NORMAN – Oklahoma entered Saturday night as a two-touchdown underdog to No. 7 Alabama.

So far, that hasn’t been the story for the Sooners.

Brent Venables‘ team leads Alabama 10-3 at halftime and completely dominates the pace of play. It’s been a good old-fashioned brawl at Owen Field so far, as the teams have combined for 45 rushing attempts and just 15 passing attempts.

Right now, the Sooners are winning the battle at every turn. Here’s what’s happened so far:

There wasn’t much optimism about OU’s offense — one of the worst in the FBS — against an Alabama defense that had given up just 20 points in its last three games.

But the Sooners’ low scoring performance is no indication of their lack of success. The attack did a great job of moving the ball. Four of the Sooners’ five offensive drives ended inside the Alabama 25-yard line.

The problem is that they left a lot of of the possibilities on the field.

On the Sooners’ second drive Taylor Tatum lost a fumble at the Alabama 21-yard line, marking its 14th lost fumble of the season. On the third drive, OU used eight plays to bring Alabama’s 21-yard line to 54 yards. OU previously executed a double-pass game to near perfection Bauer Sharp dropped a would-be touchdown. Zach Schmit missed the 38-yard field on the next attempt.

Still, the Sooners are more than in the game with Alabama, and they’ve done so by controlling the pace. Instead of forcing Jackson Arnold to be a pocket passer, the Sooners were at full speed ahead running the ball. The offense has run the ball 29 times for 205 yards (7.1 yards per carry) and has had no trouble moving Alabama’s defensive line. Arnold has attempted just seven passes and completed five for 35 yards. Arnold was the bulk of the attack, carrying the ball fifteen times for 95 yards.

As a result, the Sooners nearly doubled Alabama in time of possession (17:42-12:18). It’s the biggest reason why the Sooners have gained 242-97 total yards against Alabama.

Red alert: The Sooners have discovered their offense.

Jovantae Barnes was officially listed as a match decider 90 minutes before kick-off and went through pre-match warm-ups as if he were going to play.

Instead, it was like this Taylor Tatum to start the play at running back. But Brent Venables made good on his word that Robinson would somehow be involved in the crime. The true freshman got his first touch on the first play of the second drive.

The result? A 40-yard descent to the Alabama 35-yard line. After Tatum fumbled the ball three players later, the Sooners largely ceded the backfield responsibilities to Robinson with some cameos from Gavin Sawchuk And Sam Franklin.

That decision paid off. Robinson was undoubtedly the lead back and eventually found his way into the end zone with an 18-yard run to end the first half.

Robinson enters halftime with eight carries for 88 yards and two receptions for 15 yards. He is responsible for nearly half of OU’s passing production.

With Tatum’s fumbling issues rearing their ugly head again and Barnes seemingly unavailable, the Sooners will likely lean on the true freshmen the rest of the way.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe simply not pleasant so far.

The Crimson Tide have tried to use Milroe as a runner, and the Sooners haven’t allowed any traction. Milroe has -2 total yards on nine carries, and that has ended the Crimson Tide’s offense.

Alabama has scored just three points on five drives, and those lone points came on Tatum’s fumble. The Sooners have stifled the Alabama rushing attack and Milroe has completed just two of seven passes for 62 yards. The Sooners already have five tackles for loss.

Simply put, OU’s offense has kept the ball away from Alabama, and the Sooners’ defense has stifled Alabama in their limited opportunities. Alabama has run just 23 plays, compared to 37 for Oklahoma, and the Crimson Tide is averaging just 4.2 yards per play.

Danny Stutsmanright on Senior Night, leads the Sooners with three tackles.