Takeaways from Alabama's tough SEC home loss vs. Oklahoma

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Alabama lost to Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon, 23-21.

This was a tough loss for the Tide, and has SEC title game ramifications. Alabama got beat by a team that was fast, physical, and opportunistic Saturday. Brent Venables’ football IQ was on full display in the game. Alabama’s season and playoff hopes are not over though.

However, they need to get back to the drawing board and figure out how to block blitzing defenders. Their two losses came at the hands of defensive coordinators who put pressure on Ty Simpson and made him uncomfortable.

Following are some takeaway’s from Saturday loss against Oklahoma in Tuscaloosa.

Defense and special teams won this game for Oklahoma

Alabama made three critical turnovers Saturday. This also helped put Oklahoma in better field position. Oklahoma may have not had a big day offensively, but they capitalized when they needed to. The Oklahoma kicker was 3-of-3 on field goals, and kicked a 52 yarder. The punter also had a 57 yarder to flip the field.

At the end of the day, a fast and physical defense forced Alabama to put the ball on the ground, and forced Ty Simpson to throw a pick six. Alabama didn’t take care of the football, and Oklahoma was in a position to capitalize and score on this. Oklahoma score 17 points off three turnovers.

Brent Venables is Brent Venables

Brent Venables is one of the greatest defensive coordinators in college football history. He has the national championships (at Alabama’s expense) to prove this. He dialed up pressure all day long on Simpson. Simpson was pressured 16 times, sacked four times, and threw a pick six.

Venables likely looked at what Tony White (Florida State defensive coordinator) did at the beginning of the year and mirrored it. His defense rattled Simpson and got him out of his comfort zone. They took away the intermediate passes away form him, and made him beat them downfield, which he hasn’t been so accurate with. Venables forced Alabama to run the football and throw deep passes which played into their hands.

Daniel Hill has emerged as Alabama’s featured back

Alabama didn’t have a great day running the football. Oklahoma did a great job with their run fits. However, Daniel Hill did emerge as a key performer. His performance today shows what he can be in the Alabama offense for the rest of the season. This is a bit of a moral victory, but if Alabama finishes strong, fans will remember today as a turning point for the Tide running game.

Hill ran for 15 carries, 60 yards, and two touchdowns. These are solid numbers and Saturday was his best game yet. Hill is a downhill runner who picks up steam when running off tackle. He also did a good job running through A gaps in the wildcat formation. Alabama’s offensive line needs to do a better job of sustaining blocks, however, Hill has given Tide fans something to look forward to.

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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama football takeaways from 23-21 loss vs. Oklahoma Sooners

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