Oklahoma coach Brent Venables had a lot of emotions Saturday night after his team took down No. 7 Alabama, but surprised wasn’t one of them.
The defense and running game prevailed in the 24-7 upset that stirred fans at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to rush Owen Field for only the second time this millennium. But the truth is, fans only storm fields when there’s an unexpected result.
The Sooner faithful had that faith in the defense, even if it was only the size of a mustard seed when going up against Bama’s potent offense led by Heisman hopeful Jalen Milroe. But what was expected from OU’s offense was low, especially after the consistent struggles from the offensive line, which broke program sack records you don’t want to break and didn’t pave the way for a 100-yard rusher until Week 10, and even that was against an FCS opponent.
“I think if you go back and watch the film, I think each game we kept improving, kept our head down,” right guard Febechi Nwaiwu said. “Like we were saying at the beginning of the season, we knew it would take a lot of work to get to a point where we would feel like an elite offensive line. I still don’t think we’re at that. I still think there’s a lot of things we can work on, but Saturday, of course, it felt amazing. It was a good step forward, but it’s not done.”
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Even if Venables denies being shocked by what transpired in the trenches Saturday night, the rest of us were. OU’s offensive line handled a group playing for a program that’s famous for winning with physicality. The Sooners rushed for 257 yards and averaged 5.1 yards a carry behind Logan Howland, Heath Ozaeta, Troy Everett, Nwaiwu, Spencer Brown and Eddy Pierre-Louis.
“Just knew it was coming,” Venables said postgame. “Could we do it consistently? We had shown signs here or there, just one guy off here or there, and it all looks bad. And tonight, man, I think it’s a culmination of the development process, as we’ve said.”
The left side of freshmen Howland and Ozaeta first showed improvement in the passing game against Maine, when the big guys didn’t let the Black Bears get to their quarterback one time. The next week against Missouri, the Tigers sacked Jackson Arnold three times, which was still drastically better than the nine sacks given up in both games against Ole Miss and South Carolina.
Although the sack numbers stood out against Maine, though, that was when the Sooners seemingly found their offensive identity with a sophomore quarterback and injury-plagued receiving group. Jovantae Barnes ran for 203 yards to become OU’s first 100-yard rusher of the season as the team totalled 381 rushing yards.
“I think we are building (an identity),” Nwaiwu said. “You know, I can’t say what everybody else thinks, but I think that an offense should be good at everything—not good at everything, but I think an offense should be well-rounded all around, so yeah, we were good at running the ball, but there’s always something to improve on. You can never be too good at everything.”
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With Barnes missing the next game against Mizzou, OU posted 122 yards on 36 carries as Arnold threw for only 74 yards. Even in the loss and the numbers not being as polarizing, it was still evident what offensive coordinator Joe Jon Finley wanted his group to do.
Then against Bama in a win, Arnold actually threw for even less yards, 68, on only 11 attempts. It was OU’s lowest passing total of the season, yet, the Sooners still beat a top-10 team. Arnold did rush for a team-high 131 yards, though, as freshman running back Xavier Robinson had 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns to give the Sooners’ a pair of 100-yard rushers.
“It really starts with that front five,” Robinson said. “They did a great, great job. Monday started that week. You can see it all. They just did a good job opening up the gates and just having us make those reads. With Jackson back there, that really opened up some windows.”
“I mean, it’s just the standard, you know what I mean,” Brown said. “It’s been a long time coming. We’ve been grinding for the last few weeks and the work finally showed and the work showed on Saturday night.
Oklahoma RB Xavier Robinson Looking to Build on Breakout Game vs. Alabama
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How Jackson Arnold Assured Brent Venables’ Belief in Him as Oklahoma’s QB
NORMAN, Okla. — Derrion Reed scored 22 points, Xzayvier Brown finished with 18, and Oklahoma set the program’s single-game record for field-goal percentage on Monday night as the Sooners beat Stetson 107-54 on Monday night.
Oklahoma shot 67.8% (40 of 59) from the field and had its highest-scoring game since a 107-86 win over Arkansan-Pine Bluff on Nov. 30, 2023. The previous record was 66.1% (39 of 59) against Baylor on Feb. 26, 2005.
The Sooners made 12 of 24 from 3-point range, outrebounded Stetson 39-24, and outscored the Hatters 54-18 in the paint.
Mohamed Wague had 15 points and nine rebounds for Oklahoma and Tae Davis added 12 points and six assists. Kuol Atak and Nijel Pack each scored 11 points.
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Ethan Copeland, the only Stetson (4-9) player who scored in double figures, had 14 points.
Oklahoma (9-3) used runs of 15-3 and 10-2, the latter of which culminated with a Jadon Jones three-point play that gave the Sooners a 26-11 lead a little more than eight minutes into the game.
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Another offensive lineman from Oklahoma’s heralded 2024 group of freshman has decided to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Third-year sophomore tackle Isaiah Autry-Dent announced Monday on social media that he’ll be entering the portal when it opens on Jan. 2.
“I’m truly grateful for the incredible, life-changing experience I’ve had at the University of Oklahoma,” he wrote. “The dedication of the staff, the camaraderie with my teammates, and the unwavering support from the fans have made this journey unforgettable. I’ve learned lessons on and off the field that I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and I’m thankful for every moment, every challenge and every triumph along the way.”
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Dent added that he’s “given it a great deal of thought and prayed for guidance” but intends to leave OU with 3-4 years of eligibility remaining and is “excited about exploring new opportunities to continue growing as a player and as a person.”
After much prayer and family talks, I’ll enter the transfer portal on January 2 with three years of eligibility left. Thank you #SoonerNationpic.twitter.com/AM15EMHlHV
Dent was one of five offensive linemen signed in the 2024 class, and he’s the third one to leave, joining Eugene Brooks and Josh Aisosa. After just two seasons, only Eddy Pierre-Louis and Daniel Akinkunmi remain.
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Dent was listed at 304 pounds as a true freshman but in July checked in at 317 pounds — the biggest overall weight gain of any offensive player, which was a reflection of his hard work and dedication as the OU offensive line made an offseason mandate to get bigger and stronger.
Last spring, senior center Troy Everett was asked to assess Dent’s progress following his freshman season.
“Isaiah works hard,” Everett said. “Isaiah’s going to be great. Isaiah, right now, he’s just got to get comfortable when he’s out there, but that goes for every young guy.”
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Dent played in just one game — against Maine — and logged just 26 snaps on offense and nine snaps on special teams during the 2024 season, then didn’t get on the field at all in 2025.
The former 3-star prospect from Fulton, MS, is a second cousin to former OU running back Marcus Dupree. His mother, Pashen Dent-Autry, was a two-time national champion basketball player for Tennessee legend Pat Summitt.
Autry was a consensus 3-star prospect coming out as a high school All-American at Itawamba Agricultural High School, where he was a 6-foot-7, 300-pound standout.
Autry picked the Sooners over Alabama, Auburn, Florida State and Ole Miss, among others, and could have plenty of options.
The postseason is unique in that way, no matter the sport. It can have a cleansing effect, providing a clean slate.
Maybe that’s what is happening with Alabama. I stand by my column the weekend the College Football Playoff pairings were announced, that Notre Dame deserved a spot over the Crimson Tide, that how a team finishes should matter. Alabama hadn’t been very good to close the regular season. It nearly lost to mediocre SEC opponents South Carolina, LSU and Auburn, fell to Oklahoma and was crushed by Georgia in the SEC championship game.
