Oklahoma
Oklahoma State, Iowa State are trying to jump-start lifeless offenses entering their Big 12 opener
Oklahoma State (2-1) at Iowa State (1-2), Saturday, 4 p.m. ET (FS1)
Line: Iowa State by 3 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Oklahoma State leads 34-20-3.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Both teams desperately need to get their offenses going. Oklahoma State managed just 208 yards in a humiliating 33-7 home loss to South Alabama, which had allowed 412 yards to Southeastern Louisiana the week before. The Cowboys plan to continue rotating three quarterbacks. The Cyclones, whose offense is worst in the Power Five, lost 10-7 to Ohio and has yet to crack 300 yards in a game. They have scored a combined 20 points the last two games.
KEY MATCHUP
Oklahoma State offensive line vs. Iowa State front seven. The Cowboys’ starting linemen met Sunday morning for a mental reset after South Alabama worked them over for four sacks and held the ‘Pokes to 94 rushing yards. The Cyclones have just one sack in two games since recording five against Northern Iowa, but they have 57 quarterback pressures to rank third in the Big 12, according to Pro Football Focus, and they lead the conference in total defense.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Oklahoma State: RB Ollie Gordon II looked to be a budding star as a true freshman, but it’s been a quiet start to his second season. He was limited to just three carries against South Alabama. Coach Mike Gundy said that was because the Cowboys had to play from behind. If the offense is going to improve, Gordon must be more involved.
Iowa State: RB Cartevious Norton, like Gordon, came into the season with a head of steam and poised to elevate his game. He’s averaging just 3.0 yards per carry and totaled 15 yards against Ohio, with 11 coming on one run. The Cyclones need more from him to take pressure off QB Rocco Becht.
FACTS & FIGURES
Oklahoma State beat the Cyclones 20-14 last year despite converting just 1 of 14 third downs. … Cowboys have won four of last five games in Ames. … Iowa State is among 11 FBS teams that have allowed one sack and among 23 that have not lost a fumble. … ISU WR Jaylin Noel has caught at least one pass in 22 straight games. … Collin Oliver, a freshman All-America defensive end last year, has thrived as a linebacker following the Cowboys’ switch to a three-man front under new coordinator Bryan Nardo. Oliver has 20 tackles, including 10 last week.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
Oklahoma
Alabama's upset loss to Oklahoma completes wild day in college football as rankings could look a lot different
Entering Saturday night, all No. 7 Alabama needed was a win against unranked Oklahoma to remain very safe in the College Football Playoff bracket.
Earlier in the day, No. 5 Indiana was blown out, No. 4 Penn State barely squeaked by Minnesota, and No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 14 BYU both lost.
But, the Crimson Tide could not get the job done, as Oklahoma dominated to a 24-3 victory.
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Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who had been one of the nation’s best players, had his worst game of the season. He completed 11 of 26 passes for 164 yards with three interceptions and gained just seven yards on 15 carries for Alabama (8-3, 4-3). The Sooners held Alabama to 234 yards. He went just 2-for-7 for 62 yards before the half.
True freshman Xavier Robinson ran for career highs of 107 yards and two touchdowns as Oklahoma became bowl eligible and took coach Brent Venables off the hot seat.
The Sooners’ victory resulted in yet another edition of fans storming the field too early, but at least this one was practically over anyway, unlike the BYU-Arizona State game.
APPALACHIAN STATE FANS PELT JAMES MADISON PLAYERS WITH SNOWBALLS BEFORE GAME
Ole Miss and Alabama, both in the bracket prediction last week, now have three losses on the season. This leaves the door wide open for 9-2 teams like Clemson and Iowa State, who had been ranked 17th and 22nd in the nation, respectively.
And now, Indiana’s college football playoff hopes, right after their undefeated season ending, may not look all that over. No. 10 Georgia and No. 11 Tennessee figure to move up a few spots with three teams ahead of them in the rankings all losing.
