All Sooners

Oklahoma-Alabama: LIVE In-Game Observations

John Hoover and Ryan Chapman offer their real-time observations from Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for the seventh meeting between the Sooners and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Ryan Chapman

Oklahoma running back Xavier Robinson
Oklahoma running back Xavier Robinson / Xavier Robinson via Twitter/X
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NORMAN — Sooners on SI offers real-time observations from Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium throughout Saturday's Senior Night between Oklahoma and the No. 7-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. Newest posts are at the top. Just keep your browser open and refresh often.

9:50 p.m.

Sooner Magic, baby. Apparently it still exists.

Oklahoma upsets No. 7 Alabama 24-3 and fans are storming the field at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

-DG

9:40 p.m.

That should definitely do it. 

On Senior Night, Woodi Washington picks off Milroe with 6:53 left in the game. It’s Milroe’s third interception of the game. It was R Mason Thomas forcing the pressure to make turnover possible. 

-DG

9:10 p.m.

Nothing is going right for the Crimson Tide. 

On 4th-and-4 from OU’s 36-yard line, Milroe heaved a pass up to Ryan Williams, who somehow pulled it in and got a foot down for a touchdown. However, there was a flag on the play and an illegal touching penalty against Williams negated the touchdown and gave OU the ball back with 14:07 left.

-DG

8:43 p.m.

This thing is over. 

Kip Lewis just sealed it. 

Forty-five yard pick six for the redshirt sophomore linebacker. 

What a performance on Senior Night.

The student section was chanting “S-E-C!” Before the extra point. Feels like Oklahoma has finally arrived after a long maiden voyage. 

— RC 

8:37 p.m.

Feels like Oklahoma is a stop and score away from busting out Jump Around. 

Defense is finally getting some support from the offense. Gotta keep coming though.

— RC

8:34 p.m.

Xavier Robinson got the pitch from Jackson Arnold and powered one yard for the touchdown. This place is a madhouse. The Sooners are up 17-3 and are dominating the Alabama Crimson Tide physically.

— RC

8:30 p.m.

Oh my. 

Another true freshman just made a massive play. 

Eli Bowen perfectly read a pass behind the line of scrimmage, made a fantastic one-handed catch, and set the Sooners up with first-and-10 at Alabama’s 14-yard line.

What a start to the second half. 

— RC 

8:08 p.m.

The Sooners are up 10-3 on No. 7 Alabama at halftime and it should be more. 

Now comes the tough part, though. The Sooners have been outscored 32-3 in the third quarter of SEC games this year. Brent Venables has to turn that around tonight. 

— RC 

First half stats:

OU-Alabama halftime stats
OU-Alabama halftime stats / OU stats

8:03 p.m.

Great play call there to shift Robinson from the right side to the left and then pull two offensive linemen in front of him going around the right edge. Not sure if we’ve seen that exact look from the OU offense this year, but it sure looked like Alabama’s defense hadn’t seen it. 

Robinson reached the pylon ahead of the Bama pursuit and held onto the ball as he crossed the goal line before it slipped out of his left hand. That could have been a disaster, but he got it across before the fumble.

Sooners lead 10-3 with 37 seconds to halftime.

— JH

8:02 p.m.

Curious call there on first down to have Jackson Arnold try to throw the ball. He has 37 yards passing, and OU has rammed it down Bama’s throat on the ground for 175 yards rushing. Why go away from what’s working?

— JH

8:01 p.m.

The Sooners use their first timeout of the half with 51 seconds. OU is set up on the Alabama 30-yard line. The Crimson Tide will get the ball back to start the second half, have to somehow get a touchdown out of this. 

— RC 

7:56 p.m.

It’s the two-minute warning and Oklahoma fans are cheering their team as they come to the sideline. It’s 3-3 heading toward halftime. Bama was a 14-point favorite.

One fumble lost and one missed field goal are  keeping OU out of the lead at the moment.

— JH

7:55 p.m.

Pretty nice applause from the OU fans for the team as we hit the two-minute warning in Norman. 

Missed chances, sure, but the team has given them enough to be locked in for the duration tonight. 

