What Alabama Cannot Repeat from Previous Meeting to Have Success against Oklahoma

The Crimson Tide had its worst turnover margin of the season in the November loss to the Sooners.

Nov 23, 2024; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Jacob Jordan (88) runs the ball around Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Zabien Brown (2) during the second quarter at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium | William Purnell-Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Kane Wommack wanted to want thing clear. Alabama's swarm defense is looking for takeaways against Oklahoma this Friday, not just turnovers.

You might be asking, aren't those the same thing?

"We call 'em takeaways," Wommack explained. "Turnovers implies they gave us the ball. Takeaway implies we took that thing from 'em."

Overall, Alabama has been very good at taking the ball away from the opponent this year. It has really been a highlight of the Crimson Tide defense in both seasons under Wommack as defensive coordinator.

Alabama has recovered nine fumbles this season to go along with 10 interceptions. However, the two times this season that the Tide did not create at turnover, including the previous matchup with Oklahoma on Nov. 15, Alabama lost both games.

"We wanna create takeaways," Wommack said. "If you look at the game against Oklahoma the first time, really at every marker, we tried to say, ‘Hey look, we’ve got to go out and play their defense. And they do a tremendous job.' And really at pretty much every marker, we were able to do that with the exception of taking the ball off them. And they took it off of us three times, and we didn’t take the ball away, and that really was the difference in the game."

The three turnovers against the Sooners were all critical. The first was an 87-yard interception returned for a pick six by Eli Bowen. (Oklahoma also had an 89-yard pick six against Alabama in 2024.) The other two turnovers, a muffed punt and sack fumble, set up short field for the Oklahoma offense and led to points for the Sooners.

Alabama's defense was unable to step up in response and create a turnover of its own to either score or give the offense good field position in the 23-21 loss.

Alabama 2025 game-by-game turnover margin

Opponent	Fumbles lost	Interceptions Thrown	Fumbles Gained	Interceptions	Turnover margin
Florida State	0	0	1	0	+1
ULM	0	0	2	1	+3
Wisconsin	0	0	0	2	+2
Georgia	0	0	1	0	+1
Vanderbilt	0	1	1	1	+1
Missouri	1	0	0	2	+2
Tennessee	1	0	0	1	0
South Carolina	2	0	1	1	0
LSU	1	0	2	0	+1
Oklahoma	2	1	0	0	-3
Eastern Illinois	0	2	0	1	-1
Auburn	0	0	1	1	+2
Georgia (SEC Title)	0	1	0	0	-1

"It's definitely hard to try to win a football game with no turnovers, so we’ve definitely got to make sure we’re taking the ball off of people and being aggressive," Alabama defensive lineman Tim Keenan said on Monday.

According to defensive back Zabien Brown, Wommack has "really been stressing" how critical the turnover margin will be in the outcome of Friday's game. Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer is susceptible to turning the ball over with 10 interceptions on the season in 11 games.

"It’s always a really big deal to go take the ball off the quarterback," Alabama linebacker Justin Jefferson said. "We always got to go take the ball of those guys, and that’s going to help us win by getting the ball and giving the ball back to our offense. That’s always a key to victory, and it’s something that’s always in our minds. We gotta get the ball of ‘em. Gotta go take it off ‘em every time.”

Alabama and Oklahoma have two of the best defenses in the country. Points could be at a premium in Friday's matchup during the first round of the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide only lost by two points at home after losing the turnover margin by three in the previous meeting with the Sooners, and it can't afford to do that against on the road.

"I think our players are doing a good of a job as they every have of trying to create takeaways, trying to punch to the ball," Wommack said. "We talk about shots on goal, shots on ball. That’s ultimately what’s going to create takeaways is effort and physicality and a sense of, it’s different when you approach a ball carrier thinking, ‘OK, let me just get this guy on the ground,’ versus, ‘I’m trying to take the ball off of him.’

"And I think we’ve got a number of guys that are doing that, but it’s got to show up on game day. We cannot walk out of that game minus three in the turnover margin again.”