These SEC foes are familiar with one another, as No. 8 Oklahoma helped punched its ticket to the 12-team CFP with a 23-21 road win over then-No. 4 Alabama in mid-November. This time around, the Tide are headed to Norman with much higher stakes. Let’s break down the storylines ahead of Friday’s showdown:
🔴⚪️ No. 8 Oklahoma (10-2)
The preseason No. 18 team in the country won its first five to open the season before suffering its first loss against Texas in early October. This was quarterback John Mateer’s first game back from surgery on his throwing hand, and the postseason looked bleak after a 23-6 loss to its arch rival. But Mateer and the Sooners bounced back after suffering a loss to Ole Miss two weeks later, rattling off three straight ranked wins versus Tennessee, Alabama and Missouri before taking care of LSU in Week 14.
The Sooners’ success can largely be accredited to their seventh-ranked scoring defense, allowing just 13.92 points per game. Brent Venables’ squad leads the nation with 41 sacks, averaging over three per game while also holding the nation’s fifth-ranked rushing defense, holding opponents to just 81 yards on the ground on average. An elite pass rush that can also smother the run game is a lethal combo for opposing offenses and an aspect that Alabama must improve upon from its last outing after its running backs combined for just 21 yards in the SEC championship.
Oklahoma doesn’t possess a super explosive offense, but it is proficient in one offensive category — red zone offense. The Sooners lead the nation inside the 20-yard line, going a perfect 32 for 32 in the red zone. They are the only team in the country to have a perfect red zone scoring percentage. We’ll see if the Tide can force the first red zone stop of OU this Friday.
🐘 No. 9 Alabama (10-3)
The Tide got off to an uncharacteristically rough start, falling 31-17 to Florida State in Week 1. Tuscaloosa was up in arms after already missing the inaugural 12-team playoff the year before. But all of that noise was silenced when the Tide walked into Athens on Sept. 27 and snapped Georgia’s 33-game home win streak in Sanford Stadium. Just like that, the Tide were back in the playoff hunt, picking up arguably the best win of the regular season. Kalen DeBoer’s squad ran the table until its home loss to the Sooners, but the Tide still closed out the season 10-2 with four ranked wins. It suffered a 28-7 loss in a redemption game for Georgia in the SEC championship, but Alabama still squeezed in the playoffs behind an impressive regular season resume.
Alabama is led by its high-powered passing attack with Ty Simpson under center. They’re averaging over 270 yards per game through the air — the fourth-most of any CFP team behind Ole Miss, Texas Tech and Miami. They have two big playmakers on the outside in Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard, who are a a handful for any secondary with their speed.
On the defensive side, the Tide’s strength lies in their secondary, allowing the sixth-fewest passing yards per game in the country at 157.7. The Sooners don’t boast the most explosive pass attack, averaging just over 200 yards per game. Mateer passed for just 138 in the first game against the Tide, and that number will likely need to be higher the second time around.
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