TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — No. 4 Alabama stopped short of calling Saturday’s showdown against No. 11 Oklahoma a revenge game, but the Crimson Tide admit they haven't forgotten last year’s outcome.
The Sooners beat the Tide 24-3 in Norman, Oklahoma. It was a shocking result considering the Sooners had lost four of five and Alabama was on the verge of securing a spot in the College Football Playoff. That letdown surely will provide extra motivation for Alabama (8-1, 6-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 4 CFP) in the rematch.
“There are (new) players that didn’t experience that,” Tide coach Kalen DeBoer said. “The ones that did certainly better remember and understand, more importantly, that you’re facing a really good program that obviously we went to their place and got beat up pretty good last year, and that’s who’s coming to town this week.”
A loss Saturday in Tuscaloosa wouldn't derail Alabama’s playoff chances, but it could knock the Tide out of the SEC title game in Atlanta.
It's a must-win game, however, for Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2, No. 11 CFP) and its playoff hopes. The Sooners are 2-2 over their last four games, with losses to Texas and Mississippi and wins against South Carolina and Tennessee.
“We all know,” Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer said. “We have a chance to determine our own destiny and keep it right in front of us. So that’s our goal.”
Oklahoma’s defense is the class of the SEC this season, leading the conference in yards and points allowed. It will need to have a memorable performance against Alabama, which has won eight in a row and has the longest home winning streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision at 17 games. The Tide's average margin of victory during their home streak is 40-11.
“They’ve got a really good roster,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. "They’re playing really well on both sides of the ball. Their defense leads the SEC in turnovers caused and turnover margin, and offensively they’ve been just incredibly efficient.”
One thing to watch from each QB
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Mateer averaged 303.8 yards passing, with six touchdowns and three interceptions in four games before having thumb surgery. In four games since, he’s averaging 183.5 yards passing, with two touchdowns and four interceptions. He bounced back a bit against Tennessee, rushing for 80 yards and a score. Finding his rhythm against Alabama, which leads the SEC with 16 takeaways, should be key.
Simpson, a Heisman frontrunner, will have a similarly hard time against Oklahoma. The question for him and Alabama is whether they can create explosive pass plays to mitigate its struggling run game. Last week against LSU, Simpson connected on four passes that gained 30 or more yards, but he also left several big plays on the field that could’ve broken the game open.
“The low-hanging fruit there is complete the big, open ones,” Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said. “I think there’s a little bit of carryover there from the previous (weeks), just getting the ball out earlier and on time and making sure that we give our guys a chance at the football down the field."
The stat to watch
Turnover margin has been Alabama's catalyst all season. The Tide rank fourth nationally at plus-10 and have only six turnovers in nine games. On the other side, Oklahoma ranks 110th nationally at minus-five in turnover margin. The Sooners have seven takeaways and 12 turnovers.
The red zone will be a factor
The game features two of the better red-zone offenses in the nation. Oklahoma is the No. 1 red-zone offense in the country, scoring on all 28 trips inside the 20-yard line this season. Alabama, meanwhile, ranks 16th. Where the teams differ is defensively, where Alabama ranks eighth in red-zone defense and Oklahoma ranks 66th.
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