For Oklahoma, the Rarity of the Ask Pales to the Enormity of the Task

Brent Venables was just 1-5 in road games against ranked opponents coming into this year, but the Sooners are now 3-0 on the road heading into this week's challenge at No. 4 Alabama.

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables at Tennessee | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

COLUMN

There’s a lot to unpack this week as No. 11-ranked Oklahoma hits the road to take on No. 4 Alabama.

Historically speaking, it’s an all-timer, a classic matchup of two of college football’s elite. Coming into this season, Alabama ranked No. 3 in victories as a program with 974, just behind No. 1  Michigan (1,012) and Ohio State (978). OU started the year with 950 wins, No. 6 all-time behind Notre Dame (962) and Texas (951).

OU (7-2 overall, 3-2 SEC) is 3-0 in road games this year, a mark of a mature team and one that trends way up from Brent Venables’ first three seasons taking the Sooners into hostile environments, when they were just 6-8. Oklahoma proved something two weeks ago with a road win before 102,000 noisy fans at Tennessee. Their reward was an open date — followed by the opportunity to do it again in front of 100,077 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

The Sooners and their mighty defense will be tasked with limiting Tide quarterback Ty Simpson, who has quietly emerged as the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy. It’s a big ask for an OU defense that might be missing its best player (R Mason Thomas) and it’s starting middle linebacker (Kobie McKinzie). Their availability should become clearer as the game nears, but the way Simpson has thrown the football this year, it might not matter.

“He’s a coach’s kid — dad is a college football coach,” Venables said of Simpson. “He’s been around the game, good instincts for it. Well-versed in what they’re trying to do and understanding what he’s trying to see. Great maturity, very decisive, great arm talent. Keeps them out of bad plays.” 

Oklahoma also must overcome a motivated ‘Bama squad that left Norman last year with a 24-3 thrashing at the hands of the underdog Sooners, a victory that touched off the kind of postgame celebration that Owen Field hadn’t seen in more than 20 years.

OU held ‘Bama without a touchdown for the first time since 2011, and limited the Tide to three points or less for the first time since 2004. For Oklahoma, it was their first home win as an unranked team over a top-10 opponent since 1990.

That loss knocked Alabama out of playoff contention in coach Kalen DeBoer’s first year as Nick Saban’s replacement.

“You know, we have a lot of new players on the team, so there are players that didn't experience that,” DeBoer said this week. “The ones that did certainly better remember — and understand that, more importantly, you're facing a really good program that, you know, obviously we went to their place and got beat up pretty good last year, and that's who's coming to town this week.”

What stands out most, though, is just Alabama’s overall excellence — this year and for the last decade-and-a-half. After Saban won his seventh national championship (six at Alabama) and suddenly retired, the Tide under DeBoer has now won 17 consecutive games at home, which leads all of major college football following a 20-9 win over LSU last week.

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Maybe playing an SEC schedule every year will change things, but the Sooners going on the road against top-four teams has become increasingly rare.

OU hasn’t played a top-four team on the road since 2017, when Lincoln Riley and Baker Mayfield planted their flag in Columbus following a stirring 31-16 victory over the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes.

Before that it was 2011, when Bob Stoops’ injury-depleted squad was crushed under the boot of Oklahoma State’s greatest team ever, 44-10 in Stillwater.

Stoops’ 2000 and 2001 teams — which nearly played in back-to-back national championships — faced No. 3 Nebraska in Lincoln (a 20-10 loss) and No. 2 Kansas State in Manhattan (a 41-31 win) in back-to-back seasons.

That’s four times in 25 seasons.

OU played four top-four teams on the road in the 1990s (and lost all four), and Barry Switzer faced off against a top-four road opponent nine times (five against Nebraska) in his 16 seasons (he went 4-4-1). That included a win at Ohio State, a loss at Miami and a loss and a tie at USC.

Chuck Fairbanks went 1-2 in road games against top-four teams, beating No. 3 Kansas in Lawrence, 27-23 in 1968, and losing at Notre Dame in ’68 and Nebraska in 1970.

Amazingly, Bud Wilkinson only played one road game against a top-four opponent — his final year at OU, when the No. 3-ranked Sooners visited No. 1 USC and came home with a 17-12 triumph.

Venables hasn’t played a top-four team on the road yet. His OU teams have played only two top-25 team in true road games, losing last year at No. 18 Ole Miss and winning in Knoxville on Nov. 1.

Against top-25 teams away from Norman, including this year, Venables’ record is just 2-6.

It’s a lot to ask, but all Oklahoma’s coach needs to do now is follow up the biggest win of his career with the biggest win of his career.

Riley, Stoops, Switzer, Fairbanks and Wilkinson all did it at least once. Now it’s time for Venables to join the rarified air of returning to Norman with a win over a top-four opponent in his pocket.

Saturday’s game is both a herculean task and a golden opportunity.

“Alabama’s got a fantastic football team,” Venables said. “They’re undefeated at home. Eight straight wins for them since an opening-game loss to Florida State. … They’re averaging a margin of 40-11 in their wins at home. They’ve got a really good roster. 

“They’re playing really well on both side of the ball. Their defense leads the SEC in turnovers caused and turnover margin, and offensively they’ve been just incredibly efficient. The skill (positions) are as good as we’ll see all year. They’ve got a really good offensive line, incredibly physical. 

“Going to be a great, great challenge for us and something I know our guys are looking forward to.”