Live Updates From No. 11 Oklahoma’s Battle With No. 4 Alabama

TUSCALOOSA — Sooners on SI offers real-time observations from Bryant-Denny Stadium throughout Saturday’s matchup between No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 4 Alabama. Just keep your browser open and refresh often.

2:00 Fourth Quarter

What a call there by DeBoer and Grubb.

Facing a do-or-die fourth-and-1, the Crimson Tide dialed up a reverse.

It got two yards, and Alabama has a new set of downs at its own 44-yard line.

OU has three timeouts left, the Crimson Tide have two, and the Sooners are up 23-21. SEC football, baby.

— Chapman

7:24 Fourth Quarter

After getting into Sandell range, Eddy Pierre-Louis gets flagged for a false start and Mateer is flagged for intentional grounding.

It looked like Sategna was working his way along the line of scrimmage, and Venables lit into the officials, but they did not change the call.

Grayson Miller punted the ball 44 yards to the 6-yard line. Great position for OU’s defense.

Need another stop (and probably two).

— Chapman

11:46 Fourth Quarter

That was the perfect call by Brent Venables.

He slid Taylor Wein inside and brought Devon Jordan on the corner blitz.

That actually could have been much worse for Alabama. It looked like, for a brief moment, Jordan might be able to rip the ball from Simpson’s hands.

Simpson was able to hold on to eat the sack.

Oklahoma will take over on its own 30-yard line. The Sooners obviously need more points, but it would be huge if they could chew some clock while getting into the end zone.

First things first, just score.

— Chapman

13:41 Fourth Quarter

Mateer was unable to make anything happen on third-and-goal from the 6, so Sandell banged through a 24-yard field goal to put the Sooners back on top 23-21.

— Chapman

Third Quarter

0:50 Third Quarter

ANOTHER Alabama turnover!

Taylor Wein, who blocked the field goal on the final play of the first half, hit Ty Simpson on third-and-9.

This time the Sooners are able to fall on it. Daniels was able to dive on the football and give OU possession at the Alabama 28-yard line.

This has to be seven points for the Sooners.

— Chapman

3:13 Third Quarter

Well, that was less than ideal.

Oklahoma moved one yard on that possession before turning to Grayson Miller to punt.

It was a booming punt, however. Ryan Williams returned the ball 11 yards to the 18-yard line.

Back over to the defense…

— Chapman

3:57 Third Quarter

Big reset there for the Oklahoma defense.

After getting gashed on the last drive, OU forces a three-and-out.

The Sooners will take over at the 35-yard line.

— Chapman

5:36 Third Quarter

Pitchout to Trory Blaylock gets stoned for a 3-yard loss and OU is punting on fourth and long.

Xavier Robinson went into the injury tent last drive, and hasn’t been back in.

Also, Derek Simmons got some snaps at right tackle late in the first half, but Ryan Fodje came back to start the third quarter.

On that drive, however, Simmons was back in at RT.

— Hoover

7:27 Third Quarter

The Tide are on top for the first time today.

This drive got rolling with a 28-yard run by Daniel Hill, then Simpson got completions of 20 yards and 26 yards.

Hill capped it off with his second 1-yard touchdown run of the day, and Alabama leads 21-20.

Oklahoma’s offense has to start getting into the end zone.

— Chapman

10:38 Third Quarter

Tate Sandell to the rescue. Again. Lefty — this time wearing normal pants — adds to his legend with a 52-yard field goal, extending the school record he set in the first quarter. Oklahoma leads it 20-14.

Nice throw on third down by John Mateer that drive, extending the play by avoiding a sack and finding Sategna for a clutch 17-yard pickup.

— Hoover

Halftime

Halftime stats (plus one)

Halftime

Man, this feels familiar.

Alabama won the time of possession battle 19:20-10:40 in the first half.

The OU offense was only able to stay on the field for 10:50 in the first half against Tennessee (which happens when you get a defensive touchdown), and the Sooners held onto the ball for 11:08 in the first half against Ole Miss.

