Oklahoma defense stifles Alabama: How Brent Venables' dominant unit has Sooners eyeing CFP

Jake Mozarsky

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Oklahoma defense stifles Alabama: How Brent Venables' dominant unit has Sooners eyeing CFP image

Brett Venables' Oklahoma defense entered Saturday as the No. 1 scoring unit in the SEC and one of the top in America. In Tuscaloosa on Saturday afternoon, it was the catalyst behind No. 11 Oklahoma's upset win over No. 4 Alabama.

For the second straight game on the road against a ranked opponent, the Sooners defense forced three turnovers — against an Alabama offense that led the SEC in turnover margin — to beat the surging Crimson Tide, 23-21, sending shockwaves across the college football world.

The Sooners have dealt with injuries, mainly to star quarterback John Mateer, but the defense has consistently been the best Venables has had in Norman. Now, he gets the biggest win of his Oklahoma coaching career and has the Sooners thinking College Football Playoff.

Let's look into how the Sooners defense stifled Simpson and the Alabama offense.

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Where does Oklahoma's defense rank nationally? 

Going into this weekend, Oklahoma averaged 14.1 points allowed per game, which is top-10 in America and first in the SEC. Where the Sooners excel is run defense, which is fourth in FBS at 82.4 yards per game.

Where Oklahoma has struggled is with turnovers. The Sooners entered the game with only seven turnovers gained and a -5 margin. Against Alabama, they were +3, forcing two fumbles and one interception, which was only Simpson's second on the season.

Though Oklahoma was outgained by nearly 200 yards (406 to 212), Venables' defense flipped the game on its head by winning the turnover battle. The most important came in the fourth quarter, where the Sooner pass rush got to Simpson and recovered the quarterback's fumble; Oklahoma took a 23-21 lead on the ensuing possession, which held for the rest of the game.

For years, the Sooner defense has not ranked well, but this season, it has been the engine to a team that now has the College Football Playoff in sight.

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Who is Oklahoma's defensive coordinator?

The Sooners' defensive structure is led by a unique arrangement. It is headed by Venables, who is the defensive play-caller for the unit.

Underneath Venables, Oklahoma has co-defensive coordinators: Todd Bates who specializes in run defense and defensive tackles, while Jay Valai does pass defense.

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Who calls Oklahoma's defense?

After previous defensive coordinator Zac Alley departed, Venables, a former national championship-winning defensive coordinator at both Oklahoma and Clemson, chose to take direct control of the defense for the 2025 season.

While the team has two co-defensive coordinators, Venables makes the actual calls during the game. This decision has been widely credited for the unit's success and high national rankings this season.

Brent Venables coaching history

Venables is considered one of the most accomplished defensive coordinators in modern college football history. His history is defined by two hugely successful defensive stints at national powerhouses in Oklahoma (1999–2011) and Clemson (2012–2021).

He began his legendary run at Oklahoma in 1999, joining Bob Stoops's inaugural staff as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. This partnership quickly yielded massive results, culminating in the 2000 BCS National Championship, where the Sooners' defense stifled an explosive Florida State offense and won 13-2. Venables was elevated to sole defensive coordinator in 2004, and over his 13 seasons in Norman, he built one of the most consistently dominant defenses of the Big 12 era, helping the program win seven conference titles and appear in three additional national championship games. His units consistently ranked in the national Top 20 in total defense, producing multiple national award winners like Roy Williams and Teddy Lehman.

Venables's time at Clemson has become a standard for college defenses. The Tigers consistently ranked in the Top 15 nationally in total defense for eight of his last nine seasons there. His defenses led the entire nation in tackles-for-losses for four consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2016, along with ranking top 10 in sacks from 2014 to 2021. Venables won the 2016 Frank Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant coach.

He has coached a tremendous number of NFL defensive players, including 12 first-round draft picks and winners of three Butkus Awards (best college linebacker) and two Nagurski Awards (best college defender).

His current role at Oklahoma essentially sees him return to his roots as a hands-on, play-calling defensive mastermind, a move that has already paid dividends for the Sooners' defense this season.

MORE: LSU gets first win under Frank Wilson

Oklahoma remaining schedule

Oklahoma has to take care of two unranked opponents at home, and if it does, it has a chance to make the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019.

DateOpponentTime (EST)
11/22vs. Missouri12:00 PM EST
11/29vs. LSUTBD

MORE: Is Alabama out of the playoff?

News Correspondent