No offense in Norman: Expect a rock fight in Alabama-Oklahoma

Alabama fans let out a sigh of relief on Selection Sunday when Rece Davis announced the Crimson Tide had backed into the field despite getting pantsed by Georgia in the SEC title game.

However, that relief was likely short-lived after fans looked at the bracket and saw a trip to Oklahoma in the cards.

It's only been two matchups in the last two seasons, but perhaps no coach in the country has figured out Kalen DeBoer and his offense to the extent that Brent Venables has. If Venables' defense is throwing a turnover party, expect Alabama to RSVP first. The Sooners nabbed six takeaways in those two games against the Tide, including three in Tuscaloosa last month that essentially gave Oklahoma an improbable win.

Alabama dominated the stats in that affair, more than doubling the visitors with 426 yards of offense to 212 for Oklahoma. That Sooners total represents the fourth-fewest yards by an FBS team in a win against a top-five team since 2000.

Thanks to Isaiah Sategna III's electric punt-return skills, an 87-yard interception return, and two forced fumbles, Oklahoma needed just 76 yards of total offense to put 20 of its 23 points on the board versus the Tide. How's that for efficiency?

In 2025, that type of victory might as well be called the Oklahoma Way.

The passing attack has cratered since high-priced transfer John Mateer returned from injury for the Texas game. Mateer opened his Oklahoma career with four straight games of at least 270 yards passing. He's only topped 225 once since.

The Sooners' 90th-ranked offense - by far the worst in the playoff - has attracted plenty of scorn throughout the year. One Group of 5 team's assistant gave a particularly colorful description to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic: "The defense is awesome, but I don't think their offense can piss a drop."

The Sooners developed an allergy to moving the ball in the final month of the season. The offense scored just seven touchdowns in 47 offensive possessions over the month of November, with only two coming on drives of at least five plays.

Oklahoma's game script has been essentially the same in its last two contests: struggle to move the ball, then throw up the bat signal and hope Sategna can save you. It's a testament to the wideout's outrageous speed that he's done just that, with touchdowns of 87 and 58 yards in that span.

Despite the offensive struggles, Venables said the build-up to Friday's game has been encouraging.

"This is kind of how the last week and a half has gone. The offense is just taking these big steps that get me fired up and excited," the third-year coach said on his radio show, according to Brad Crawford of CBS Sports.

The thing is, it might not even matter.

For as bad as the Sooners' offense has been, Alabama's given off a similar stench over the past month.

The Tide essentially gave up on running the ball early in the season and enter this matchup sporting the nation's 117th-ranked rushing attack. A team can overcome that with a Heisman-level quarterback - something Ty Simpson was for the first half of the season.

However, that hasn't been the case down the stretch. Simpson's electric start with 21 touchdowns against just one interception might as well have happened last year. He's thrown five touchdowns to four interceptions in the last four games and posted a quarterback rating of 19.9 in the SEC title game - comically low considering his season average was 76.95.

The last two performances were particularly concerning: Alabama's offense failed to average 4 yards per play against Auburn or Georgia. In addition to the dismal quarterback rating versus the Bulldogs, the Tide rushed for a total of minus-3 yards on Kirby Smart's defense. Yes, that's the right number.

To recap, that's an offensive line that can't run block or pass protect playing on the road in a hostile environment against the nation's top defensive line. Oh, and did we mention that R Mason Thomas - Oklahoma's best defender - is set for action after missing the Sooners' last meeting with Alabama?

A rock fight appears to be on deck in Norman on Friday, as neither offense seems likely to sustain much success given how the past month has gone. The difference might be that Oklahoma is supremely comfortable with that type of game, while Alabama will do anything in its power to avoid such a spectacle.

Should the Sooners pull off the victory and oust the Tide, they would become the first team to beat Alabama twice in the same season in more than 132 years.

If you thought the DeBoer-to-Michigan rumors were loud earlier this week, tune in to see what happens if Alabama fails to make the CFP quarterfinals for the second straight season.