It's been a long year for the Alabama Crimson Tide, but as we have seen with this team since August, resilience is in their DNA.
Even though Alabama has a new quarterback, and are dominating the SEC in 2025, the ghosts of the 2024 game in Norman are still haunting the Crimson Tide.
“I remember that warmup,” quarterback Ty Simpson said. “That team meal. Just that whole game and how it felt. It just felt spooky to be honest with you.”
It was one of the more embarrassing losses in recent history for the program, as Oklahoma stepped on Alabama, took a few steps, and walked back to stomp on the Tide a little bit more just to make sure the job was done.
The Sooners walked away with a dominant victory by the score of 24-3.
“I don’t want to have that feeling again this year,” Simpson said. “Especially at our house with a lot at stake. … We’re not going to think about it and make it about it but it will always be remembered."
Never underestimate a team with something to prove. Alabama has spent all season proving to the nation that it’s not what we saw during Week 1 in Tallahassee, and that what you saw, wasn’t what you got.
It was a complete turnaround from Week 2 until now, though there have been some bumps in the road that the team acknowledges need to be better.
Especially in the run game.
“We only had 56 yards, so it needs to be better,” head coach Kalen DeBoer said on Monday. “I think there’s other things we can do to make the defense have to cover us. And we missed opportunities that would help open up the box a little bit. But we certainly, either one of two things on each play is do a better job blocking and then do a good job of being physical with the ball in our hands, too, and then falling ahead for yards.”
Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb wasn’t as easy on his running back room as the head coach was though.
"I think there are some physical things that the guys know we have to do a little bit better. I know we have to battle to make those things right."
In that game last season, Alabama’s leading rusher was Jam Miller with just 45 yards on 12 carries, with Justice Haynes taking three carries for 18 yards.
Oklahoma, on the other hand, sliced and diced the Tide, with 257 rushing yards, led by quarterback Jackson Arnold.
This time, the Sooners will roll out John Mateer, the transfer out of Washington State, who has struggled mightily since returning from thumb surgery, completing just 60.5% of his passes.
It’ll be a spooky day for Alabama fans, who look back upon November 24, 2024 with utter disdain, but if there was ever a team that could show their resilience, it can be the 2025 Crimson Tide.