Oklahoma’s offense needs a really nice drive to start the second half to push it back out to a two-score lead.

— Chapman

Halftime

The Sooners allowed a 15-yard completion on fourth-and-10 near midfield so that the Crimson Tide could attempt a field goal.

Alabama moved the ball six yards further forward to get the kick inside of 40 yards, but Conor Palty's kick was tipped by Taylor Wein after he leaped over the offensive line.

Oklahoma takes a 17-14 lead into halftime, and the Sooners will get the ball first in the second half.

— Chapman

2:27 Second Quarter

It would seem Oklahoma has a problem covering the tight end.

Again.

— Hoover

6:13 Second Quarter

Bama cuts it to 17-14 on a 25-yard TD pass from Simpson to tight end Josh Cuevas.

What a bad bust by the OU defense.

Bama snapped it early — none of the o-linemen were even in their stance — and six Sooners were still looking at the OU coaching staff on the sideline.

Cuevas snuck in right behind Kobie McKinzie, who jogged behind him with his arms out and upward as Cuevas raced untouched into the end zone.

— Hoover

7:04 Second Quarter

Here's a video of the fumble. Boganowski hanging onto Williams stretched him open, and Hardy came in from the side with the perfect punchout. John Mateer cashed it in two plays later.

— Hoover

Jaydan Hardy. 👊 pic.twitter.com/HMky1Z9EAI
— Sooner Gridiron (@ouvstheworld) November 15, 2025

8:49 Second Quarter

Phenomenal response from the OU offense.

John Mateer first found Jaren Kanak for 11 yards after a little razzle dazzle, then he powered forward 20 yards, trucking Alabama defenders in the process, to score.

“O-U! O-U! O-U!” chants are ringing across Bryant-Denny from the away section as the Sooners take a 17-7 lead.

9:34 Second Quarter

Wow, Ryan Williams fumbles the punt return as Michael Boganowski and Jaydan Hardy combine to rip/punch it out, and Omosigho covers it in the pile.

OU in business again.

This is going to be a turnover-based outcome.

— Hoover

9:52 Second Quarter

Oklahoma’s offense goes three-and-out but it could have been much worse.

Mateer almost threw a pick six on the first play of the drive. Think OU will take the punt.

— Chapman

10:36 Second Quarter

One big call and one huge call went in Alabama’s favor there, and the Sooners added a defensive bust when Sammy Omosigho lost his man as Ty Simpson stumbled behind center.

Net result: instead of Kobie McKinzie falling on a fumble, and instead of Robert Spears-Jennings grabbing an interception for the second week in a row (Kendal Daniels gets hit with a pass interference infraction even though Simpson threw the ball right to Spears-Jennings), it’s a 12-play, 72-yard Alabama touchdown drive and it’s 10-7 OU.

— Hoover

10:36 Second Quarter

Two plays later, Daniel Hill trucked forward into the end zone to cut OU’s lead to 10-7.

— Chapman

11:11 Second Quarter

Huge swing. A weak pass interference call against Kendal Daniels wipes away a Robert Spears-Jennings interception in the end zone.

Instead of OU going the other way with the football, the Crimson Tide has the ball at the 2-yard line.

— Chapman

First Quarter Stats:

2:03 First Quarter

What a turn for the Sooners!

After Kobie McKinzie failed to scoop up the fumble, OU gets a defensive score courtesy of an Eli Bowen pick six!

Kip Lewis perfectly timed up his blitz straight in Ty Simpson’s face, and the Alabama quarterback threw just his second pick of the year.

Great work by Bowen in the open field, as he returned the ball 87 yards to the house. That was the eighth-longest pick six in school history.

Sooners on top 10-0 near the end of the first quarter in Tuscaloosa.

— Chapman

2:28 First Quarter

Kobie McKinzie should have just fallen on that football. Instead, he tried to bend over and pick it up and it ended up out of bounds. That's a bad one.

Pass was ruled an incompletion anyway, so it wouldn't have mattered. But replay review confirms it was a catch and fumble rather than Reggie Powers’ helmet dislodging the football for an incompletion first. Bama football, and they get an extra 10 yards and a firdt down, and the Tide is marching.

