Alabama entered Norman as a top contender in the SEC, but the Crimson Tide left with their reputation in question. The Oklahoma Sooners manhandled their visiting opponents, delivering a statement win that stunned the league. After the resounding triumph, head coach Brent Venables revealed the key to Oklahoma’s stellar defensive performance against Jalen Milroe and the rest of Bama’s offense.
Whether Alabama underestimated Oklahoma or was simply outplayed by their counterparts in The Sooner State, the facts are clear: the Sooners delivered a harsh reality check. The loss to a sub .500 team in league play cost Alabama greatly and the school’s College Football Playoffs‘ odds virtually evaporated.
Oklahoma was up for the challenge: they took on a red-hot Milroe, and an offense that had been clicking lately, and completely neutralized them. Many could argue it was a fluke game for the Tide’s offense, but the Sooners’ defense deserve all the credit. After the game, Venables explained how the program addressed this pivotal NCAA matchup.
“We defended several of the runs with some deception,” Venables stated, according to Sports Illustrated. “Its hard to explain, but just discipline and physicality. There’s a timeliness to it. The players executed at an incredibly high level, the staff did a fantastic job of putting together a bulletproof plan. Every step of the way, the staff and the players had an answer for what Alabama was doing.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe #4 of the Alabama Crimson Tide smiles before a game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 23, 2024 in Norman, Oklahoma.
“Alabama is one of the most explosive teams in college football, so we wanted to do exactly what we did. Defense controlled field position, we scored on three turnovers, three picks, put a lot of pressure on them against a really talented offensive line and a fantastic quarterback that is hard to keep bottled up like that.”
see also
Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer reveals strong message to QB Jalen Milroe during upset loss vs Oklahoma
What Kalen DeBoer told Milroe during lackluster game
Milroe entered this past weekend’s match in great form. Alabama’s mobile quarterback had put on very strong outings during the last two games against LSU and Mercer. However, against Oklahoma he had a very uncharacteristic showing. As the QB struggled, Kalen DeBoer and his staff couldn’t find any answers for Venables’ gameplan.
Despite the embarrassing outing, DeBoer showed his support for Milroe and revealed what he told his quarterback during the game.
“Go out there and keep swinging,” DeBoer said to Milroe. “I looked in his eyes and think he’s come a long ways all season long, and just the way he wants to go out there and keep leading the team and guys kept fighting for him. That’s just pretty much what I shared with him, just have no regrets. I thought he kept battling.”
