REVENGE IS COMING: Alabama Prepares for Oklahoma Showdown After Last Season’s Stunner!

Every team the Crimson Tide will play this season is looked at in detail by BamaCentral. The Sooners are the next team they will face.
It’s been more than 20 years since the Oklahoma Sooners last played in Tuscaloosa. This is one of the most interesting games on Alabama’s football schedule. The Sooners gave the Crimson Tide the worst loss in Kalen DeBoer’s first season as head coach. In the process, they kept a 25-year bowl run going.

Even though Norman beat one of the most famous teams in the SEC, head coach Brent Venables knows that making it to a bowl game isn’t the goal and that the team needs to get better.

Venables used the transfer portal to get John Mateer as a replacement for Jackson Arnold, the Sooners’ quarterback, who was leaving. He now wants to get the offense to match the production of the defense and compete at a high level in the SEC.

“John Mateer has been a big part of building the team.” You want to have a chance to make the playoffs. “If you want to be able to compete at the top of the SEC, you need to have great quarterback play,” Venables said before the season. “You can’t just be good. It has to be high-end. Not always has to be elite, but it should be able to be elite when it needs to be and make plays, lead, and get more out of the people around you. John, he’s insanely skilled, but some of his best skills are his leadership, his football IQ, and the fact that he can do anything mentally or physically. Not only does he have a great arm, but he’s also very humble and will be there early and stay late. Came to Oklahoma to be a part of the great Oklahoma family tree. He knows he needs to get better and will be the first to tell you. He still has a long way to go in terms of growth. He’s very humble, so he’s bowed his head. He has only worked since he got here, and the way he does things makes everyone around him better. He is open and honest, and it’s easy to connect with him. He’s close to people. He has a lot of depth.”

Defense
In 2024, Oklahoma’s offense was terrible. They were 14th in the SEC in yards per game and 15th in points per game. For help getting the game going, the Sooners hired Ben Arbuckle, who was the offensive coordinator at Washington State. He brought quarterback John Mateer with him.

Most of the attention is on Mateer and Cal running back transfer Jadyn Ott, but the offensive line needs to improve for them to do well. This year, the Sooners’ front seven was one of the worst. They will need a lot of new players to make it happen. Jake Maikkula, a graduate from Stanford, will likely play center and Derek Simmons, from Western Carolina, will likely play right tackle. Febechi Nwaiwu, at right guard, is the only player on the Sooners’ roster who has real experience.

Mateer will throw to wide receivers Jayden Gibson, Deion Burks, and Isaiah Satenga if the offensive line can keep him safe. Gibson had 70 catches for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns, which broke the Arkansas-Pine Bluff single season records for receptions and yards. Burks had 31 receptions for 245 yards and three touchdowns. Satenga is a move from Arkansas who hasn’t really shown what he can do yet. In three years with the Razorbacks, he caught 54 passes, gained 632 yards, and scored three touchdowns.

Defense

Kansas’s defense was its best in 2024, and it might be again if they can find someone to replace linebacker Danny Stutsman. They choose Kip Lewis and Kobie McKenzie because the two of them made 95 tackles together in 2024.
All 13 games were played by the two last season, but they need to step up and lead like Stustman did.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ defense was ranked sixth in the SEC in total yards allowed and seventh in turnovers forced. This put them near the top of the national rankings, but they still have room to improve in the best football league in the country.

Back in the secondary, Robert Spears-Jennings led the way with 66 stops and four forced fumbles, even though Billy Bowman got most of the attention. Bowman is going to the NFL, so there is a spot on defense that needs to be filled. However, the defense should be strong in 2025 because six players are back from the previous year.

The Oklahoma Sooners get a week off before traveling to Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide. The trip will serve as Oklahoma’s first to Tuscaloosa since 2003 where the Sooners were able to win 20-13.

