TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Oklahoma’s playmaking defense traveled great again Saturday, this time coming up with 17 points off three turnovers to shovel more chaos into the Southeastern Conference title race and the College Football Playoff picture with a 23-21 upset of Alabama.
The 11th-ranked Sooners (8-2, 4-2 SEC) backed up their win two weeks ago against Tennessee at Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium with an even bigger shocker, this time taking down the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide (8-2, 6-1) on their own turf a year after upsetting Alabama back in Norman in mid-November.
Eli Bowen returned an interception 87 yards for a touchdown, Kip Lewis had two sacks, and the Sooners snapped the Tide’s 17-game streak of home wins while handing their second-year head coach, Kalen DeBoer, his first loss at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama had won eight in a row overall since getting blown out at Florida State to open the season in late August.
“OU!” chants echoed through the emptying stadium as Oklahoma fans celebrated afterward. Sooners fourth-year head coach Brent Venables stayed on the field for more than half an hour to greet fans along the gates of the field.
“This is one of the best teams I’ve been around in terms of brotherhood and belief in one another,” Venables said. “I think it shows. I don’t think you find a way to win our fourth true road game in the fashion we were able to unless you have a lot of ingredients that aren’t on the stat sheet.”