Alabama's Offense Goes Silent in Bruising Road Loss to Oklahoma

The Crimson Tide's three points were its fewest amount since 2004.

Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Kip Lewis (10) and defensive lineman Trace Ford (30) tackle Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. Oklahoma won 24-3. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NORMAN, Okla.–– Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was warned early in the week through game film that Oklahoma's defense would bring a ton of pressure, despite the Sooners' rough 5-5 record coming into Saturday night, including a 1-5 slate in its first year in the SEC.

"They’re a physical group," Milroe said on Tuesday. "We’ve got to start up front––I think their defensive line is very disruptive. [defensive end Ethan Downs] and [defensive end R Mason Thomas] are very disruptive. [R Mason Thomas] is a really good pass-rusher, he does a really good job up and under, rushing the quarterback, going around the tackles, so it’s important for our tackles to get some depth when they're in pass sets."

"In the back end, it starts with [strong safety Billy Bowman Jr.], he does a really good job of just being all over the football field. He’s a veteran guy who has been in the program for a while, knows the defense, very confident player and I think his energy pours into the other DBs in the room as well."

The Crimson Tide offense was silenced by the Sooners defense on Saturday night, as Oklahoma pulled off the upset in a dominant 24-3 fashion. It was Alabama's fewest point total since 2004 in a 24-3 loss to South Carolina.

In the passing attack that Milroe referred to, he completed 11-of-26 attempts for 164 yards and three interceptions, including a pick-six. Despite taking just one sack, he often faced pressure and the tight coverage by Oklahoma's defensive backs provided very small windows to throw into. Ethan Downs and R Mason Thomas were heavily responsible for the pressure and Billy Bowman Jr.'s assignments weren't targeted too often.

"Also their run defense is very physical," Milroe said on Tuesday. "They have a slim percentage of explosives when it comes to down-the-field run game. It’s important for us to be very physical. I think their middle linebacker (Danny Stutsman) is a really good player––he plays very physical, big guy, moves around. They require a lot for him to lead that defense."

An argument could be made that this game was going to be decided in the run game ahead of Saturday night.

Prior to kickoff, Alabama's 191.9 rushing yards per contest were the 23rd most in the FBS. Additionally, its 219 rushing yards average over the last three games was good for 19th in FBS, while its 5.2 yards per carry on the season was 21st.

On the other hand, Oklahoma's defense was allowing the 15th least amount of rushing yards per game (109.2) and the 11th least amount on average over the last three games (92.7). Additionally, the Sooners' 2.8 yards allowed per carry was good for third in the nation.

Based on these numbers, Oklahoma had the slight advantage and this absolutely came to fruition on Saturday night.

Running back Jam Miller rushed for 45 yards on 12 carries and fellow running back Justice Haynes went for 18 on a small sample size of three attempts. Milroe, perhaps the most renowned dual-threat in America, especially over the past few weeks, was stuffed by Oklahoma's run support as the Sooners clearly built the game plan around keeping Milroe in front of them as he logged 15 carries for seven yards. Sack yards are included in this number, but as previously stated he only went down with the ball once for a loss of five.

"A lot of twists up front and plugging linebackers peeling us off our double teams," Alabama co-captain and left guard Tyler Booker said after the game when explaining what was going wrong in the trenches on run plays.

The Sooners' pass rush totaled a whopping nine tackles for loss, with Downs and defensive lineman Da'Jon Terry each recording two. Whether it was up the middle, to the left or to the right, Alabama's rushing attack could not move the ball downfield, as it finished the game with 70 yards on 30 attempts.

"I have a lot of confidence in what we can do running the football, but you also have to credit a little bit who they are and what they do defensively," Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said during the postgame press conference. "We knew it would be a physical game. Sometimes where we just have to stay on and maintain blocks.

"In the second half, the game gets away from you, some of the things we weren't just quite as clean on maybe in the first half and you want to be better at, you're not able to call...We didn't run it as well as we'd hoped early in the game. I think it's a little bit of both. Usually what I've seen from us is that the 2-3 yard gains become 4-5 and some game-breakers, and we just never got to those game-breakers because we never got a chance to hammer away."