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OU-Alabama quick-hitters: An all-time gritty victory for Sooners

Bob Przybyloby: Bob Przybylo9 hours agoBPrzybylo
David Stone12
OU defensive tackle David Stone (Gary Cosby - Imagn Images)

And that’s why OU fans wanted to go to the SEC. That’s what OU fans have wanted to see from this team and head coach Brent Venables.

In a game that OU had to have, it was the defense that shut the door. Fittingly, it was the defense that carried the day to an incredible 23-21 road victory at Alabama on Saturday evening at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

The game still left to be decided, and it was Peyton Bowen who came up big with the pass breakup on fourth down.

And breathe and rejoice and celebrate.

Your quick-hitters.

Defense stands tall

Bend don’t break, and then dominate late. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson had his way with the Sooners in the first half, but it was a different story in the second half.

Linebacker Kip Lewis, hey, there’s just something about playing Alabama. He had two sacks, including a huge one on the final drive to put the Crimson Tide in a tough spot.

The day also included a sack from Taylor Wein and Devon Jordan. And a couple of turnovers, oh, those takeaways.

There goes Bowen once again

You talk about Lewis and Bama, copy and paste with cornerback Eli Bowen. For the second OU game in a row, a defensive score set the early tone.

This time around, it wasn’t a scoop-and-score. Instead, it was an 87-yard interception return for a touchdown by Bowen in the first half.

It was one of two massive takeaways in the first half that led to 14 points. The other was a special teams miscue as Jaydan Hardy punched it out and Sammy Omosigho recovered it.

Bring Your Own Guts

Seriously. What a performance by OU in back-to-back road trips. At Tennessee, and now at Alabama.

That’s what championship teams do. And now we’ll find out about the playoff ranking come Tuesday evening.

Up next

Time to go home and finish strong. OU (8-2, 5-2) now welcomes Missouri to Owen Field at 11 a.m. Saturday.

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