The Oklahoma Sooners relied on their defense all season to go 10-2 and reach the first round of the College Football Playoff. They’re coming off a strong performance in November and enter the CFP with a 4-0 record.
The Alabama Crimson Tide, one of the teams OU defeated on the road in November, comes to Norman for a rematch Friday night, this time with their playoff push at stake. If the Sooners want to continue their remarkable season, they’re going to need this kind of defense to be great again.
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Oklahoma State has been as good as Alabama over the past 13 months, with a 24-3 upset win at home in November 2024. The Sooners dominated on defense, moved the ball all over Bama on offense and pulled off a stunning drive to keep the Tide out of the playoff picture. It was a great win in a disappointing season.
A month ago, the Sooners traveled to Tuscaloosa and won 23-21. It was the signature win of head coach Brent Venables’ tenure, ultimately propelling OU into the playoffs. Oklahoma State once again won with its defense, and they got enough from their offense to get the big win.
Now, we’re heading into the third game of these ultimate college football blue blood programs in just over a year as a third-round matchup returns to Norman. Venables and the Sooners will need to be inspired by a strong defense again this week, and they’ll need to keep the Tide guessing when quarterback Ty Simpson and his teammates get the ball.
Here are three keys to OU’s defense against Alabama.
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1. Forced to order more takeaways again
November 15, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Oklahoma Clippers defensive back Eli Bowen (23) returns an interception for a touchdown during the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby-Imagn Images
Oklahoma State won the turnover battle 3-0 in regular season games this year, and they need to get the ball back again this week. The Sooners scored 17 of their 23 points from those three points in the win, which was a key stat throughout the game. Alabama runs a great offense and taking the ball away is how the Sooners win again.
What’s more, Oklahoma has scored defensive touchdowns in each of the last two games, Kip Lewis with the No. 6 pick in 2024, and Eli Bowen with the No. 6 pick in 2025. It felt like Oklahoma State couldn’t continue to rely on their defense to score points against the Tide, but Faster Nation wouldn’t mind seeing that trend continue on Friday.
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2. No drama
Nov 15, 2025; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Oklahoma Crimson Tide linebacker Kip Lewis (10) reacts after the Alabama Crimson Tide misses a field goal in the first half at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images
The Sooners are very good at forcing teams to punt or punt even when the opposing offense has some momentum and some first downs. They were able to do this because they didn’t allow too many big plays or they would get beat on one big play for a touchdown.
This trend needs to continue against Bama, especially against the great receivers the Crimson Tide have. Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard form a strong duo, and tight end Josh Cuevas hurt the Sooners last time out. Despite throwing for 326 yards, Simpson and the offense managed just 21 points in November as OU limited big plays behind its defense. The Sooners need that to happen again Friday night.
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3. Brent Venables vs. Karen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb
TUSCALOOSA, AL – NOVEMBER 15: Brent Venables of the Oklahoma Sooners leads the team in a football game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant Denny Stadium on November 15, 2025 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
Venables is one of the best defensive players in college football, and he’s been a big reminder of that this season. However, he’s going to have to put in some work to get a rematch with two very good offensive minds on the other side.
Head coach Karen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb are two very smart offensive minds who have worked together for a long time, and they have seen what Venables does to the offense this season. DeBoer and Grubb will certainly have some answers to Venables’ claims, but Venables will have to stay one step ahead of the pair. Rematches often come down to coaching and game calling, and Venables faces a tough task in that regard in this game. Despite giving up a ton of yardage, he ended up getting the best of the first down, and he’ll have to win in that regard again in the CFP version of the matchup.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: 3 keys to the defense in OU vs. Tide rematch
