NORMAN – All season long, Oklahoma was desperate for a complete performance. While the defense had largely done its part, the offense had struggled to an all-time low.

Suddenly it came together on Saturday evening. The Sooners left Owen Field with an emphatic 24-3 victory over No. 7 Alabama, delivering a statement victory in their final home game.

It was the kind of performance that OU coaches Brent Venables what I had been hoping for all season.

“Oklahoma was absolutely brutal in all three phases,” Venables said after the game. “And they took out Alabama. They had an answer for every step, every corner they turned. And without a doubt, Oklahoma was the most physical football team tonight. That was the vision, and that’s what we wanted the tape to say.

“We’re not beating our chests here. But I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize a physically dominant performance.”

That physically dominant performance included the offense.

The Sooners’ game plan was clear as they attempted to limit Alabama’s offensive possessions and control the flow of the game. That required OU’s running game to find a rhythm, which was a tall order for an offense lacking its running back Jovantae Barnes and three starting offensive linemen.

Instead of, Jackson Arnold And Xavier Robinson answered the call. Arnold carried the ball 25 times for 131 yards, both career highs, while splitting Alabama’s defense for 5.2 yards per carry. Robinson came off the bench and proved to be a worthy running mate, totaling 107 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns.

Robinson’s biggest play came late in the first half, when he shook off a tackler and outrun the Alabama defense to the pylon for an 18-yard touchdown that gave the Sooners a seven-point halftime lead.

By halftime, the Sooners had 215 rushing yards – the most yards Alabama has given up in an entire game this season. The Sooners finished with 257 rushing yards on over five yards per carry while relying entirely on the running game, totaling 50 rushing attempts to just 11 passes from Arnold.

Even more notable, the offensive line gave up just one sack and four tackles for loss.

“Obviously we had a lot of things in the game plan all week, but running was a big emphasis for us,” Arnold said. “There was a certain statistic about Bama, like if you had over 200 rushing yards or if you won the rushing battle against them then you would win the game. So we focused on our running game and didn’t take as many shots today. because the run game worked great.

“I’m super proud of X (Robinson). I think he stepped up and had a great game tonight, and our O-line did its best tonight.”

OU’s rush defense was just as effective.

The Sooners took action against the quarterback from Alabama Jalen Milroe, who came into the game averaging over 55 rushing yards per game on 4.6 yards per carry. Milroe finished with just seven yards on 15 carries, while OU finished with nine tackles for loss and applied constant pressure in the backfield.

That bogged down Alabama’s entire offense. The Crimson Tide entered halftime with just 97 total yards and finished with 70 rushing yards on 30 attempts (2.3 yards per carry). Milroe completed just 11 of 26 passes for 164 yards. Only two of Alabama’s ten drives went further than twenty yards, and three of their possessions ended in interceptions Eli Bowen, Kip Lewis And Woodi Washingtonrespectively.

Limiting Milroe helped keep Alabama out of the end zone for the first time since 2011.

“That’s it,” OU defensive coordinator Zac Alley said. “I think you’re going to look at the game against LSU, and (Milroe) ran four touchdowns, 184 yards and really took over the game. Our goal was not to let him do that. Everything we did was really based on preventing him from making big plays and trying to keep him in the pocket, forcing him to make throws in tight windows. They did a good job.

In a rarity this season, both the offense and defense worked together. The Sooners possessed the ball for more than 34 minutes of playing time, running 62 plays to 57 for Alabama. They defeated the Crimson Tide 324-235 in total yards. The Sooners also notably won the turnover battle 3-1, with Robinson’s second touchdown coming just five plays after Bowen’s interception to open the second half.

The Sooners had only shown glimpses of that this season, which is why they posted a 5-5 record. But facing a strong Alabama team and entering the game as two-touchdown underdogs, the Sooners simply imposed their will on the Crimson Tide.

And they did so on Senior Night to secure their sixth win and qualify for bowl play.

“You just did what winning requires,” Venables said. “It doesn’t take anything like a heroic Superman effort. It’s playing with incredible effort, you have to be the most physical team and take care of the ball. Winning never negotiates.

“There have been a few games where we’ve gotten away from it late. But this is a team that has continued to show up week in and week out. They’ve hit first, then hit back. But this is the first time in one go.” of these games where we batted last.”