Alabama Looking to Avoid Repeat of Last Year’s ‘Spooky’ Oklahoma Game

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama Crimson Tide was 8-2 a season ago, and despite a couple of bad losses to Vanderbilt and Tennessee, still had its hopes set on the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff. The only thing that stood between Alabama was a road trip to Norman, Oklahoma, and the Iron Bowl, against teams that were not yet bowl eligible at the time of the games.

Get our free mobile app

On a cold night in Norman, Oklahoma, the Crimson Tide got punched in the mouth and crumpled under pressure, falling to the Sooners 24-3 on their home turf. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson recalled the preparation for that game, calling it a 'spooky' atmosphere.

"I remember that warm-up, that team meal, just that whole game of how it felt," Simpson said. "It just felt spooky, to be honest with you."

The Tide's season was killed by Jackson Arnold and the 6-6 Sooners last year. Both teams are improved now, with a two-loss Oklahoma coming to Tuscaloosa this Saturday, hoping to pull off another major upset of the Crimson Tide as Alabama again looks toward the SEC championship. Simpson isn't taking the Sooners for granted again this season, though.

"I don't want to have that feeling again this year," Simpson continued after a 20-9 win over LSU. "Especially at our house, with a lot at stake.

"They had nothing to lose," Simpson recalled. "We kind of took them for granted. That's kind of how our mindset was, that we were gonna go in and steamroll them, and it wasn't it at all. In the SEC, everybody knows that every game is gonna be a hard game. We're gonna make sure we get our minds right [on Sunday]."

Alabama avoided disaster the last two games it's played against opponents with 'nothing to lose' in the Tide's 29-22 victory over South Carolina and 20-9 victory over LSU. Now the Crimson Tide will face one of the top quarterbacks in the country in John Mateer, and one of the top defenses in the country, led by Sooners' head coach Brent Venables.

Simpson played one snap in last year's loss to the Sooners as the backup to Jalen Milroe. With Milroe gone to the NFL, Simpson has had two opportunities to right wrongs from last season and came away victorious in revenge games against Vanderbilt and Tennessee. The last is the biggest hurdle the Tide will face out of the three with No. 12 Oklahoma. Simpson has used that mantra of 'revenge' before when referencing Vanderbilt and Tennessee, but refrained from using it against the Sooners.

"We're not gonna think about it and make it about it," he said. "But it will always be remembered."

Alabama will face Oklahoma this Saturday, November 15, at 2:30 p.m.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.