The Sooners get two big road tests against South Carolina and Tennessee to acclimate to challenging atmospheres but Tuscaloosa will surely present an intimidating place to play after the Crimson Tide saw its season go up in smoke in Norman last season.

Outlook

Oklahoma’s first season in the SEC didn’t go as planned but Brent Venables was able to secure a signature win over the Crimson Tide to keep the Sooners bowl eligible. Maintaining the defensive efficiency from a season ago is paramount, but Oklahoma must find an identity on offense quickly in order to compete in the SEC. If the transfers, led by John Mateer, gel quickly and present a threat the Sooners could be a dark horse contender in the SEC.

The Game

Date: Nov. 15

Time: FLEX––2:30 p.m. CT to 7 p.m.

TV: TBD

Location: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Series history: Oklahoma leads 4-2-1 dating back to 1963.

Last meeting: Alabama went to in 2024 as the Crimson Tide dropped its third regular-season game of the season. The Crimson Tide was held without an offensive touchdown, and ultimately, its ineptitude on that side of the ball proved too much to overcome, as Jalen Milroe threw multiple second-half interceptions that set up the Sooners for success.

The Team

Coach: Brent Venables, fourth season, 22-17 record

Offensive coordinator: Ben Arbuckle

Defensive coordinator: Todd Bates, Jay Valai

2024 record: 6-7 (2-6 SEC)

2024 rankings: Total offense (113th, 331 yards per game), Total defense (19th, 318 yards per game)

Returning Starters

12 (six on offense, six on defense)

Players to Watch

QB John Mateer, RB Jaydn Ott, WR Deion Burks, RG Febechi Nwaiwu, FS Robert Spears-Jennings, DE R Mason Thomas, LB Kip Lewis,

Top Newcomer

QB John Mateer transferred to Oklahoma from Washington State after throwing for over 3,000 yards last season. Mateer is a former 3-star recruit out of Little Elm, Texas, and transfers to Norman to stay with offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.

Biggest Question

Can John Mateer and new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle have the same success in the SEC as they did last season at Washington State?

The School

Location: Norman, Okla.

Founded: 1890

Enrollment: 34,523

Nickname: Sooners

Colors: Crimson and Cream

Mascot: Sooner Schooner

The Program

Last time beat Alabama: 2024 (24-3 in Norman, Okla.)

Last time won SEC: Never

National championships: 17 (7 claimed, 10 unclaimed)
Claimed: 1950, 1955, 1956, 1974, 1975, 1985, 2000
Unclaimed: 1915, 1949, 1953, 1957, 1967, 1973, 1978, 1989, 1986, 2003

Playoff Appearances: 4: 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019

Conference championships: 50

Southwest: 1915, 1918
MVIAA: 1920, 1938, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1947
Big 7: 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957
Big 8: 1958, 1959, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987
Big 12: 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

Bowl record: 31-21-1

Last season missed bowl: 1998

Heisman trophies: 7 (Billy Vessels – 1952, Steve Owens – 1969, Billy Sims – 1978, Jason White – 2003, Sam Bradford – 2008, Baker Mayfield – 2017, Kyler Murray – 2018)

2025 NFL Draft:

• LB Danny Stutsman (Round 4, Pick 112 – New Orleans Saints)
• S Billy Bowman (Round 4, Pick 118 – Atlanta Falcons)

Last Four Recruiting Class Rankings

No. 17 (2025), No. 12 (2024), No. 6 (2023), No. 10 (2022)

The Schedule

Aug. 30: vs. Illinois State
Sept. 6: vs. Michigan
Sept. 13: at Temple
Sept. 20: vs. Auburn
Sept. 27: BYE
Oct. 4: vs. Kent State
Oct. 11: vs Texas (Dallas)
Oct. 18: at South Carolina
Oct. 25: vs. Ole Miss
Nov. 1: at Tennessee
Nov. 8: BYE
Nov. 15: at Alabama
Nov. 22: vs. Missouri
Nov. 29: vs. LSU