3 takeaways after OU's big win over Bama

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The Oklahoma Sooners toppled the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, winning 23-21 in Bryant-Denny Stadium. The two-point victory wasn't pretty, but it is certainly one of the signature wins of head coach Brent Venables' tenure at OU.

As underdogs on the road in Tuscaloosa, the Sooners found a way to get a gritty win in a hostile environment. In front of over 100,000 fans for the second-straight game, Oklahoma did enough to get to 8-2 overall and 4-2 in the SEC in 2025.

There's so much to take away from OU's big victory, including that Venables' team has given itself a chance to make the College Football Playoff this year. It was an ugly win over the Tide, but it was a win that Oklahoma earned against one of the best teams in the entire country.

Here are three takeaways after OU knocked off Bama.

1. Oklahoma's defense got the job done (again)

The Sooner allowed a lot of yardage to Ty Simpson and the Tide offense, especially through the air. That was also the case against Ole Miss and against Tennessee. However, just like in the Tennessee game, the Sooners settled in as the game wore on, and they ended up winning because the defense played stellar football when they had to.

Without their best player, R Mason Thomas, the OU pass rush did enough to make Simpson uncomfortable, especially after the first drive of the second half. It wasn't a great day for the OU secondary, but the plays were made in the second half to allow the front to get to Simpson. For years, Sooner Nation begged for a great defense, and it looks like Venables has built one this season.

2. There's still plenty of room for Oklahoma's offense to improve

Oklahoma won against Alabama because of its defense. However, there were enough plays made by John Mateer and the offense to get the job done. The Sooners need to get far better offensively if they want to get where they want to go, and Saturday showed how much room for improvement there is.

That side of the ball is still too Mateer-centric, and the non-QB run game took a step back against Bama. Ben Arbuckle didn't feed Xavier Robinson enough, as he's clearly playing the best football in the running back room right now.

The biggest thing the Sooners did in this game was take care of the ball, and they actually avoided a lot of the brutal mistakes that plagued them against Texas and Ole Miss. If the offense can find more consistency and more big plays, this team could do something special in 2025.

3. Brent Venables is building a program in Norman

Over the course of this season, most of Oklahoma's games have had a similar theme. The Sooners play a low-scoring game against a good team, leading with their defense, and they either make enough plays to get a big win (Michigan, Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama), or they make too many mistakes and the opponent makes a couple more plays to win (Texas and Ole Miss). The point is, we're starting to see the culture of the Sooners under Venables really come out this year.

The Sooners have become a hard team to kill under Venables' leadership, and this team has taken the identity of their head coach. Is it pretty? No. Is it perfect? No. However, this team is tough, and they fight to the very end. The defense has been good enough to get some big wins, and the offense has delivered just enough to aid that defense. Two big games remain, as Missouri and LSU are coming to town, but the Sooners are in a good spot to make the CFP in 2025, just two years after going 6-7. Venables' hard work may finally be paying off in Norman.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: 3 takeaways as Oklahoma beats Alabama

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