Fans swarm the field as the Sooners defeat No. 7 Alabama 24-3: Live updates, highlights, and key takeaways

Oklahoma (5-5, 1-5 SEC) will play No. 7 Alabama (8-2, 4-2 SEC) at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman. 

Here are live updates, highlights, reactions and an injury report from the game:

Oklahoma (6-5, 2-5 SEC) defeated No. 7 Alabama (8-3, 4-3 SEC) 24-3 on Saturday at Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium.

Here are three takeaways from the win:

OU defense is reliable

The Sooners’ defense remained a strong point as it forced a three-and-out on its first defensive possession of the game and kept Alabama out of the end zone the entire game.

It held Alabama to 35 rushing yards, 62 passing yards and three points through the first half.

On the defense’s opening possession in the second half, freshman defensive back Eli Bowen intercepted Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe and ran for 25 yards to get the Sooners to the Alabama 14 yard line.

The next time Alabama’s offense took the field, sophomore linebacker Kip Lewis recorded a pick-six to give OU the lead 24-3. That was Lewis’ second pick-six of the season. His first was against Auburn, which led to Oklahoma beating them to get their first conference win.

24-3 is also Alabama’s largest deficit against an unranked opponent since 2003, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Xavier Robinson shows spark in the run game

Freshman running back Xavier Robinson rushed for 88 yards in the first half, resulting in an Oklahoma touchdown to take the lead 10-3 at the half.

Robinson got in the end zone again early in the second half after the offense was given a short field due to the interception by Bowen.

This comes after Robinson decided to forego his redshirt season.

“I respect BV and DeMarco (Murray) asking me about this decision, but I made the decision to keep playing and help this team out. I love this team,” said Robinson during media availability earlier in the week.

He finished with 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Offense finding rhythm

The Sooners have struggled in the passing game with their limited number of available and experienced wide receivers. They lost another one to injury as junior wide receiver Brenen Thompson came out with an ankle injury after recording a 19-yard reception in the second quarter.

In turn, they have relied more heavily on the run game, finishing the first half against Alabama with 205 rushing yards.

Sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold appeared more confident with his reads than he has been through most of the games this season. Though receivers may have struggled to get open, Jackson wasn’t deterred. He appeared more trusting of his offensive line and he finished the night 9 for 11 with 68 passing yards and 131 rushing yards.

The offensive line also showed their improvements, allowing only one sack tonight– a good sight to see after allowing eight sacks in back-to-back games against South Carolina and Mississippi.

The games with the highest rushing yards this season have been 220 against Temple, 182 against Tulane and 381 against Maine. Oklahoma rushed for their highest amount against a conference opponent against Alabama, finishing with 257 rushing yards.

Next, the Sooners travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to play the Tigers in their final regular season game at 6:00 PM on November 30th at Tiger Stadium.

Live Updates 

Oklahoma 24, Alabama 3 (3Q 8:05) 

Oklahoma redshirt sophomore Kip Lewis clocked a pick-six in the third quarter to put OU up 24-2. 

Oklahoma 17, Alabama 3 (3Q 11:37)

After Oklahoma freshman defensive back Eli Bowen had an interception, freshman running back Xavier Robinson scored his second touchdown of the game off a one-yard rushing touchdown. 

Halftime: Oklahoma 10, Alabama 3

Oklahoma drives at the end of the second quarter to go up by a touchdown heading into halftime.

OU was able to find holes in Alabama’s defense and take advantage of the run game in the first half, rushing 205 yards. The Crimson Tide had 35 rushing yards. The Sooners sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold led all rushers with 95 yards off 15 attempts. 

The Crimson Tide had 62 passing yards, and OU had 32 after the second quarter. 

Alabama will get the ball after halftime. 

Oklahoma 10, Alabama 3 (2Q 0:37) 

Oklahoma freshman running back Xavier Robinson notches an 18-yard rushing touchdown with less than a minute to go in the second quarter. 

Oklahoma 3, Alabama 3 (2Q 8:14) 

Oklahoma redshirt senior kicker Zach Schmit made a 29-yard field goal to tie the game 3-3 in the second quarter. 

Alabama 3, Oklahoma 0 (1Q 3:23) 

Alabama senior placekicker Graham Nicholson made a 22-yard field goal to put the Crimson Tide up 3-0 in the first quarter. 

Injury Report 

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