Although, it’s certainly not out of the question that Alabama could be on the outside looking in.
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The next rankings will come out on Tuesday, and it should be very exciting to see what the committee has in store.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Oklahoma
‘So what? Now what?’: Alabama players react to loss to Oklahoma
No. 7 Alabama football should have defeated unranked Oklahoma. But the Crimson Tide didn’t.
Oklahoma had only won one SEC game all season. It wasn’t even bowl eligible before Saturday.
Then, the Alabama offense failed to score a touchdown and sputtered for much of the night. The Crimson Tide defense couldn’t stop Oklahoma’s rushing attack when the game was still close.
Alabama turned the ball over three times, with three Jalen Milroe interceptions.
As a result, the Crimson Tide fell 24-3 to the Sooners on Saturday at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.
“There is no excuse,” linebacker Jihaad Campbell said. “None. Everybody saw it. Whoever was watching the game. We lost, and we’ve got to take it on the chin and keep learning from that.”
Alabama (8-3, 4-3 SEC) gave up 325 yards, with 257 yards, on the ground to Oklahoma and two touchdowns. Oklahoma (6-5, 2-5) had the nation’s 90th ranked scoring offense entering the game.
“Our job was to out-execute those guys, and we fell short tonight,” Campbell said.
Meanwhile, the Alabama offense tallied only 234 yards, with 164 through the air and 70 on the ground, to score only a field goal.
Milroe, who gashed LSU on the ground two weeks ago, couldn’t get anything going with his legs with only seven yards on 15 carries.
“They had a great game plan for us,” offensive lineman Tyler Booker said. “We’ve just got to get a hat on a hat. We have to execute better.”
The Alabama players who took part in interviews postgame showed a clear and intentional interest in moving on quickly from the result and performance in Norman.
“So what? Now what?” Booker said. “Can’t do anything about what just happened. What we can do is make sure we prepare our tails off.”
Next up is a matchup with Auburn in the Iron Bowl at Bryant-Denny Stadium to close out the regular season. Alabama won’t make the SEC Championship Game, but it might not yet be eliminated from the playoff just yet. The Allstate playoff predictor on Saturday night gave the Crimson Tide a 31% chance to still make the postseason.
“Got a big game next week,” Booker said. “Got to put all of our focus and energy there. Can’t do anything about what just happened. We’ve got to put all of our focus and energy into next week.”
Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.
Oklahoma
Live Updates: No. 7 Alabama Football at Oklahoma
NORMAN, Okla.–– Alabama has one final road test to pass in the regular season if it wants to compete for an SEC title and make it back to the College Football Playoff.
The No. 7 Crimson Tide plays at Oklahoma on Saturday night in the first matchup as conference foes in the SEC. BamaCentral will have coverage all night from Norman. Follow along for updates.
BE SURE TO REFRESH YOUR BROWSER FOR THE LATEST UPDATES
(latest updates at the top)
Who: Alabama (8-2, 4-2 SEC) vs. Oklahoma (5-5, 1-4)
When: Saturday, Nov. 23, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium
TV: ABC/ESPN+
Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Color: Tyler Watts).
Series: Oklahoma leads 3-2-1
Last meeting: Alabama defeated the Sooners in the Capital One Orange Bowl as part of the College Football Playoff 45-34. Tua Tagovailoa passed for 318 yards and four touchdowns while the Crimson Tide rushed for 200 yards across 42 carries between Josh Jacobs, Damien Harris and Najee Harris.
Last time out, Alabama: The Crimson Tide dominated Mercer 52-7 at home behind three touchdowns from Jalen Milroe and two touchdowns from Ryan Williams. The Alabama defense forced three more turnovers as they’ve now forced 16 in the last five games, making life challenging on opposing offenses.
Last time out, Oklahoma: The Sooners were off this past week, but went to Missouri two weeks ago and lost 30-23 after losing a fumble for a touchdown in the game’s final minutes. Oklahoma’s played five conference games and only won at Auburn this season.
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