Oklahoma-Alabama Review: PFF Grades, Redshirt Report and More

Looking back at the game and diving into Pro Football Focus' grades and snap-count totals reveals even more about the Sooners' win over Alabama.

Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Kip Lewis / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It was certainly unconventional, but the Sooners still managed to notch their biggest win of the season. 

Oklahoma upset No. 7 Alabama 24-3 on Saturday night in Norman while throwing for only 68 yards, compared to 260 rushing yards. The victory got the Sooners bowl eligible at 6-5 to continue the second longest active bowl streak in the country. 

“Well, finally got the result we wanted when we put it all together,” OU coach Brent Venables said postgame. “Just want to thank our players, congratulate our players and our staff for a really tough and challenging season. Just appreciate their belief, leadership, work, strain, competitive spirit. Willingness to continue to come back every week and continue to believe and do the things we’ve asked them to do. 

“How does that happen? You just do what winning requires. It’s not going to take anything like a Superman heroic-type effort. It’s play with incredible effort, gotta be the most physical team and take care of the ball. Winning never negotiates. When we’ve taken care of the ball, last two years, we’re 13-0. And when we haven’t this season, we’re 0-5. Took care of the ball, or at least won the turnover margin. We fought our butt off. There have been some games when it has gotten away from us late. But this is a team that has continued to show up, week in and week out.”

Here’s a look at some OU numbers – Pro Football Focus grades and snap counts – coming off the Sooners’ biggest win a long time over almighty Alabama. 

Pro Football Focus

OU’s greatest win of the season doesn’t equate to the best grades. Again, Saturday night was unconventional for the Sooners. 

The Sooners’ overall grade of 74.1 from Pro Football Focus was better than only one other win – a 69.8 against Tulane. Offensively, OU got a 64.3, tied with that Tulane game for the worst grade from a win. The Sooners did nearly everything from the ground, though, where they got a 65.8 in the run game. 

Defensively, where Venables shouldered this game, OU got a 78.3 against maybe the most explosive offense in the country. Wins over Temple and Maine were the only games PFF gave OU’s defense a better grade from. 

In their final home game, defensive leaders Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman Jr. didn’t come off the field while playing 63 snaps. Freshman cornerback Eli Bowen also never came out and pulled in an interception on the third play of the second half. 

Bowman and Bowen’s heroic efforts in the secondary earned them the second- and third-best grades on the defense with a 75.8 and 72.2, respectively. 

Linebacker Kip Lewis was the highest-graded defender at 86 after returning an interception for a touchdown. While Stutsman led the linebackers in snaps, Trace Ford was next with 32, followed by Lewis (30), Kobie McKinzie (24), Dasan McCullough (18), Samuel Omosigho (16) and Lewis Carter (8).

In the secondary after Bowman and Bowen were Woodi Washington (44), Dezjhon Malone (42), Robert Spears-Jennings (34), Peyton Bowen (29), Kani Walker (6) and Jacobe Johnson (2). 

There was more rotation on the defensive line between R Mason Thomas (40), Ethan Downs (38), Jayden Jackson (33), Damonic Williams (32), Gracen Halton (30), Da’Jon Terry (21), Caiden Woullard (16), David Stone (8) and Devon Sears (1). 

Offensively, quarterback Jackson Arnold came off the field once to play 61 snaps. Arnold’s rushing attempts outnumbered his passing attempts 25-11. With that, he was graded at 64.6 as a passer and 65.8 as a rusher with an overall grade of 69.2, according to PFF, while not turning the ball over. Senior Casey Thompson got to take the final snap under center. 

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Four of OU’s offensive lineman and tight end Bauer Sharp played all 62 of the Sooners’ offensive snaps. While Heath Ozaeta, Logan Howland, Troy Everett and Spencer Brown didn’t come out, Febechi Nwaiwu (50) and Eddy Pierre-Louis (12) rotated at right guard. 

With no Jovantae Barnes again because of an injury, freshman Xavier Robinson led the running backs with 51 snaps and was graded at 74.4. Fellow freshman Taylor Tatum technically got the start but played only eight snaps behind Gavin Sawchuk, who returned from injury and logged 19 snaps. Sam Franklin was also out there once. 

At receiver, for Senior Night, redshirt senior Major Melson got in for the first time this season for three snaps. JJ Hester led the receivers, though, with 52 snaps, followed by Zion Kearney (36), Jacob Jordan (19), Brenen Thompson (18), Ivan Carreon (7) and Zion Ragins (2). 

Jake Roberts got in 25 times on his Senior Night while Sharp didn’t take a snap off at tight end. 

Redshirt Tracker

As he said he would earlier this week, freshman running back Xavier Robinson made his fifth appearance, ultimately burning his redshirt. Saturday night should have reassured his decision, though, as he rushed for 107 yards on 18 carries and scored twice. This was also his highest snap count of the season at 51. His previous high was 26 last outing against Missouri after playing only two snaps against Texas and Ole Miss, and eight against Maine. 

Robinson joins 14 other freshmen who have burned their redshirts this season, including eight on offense and seven on defense.