Oklahoma Celebrates Upset Over Alabama With Postgame 'Dixieland Delight'

The Sooners blasted Alabama's song in the locker room following the 23-21 win over the Crimson Tide.

Nov 15, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables celebrates with defensive lineman Gracen Halton (56) after Oklahoma defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 23-21 at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. | David Leong-Imagn Images

The song "Dixieland Delight" has rightfully earned its place in the pantheon of college football traditions. It is a weekly anthem that has served as one of the few constants across the past two decades of Alabama dominance. When it echoes throughout Bryant-Denny, it usually marks another step towards another championship chase.

But when Alabama slips, the song becomes something else entirely. Opponents have used it as a postgame celebration for years, with Tennessee in 2022 being the most famous example. On Saturday, Oklahoma added its name to that list, blasting its own rendition of the song, complete with expletives directed at the Crimson Tide, in the locker room following the Sooners' 23-21 win over Alabama.

“They’ve worked really hard for it. I’m not a boastful or bragadacious kind of guy, but man, I'm going to brag on our guys. They deserve this,” Sooners head coach Brent Venables said. “This is what victory looks like. This is how we're going to do it. I want to see the guys dancing, carrying on, just having some joy in the moment."

"Dixieland Delight" was played at the stadium at the two-minute warning, right as Alabama converted a fourth down and threatened to drive for a game-winning kick. So many times, the song has served as the dagger for opponents, the momentum-shifting moment that precedes the Crimson Tide putting opponents away to secure a victory. Oklahoma defensive lineman Taylor Wein, who had a key strip sack of Ty Simpson earlier in the game, said it did the opposite for his team.

"We fed off the energy," Wein said. "They think that they were feeling their fans, little did they know they were feeling us. They were getting us ready to go. We fed off the energy, and we made some big plays when we needed to and came up with the win."

That energy wasn’t lost on the rest of the defense. Linebacker Kip Lewis, who led Oklahoma with seven tackles, said Bryant-Denny was “definitely” his favorite opposing stadium that he had played in, and made sure to soak in the entirety of the tradition.

"I was just telling the guys mostly to enjoy the moment while they had the lights flashing, music playing," Lewis said. "It's a special moment that you're not going to get again."

Quarterback John Mateer added that Oklahoma has made a habit of using opposing teams’ signature songs to celebrate road wins, starting with Darude’s Sandstorm after beating South Carolina, and then "Rocky Top" after the win at Tennessee.

But beyond the soundtracks and the trolling, Saturday carried real meaning for Oklahoma. Inside the locker room, the music eventually faded, and the reflection started.

"It's a surreal moment, especially in a place like this, that holds a lot (of people), has all those championships," defensive back Peyton Bowen said. "We beat them last year, and they were saying it's a revenge game and stuff, but revenge only takes you so far. You've got to play the game; revenge can't win you games. Just to be able to be victorious in this game means a lot to us."

For Venables and the Sooners, the celebration was a great moment. But on the other side, it underscored a familiar reality: that beating Alabama still carries a weight few programs can match. Even with the struggles of 2024, even with Alabama's playoff hopes still up in the air, the Crimson Tide remain the program opponents build their biggest celebrations around.