Kane Wommack on His Past Showdown with Ben Arbuckle: 'We Got Our Ass Kicked'

The Crimson Tide defensive coordinator crossed paths with the Sooners' offensive coordinator during his tenure as the South Alabama head coach.

Mar 6, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack gives directions during practice of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team Wednesday. | Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack had a very successful season as the head coach at South Alabama in 2022. The Jaguars won 10 games and a share of the Sun Belt West title.

This success led Wommack and his squad to the New Orleans Bowl that December, where South Alabama was matched up against Western Kentucky. Ben Arbuckle is now the first-year offensive coordinator for the No. 4 Crimson Tide's next opponent, Oklahoma (Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT, ABC). On that night nearly three years ago, Arbuckle was the Hilltoppers' co-offensive coordinator.

The Jaguars lost 44-23 after being outscored 31-3 in the opening half. It wasn't pretty. Wommack will face off with Arbuckle again on Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, and he hasn't forgotten the problems his former adversary gave his old team.

"We got our ass kicked is what happened. I appreciate you bringing that up. I needed a little edge this morning," Wommack said Monday with a slight laugh. "I feel like we have faced this offense and this system a number of times over the years, and I think they do a great job, just, schematically."

Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2 SEC) ranks 11th in the SEC in total offense and 77th nationally, but some of that can be attributed to quarterback John Mateer's health. Mateer, who worked under Arbuckle's tutelage at Washington State prior to arriving in Norman, hurt the thumb on his throwing hand against Auburn in September and later had surgery. He's thrown for 1,949 yards and eight touchdowns this fall with seven interceptions; Mateer only has two touchdown passes in his last four games.

He is also an avid runner of the football, to the tune of 306 yards and six touchdowns. That adds another wrinkle to Arbuckle's scheme, and another element that the Crimson Tide (8-1, 6-0 SEC) must defend. Jackson Arnold made his presence felt with his legs in this game last season, a 24-3 Oklahoma win, running for 131 yards.

The passing game was where Western Kentucky did its worst damage against Wommack's 2022 South Alabama team, racking up 522 yards (out of 677 total) through the air and four scores. Wommack doesn't anticipate the No. 12 Sooners exclusively running the ball Saturday.

"They attack you vertically down the field, they're aggressive, they got great RPO answers into their run game schemes. And they always have little one-off runs that you've got to defend," Wommack said. "I think Ben did a great job in that game [in 2022] and has done a good job in his first year there at Oklahoma... This is the SEC. You face really good offensive minds every single week."