— Hoover

7:58 First Quarter

Kaden Helms flagged for a personal foul blindside block, and it’s costly, 15 yards backwards for Oklahoma.

I just happened to be looking at Helms through eh binoculars on the play and he did appear to hit the edge player blindside after motioning into the formation.

Helms had just thrown a really good (legal) block on the play before.

The drive dies as Alabama shuts down the Sooners on second- and third-and-long.

— Hoover

EDIT: After a second look on video, I don't think I agree that this is a blindside block by Helms. Not the kind of unnecessary contact that needs to be legislated out of the game. He basically took his position to block, then stood there and made sure to protect himself.

pic.twitter.com/ZPGXMedba8
— Sooner Gridiron (@ouvstheworld) November 15, 2025

10:18 First Quarter

As stiff as Jayden Jackson looked in pregame, he had no trouble pressuring Ty Simpson on that third down.

Courtland Guillory was able to turn around and avoid a pass interference call against Ryan Williams.

Kip Lewis got that drive started with a sack for the Sooners, and OU’s offense will take over at the 37-yard line for its second drive.

— Chapman

11:33 First Quarter

Bad throw from Mateer (hurried and way too high) on third down, and the OU drive devolves into a short field goal by Tate Sandell from 25 yards.

That’s a school record 19 in a row from Sandell, and it’s 3-0 Sooners.

— Hoover

13:30 First Quarter

Oklahoma’s starters on offense:

Fasusi - Pierre-Louis - Maikkula - Nwaiwu - Fodje

Gibson - Sategna - Burks - Kanak

Mateer - Robinson

— Chapman

13:59 First Quarter

Quite the start for Oklahoma: a three-and-out by the OU defense, which included a sack by Marvin Jones for no gain, and a 42-yard punt return by Isaiah Sategna.

OU sets up on the Bama 30.

— Hoover

14:53 First Quarter

Oklahoma’s starters on defense:

Jones Jr. - Halton - Dam. Williams - Wein

Kip Lewis - Heinecke - Daniels

E. Bowen - Spears-Jennings - P. Bowen - Guillory

— Chapman

2 minutes until kickoff

Oklahoma wins the toss.

The Sooners deferred to the second half. Alabama will get the ball first.

Let’s roll.

— Chapman

4 minutes to kickoff

Like many teams, Oklahoma players like to enter the field and jog to the end zone, where they kneel and say a prayer.

That wasn’t entirely possible today as the Alabama band pretty much took up the whole field and blocked the end zone. So several dozen OU players jogged down the sideline and crammed into the corner of the end zone and OU sideline.

Just an observation.

— Hoover

5 minutes until kickoff

The Sooners take the field to a chorus of boos. Oklahoma has never lost on this patch of grass, and if OU goes 2-0 all-time in Tuscalooa, the Sooners will be on the inside track to the College Football Playoff.

Doesn’t get much bigger than this.

— Chapman

40 minutes until kickoff

No real shock here, but even with Derek Simmons available, the Sooners are warming up with the same offensive line that got the win in Knoxville. Ryan Fodje keeps his starting spot at right tackle.

— Chapman

49 minutes until kickoff

Jayden Jackson is lumbering through the first portion of warmups. He looks very stiff, though there’s still time for him to loosen up as OU continues to get ready for this one.

— Chapman

60 minutes until kickoff

Well, I’m not sure Tate Sandell is going to be rocking pants that are quite as short as they were in Knoxville.

They’re not long by any means, but it looks like he’s still a few rolls of the waistband away from the accusations of wearing Daisy Dukes.

In all seriousness, the specialists are on the field here at Bryant-Denny Stadium, so we’re still a few moments away from trying to get a good look at Jayden Jackson as he warms up.

— Chapman

90 minutes until kickoff

The pre-game availability report is in.

Defensive end R Mason Thomas has been ruled out for today's contest. Defensive tackle Jayden Jackson is a game-time decision, and defensive back Gentry Williams is also out.