest level.

Robinson is a local talent from Carl Albert High School in Oklahoma, and he’s been buried on the depth chart behind Jovantae Barnes, Taylor Tatum, and others. No one is saying he should surpass Barnes or Tatum, but it’d be interesting to see what he can do if given the chance to get more work.

2. Reggie Powers III, DB

Each of the past two weeks, I’ve included one of OU’s freshmen trio of defensive backs in this piece. This week, [autotag]Reggie Powers III[/autotag] gets the nod. He, along with Jaydan Hardy and Michael Boganowski make up an exciting future at safety for Oklahoma’s defense. They’re all playing more and more as the season moves along.

Powers had a beautiful interception in the fourth quarter last week that was wiped off the board due to a roughing the passer penalty. He’s been solid on special teams, and could certainly see more snaps as the Sooners try to cover up some of their deficiencies at cornerback.

3. Ivan Carreon, WR

We’ll go a little out of the box for this third one. Everyone knows about OU’s wide receiver injuries in 2024. And everyone knows about the various levels of impact true freshmen wideouts like Jacob Jordan, Zion Kearney, and Zion Ragins have had in their place.

But another guy who has gotten a bit of playing time is [autotag]Ivan Carreon[/autotag]. He’s got the most size of the group at 6-foot-6, and is a good blocker on the outside. He’s caught a couple of passes this season, but could be in line for some more targets if the Sooners have bad injury luck at wideout again this week. He followed Emmett Jones from Texas Tech, decommitting from the Red Raiders to come to Norman.

Oklahoma vs. Missouri will kick off on SEC Network at 6:45 p.m. from Columbia, Missouri.

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Oklahoma Sooners captains against Missouri Tigers

The Sooners will be led by some of the biggest names on the team as captains against the Tigers.

The Oklahoma Sooners take the road this week, heading to Columbia, Missouri as they jump back into [autotag]SEC[/autotag] play. The 5-4 Sooners will look to win their second straight game, as they’ll visit the Missouri Tigers for a primetime battle away from home.

OU head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has announced his game captains for this conference tilt, and his team will be represented by some of the biggest names on the roster in a pivotal contest. Quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag], defensive linemen [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and defensive back [autotag]Billy Bowman Jr.[/autotag] will lead Oklahoma into battle as captains in week eleven.

Arnold has gone from the heir-apparent, to the no-doubt starter, to being benched, to being re-inserted in the lineup, and now back to captain status in a whirlwind month and a half. The sophomore has looked more comfortable since regaining his starting spot, and his play will go a long way toward deciding this week’s game.

Sharp has shown some positive things at tight end, but there’s still plenty to work on for a player still new to the position. The coaching staff clearly trusts him to get the lion’s share of the reps, and he’s been more effective since the offensive coordinator change.

Williams was a big offseason addition for this team, and has been been reliable in the interior of the defensive line. He hasn’t been spectacular, but he’s helped one of the strongest units on the team consistently shut down the inside run game week after week.

Halton has improved so much over the last couple of seasons, and is really coming into his own as another great interior line option on this defense. He’s found a knack for getting into the backfield and making big plays, none bigger than his game-changing safety against Houston all the way back in week two.

Stutsman is the unquestioned leader of this team, and one of the best inside linebackers in college football. He hasn’t seen as many wins in his senior season as he’d like, but he continues to excel no matter how far back against the wall the offense puts the defense this year.

Bowman Jr. hasn’t matched his unbelievable production from a year ago, but he’s still a very good veteran player in the back end of OU’s defense. If he can return to his ball-hawking, turnover-causing 2023 form, it’ll help this team immensely over the final four weeks of the regular season.

The Sooners are putting some of their biggest stars front and center for this game. The noteworthy names, especially Stutsman, Bowman Jr. and Arnold will have to play like stars on Saturday, and the rest of the season, for Oklahoma to begin stacking wins in the SEC.

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 Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.