This is the Oklahoma-Alabama matchup we signed up for back in August!

— RC 

7:52 p.m.

On third-and-3, Oklahoma shifted out of the shotgun to under center, and left tackle Logan Howland motioned to the right side for an unbalanced o-line. The counter action to Robinson early picked up the first down.

Where has that kind of stuff been all season?

— JH

7:51 p.m.

True freshman Eddy Pierre-Louis is in at right guard for this drive. 

— RC 

7:48 p.m.

Another stop for the Oklahoma defense after Dupree drops Milroe’s third-down pass. Alabama punts it away and it’s shanked out of bounds. Sooners take over at the Bama 33, 5:51 til halftime.

— JH

7:40 p.m.

Xavier Robinson picks up 12 yards, but then Jackson Arnold carries on five consecutive runs (one scramble) for 13 total yards. 

This game shouldn’t be that hard. Coaches can sure get in the way of success sometimes.

The drive stalls and Zach Schmit’s 29-yard field goal ties it at 3-3.

— JH

7:33 p.m.

After one quarter, Oklahoma has big plays of 40 and 28 yards, while Alabama has big plays of 30 and 32 yards.

Advantage Oklahoma, but the Sooners still trail 3-0.

— JH

7:31 p.m.

Brenen Thompson is down with a right ankle injury after Xavier Robinson ran into the back of him. He had just caught a pass for a first down. Something to keep an eye on for sure.

— JH

7:24 p.m.

First quarter stats:

OU-Alabama stats
OU-Alabama stats / OU stats

7:22 p.m.

On that last drive, Oklahoma had had gains of 11 yards by Arnold, 9 yards on a shovel pass to Robinson, 6 yards on a check down to Robinson, 28 yards on a keeper by Arnold — followed by three straight zeroes (two incompletions).

Bama leads it 3-0 after one quarter of play.

What a disaster.

— JH

7:20 p.m.

And on a third-and-9 trick play, Brenen Thompson throws a bad ball to Bauer Sharp, who is wide open and adjusts nicely, but drops the ball at the goal line.

And on the next play, Zach Schmit misses a 38-yard field goal wide left.

This OU team can’t stand its own success.

— JH

7:14 p.m.

An obvious oversimplification here, but if Oklahoma’s defense can just kind of defend the line of scrimmage and not have to worry about 20-30 yards downfield, the Sooners have a chance tonight.

But it looks like Milroe and Ryan Williams are, in fact, dialed in.

— JH

7:11 p.m.

After the timeout, Kalen DeBoer elects to kick the field goal on fourth-and-3 from the 4-yard line. 

Alabama leads 3-0 with 3:23 left in the first quarter. Getting that Ryan Williams touchdown called back was huge. 

— RC 

7:08 p.m.

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer calls timeout before a fourth-and-3 from the 4, 3:27 on the clock.

Other than two completions, Oklahoma’s defense has been fantastic, with three TFLs and two gains of 1 yard.

Long way to go, obviously.

— JH

7:04 p.m.

And it’s Milroe to Ryan Williams for 41 yards and a touchdown. Looks like he stepped out and it will be overturned, but it’s another big pickup for the Tide. Williams turned Eli Bowen around, then stepped out at the 11-yard line and spun inside a tackle attempt by Robert Spears-Jennings.

First down Bama.

— JH

7:01 p.m.

Bama gets the next big play after the 40-yard Robinson run and the Tatum fumble, when Jalen Milroe drops a perfect throw to Germie Bernard on third-and-16 and the Crimson Tide is in OU territory.

— JH

6:58 p.m.

The big run by Robinson is wasted as Taylor Tatum drops the football and loses a fumble. It was a big hit by the Bama defender, but his ball security was simply terrible.

Doesn’t look like Jovantae Barnes is an option, so maybe Robinson actually does get it 30 times. Maybe more.

— JH

6:58 p.m.

Taylor Tatum absorbs what appeared to be a normal hit and just drops the football. 

Xavier Robinson set OU’s offense up pretty with a 40-yard rush, and then didn’t get another touch. 

I continue to be baffled by DeMarco Murray’s running back rotations. 

Alabama takes over at their own 21-yard line. 

— RC 

6:56 p.m.

It took All-America candidate Malachi Moore to run Xavier Robinson out of bounds at the end of a 40-yard run on Robinson’s first carry of the game.

Give the kid the football. Like 30 times.

— JH

6:51 p.m.

Danny Stutsman’s blitz on third-and-3 forced Milroe to throw the ball quicker than he wanted to, and it arrived on Ryan Williams’ hands a little sooner than he was ready for. Incomplete, punt.

Good stop by the OU defense.

— JH

6:50 p.m.

First Bama snap: Jalen Milroe, meet Danny Stutsman. Stutsman stands him up at the line for no gain. 

R Mason Thomas lines up offsides on the next play, however.

— JH

6:49 p.m.

Oklahoma’s starters on defense:

Downs - Williams - Jackson - Thomas 

Washington - Stutsman - Lewis 

E. Bowen - Bowman - Spears-Jennings - Malone 

— RC 

6:48 p.m.

Arnold had Brenen Thompson on the slant to the left on third and 6, but threw it behind him. Incomplete, punt.

— JH

6:46 p.m.

The first play is a keep up the middle by Jackson Arnold for a first down. The second play is a keep to the left by Jackson Arnold for 1 yard.

At least he showed good ball security on both.

— JH

6:46 p.m.

Oklahoma’s starters on offense:

Howland - Ozaeta - Everett - Nwaiwu - Brown 

Thompson - Sharp - Roberts - Hester 

Arnold - Tatum 

— RC 

6:43 p.m.

Alabama won the toss, it will defer until the second half. 

The OU offense rolls first. 

— RC 

6:28 p.m.

One more Senior Night note: Danny Stutsman flashed the Horns Down one last time before kickoff on Owen Field, and the crowd lost their mind.

— JH

6:27 p.m.

Oklahoma’s Senior Night participants:

WR Jalil Farooq
DB Dez Malone
QB Casey Thompson
K Josh Plaster
OL Branson Hickman
OL Spencer Brown
LS Ethan Lane
OL Michael Tarquin
WR Major Melson
TE Jake Roberts
DL Caiden Woullard
DL Davon Sears
K Tyler Keltner
DL Da’Jon Terry
P Luke Elzinga
K Zach Schmit
DL Ethan Downs
DB Billy Bowman Jr.
LB Danny Stutsman 

— RC 

6:23 p.m.

As Oklahoma bids goodbye to 18 seniors on this year’s rosters, Brent Venables took a few minutes before kickoff to hand out some individual team awards.

Linebacker Danny Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman are the recipients of this year’s Don Key Award, the highest honor given to the player or players who best exemplifies the many superior qualities of Key, both on the field and in the classroom.

The 2024 Bob Kalsu Award went to offensive lineman Troy Everett and defensive end Ethan Downs. The Kalsu Award is named for former OU all-American tackle Bob Kalsu, who was killed in action during the Vietnam War. The Kalsu Award is bestowed annually to a member of the team who personifies Kalsu’s spirit of leadership, serving as a motivator and role model for his teammates.

The Derrick Shepard Award, presented in memory of former OU walk-on Derrick Shepard, was given to kicker Zach Schmit and punter Luke Elzinga. The Shepard Award is given to a walk-on player who displays extraordinary commitment and leadership during the year.

— JH

6:06 p.m.

Barnes is still going through warmups right alongside Gavin Sawchuk. He’s got a massive ankle tape job, but he doesn’t look overly hobbled.

Good sign for OU’s rushing prospects tonight. 

— RC 

6:03 p.m.

Right tackle Michael Tarquin is going through the full warmup, unlike against Missouri, but Spencer Brown is warming up with the starters. 

— RC 

5:50 p.m.

Jovantae Barnes is listed on tonight’s injury report as a game time decision. So no change to OU’s availability status.

Barnes is going through early stages of pregame warmups.

We’re now 54 minutes to kickoff.

— JH

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is deputy editor at AllSooners and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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