DeBoer tells what makes Oklahoma’s defense distinct under Brent Venables

Nov 15, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Marcus James (28) makes a tackle on Alabama Crimson Tide running back Jam Miller (26) at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Oklahoma defeated Alabama 23-21. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

Alabama is currently preparing to face a familiar foe for the second time this season as the Crimson Tide’s path to a championship starts at Oklahoma on Friday, and the Sooners were able to defeat the Crimson Tide thanks to the stellar play of their defense.

The Sooners picked off quarterback Ty Simpson and returned the interception for a touchdown. They also sacked him four times, forced a fumble and recovered it. That was the first time in SEC play that Alabama’s offense pretty much gave the game away due to turnovers.

Oklahoma blitzed on around half of Simpson’s drop backs and banked on the possibility of Simpson coughing up the football or making a bad choice with the football. It looked like a formula on how to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide was displayed for all teams to see.

On Monday, Kalen DeBoer was asked what makes Oklahoma’ defense distinct under head coach Brent Venables.

“Well obviously play calling is a huge part of it, but I think it’s the design of the defense and your play caller being on the same page with the defense that’s out there and how they attack and the variety and diversity of what they do in their different packages,” DeBoer said. “They got good, great players too. Up front, they just do a great job of causing chaos. They love the tackles for loss, the sacks, and there’s obviously a trigger man, and Coach Venables being one of the best that there is at doing it. Obviously, he’s running the show. Always got a ton of respect for what he does. They have an attacking mindset, and they are one of the best at doing it.”

When specifically talking about Oklahoma’s pass rush, staying balanced on offense is a way to keep the pass rushers honest and in check. Alabama rushed for 80 yards against the Sooners in Bryant-Denny Stadium, which is an accomplishment when comparing that performance to the other games like the SEC Championship for example. Alabama had negative rushing yards against the Bulldogs, and the ground game looked off without Jam Miller or Kevin Riley available.

DeBoer talked about what needs to be done to make sure Oklahoma’s defense does not win the game.

“We actually blocked some things up better than what I thought we produced as total yardage,” DeBoer said. “Some of that was off the sacks that we had, if I remember right, we had four for 25 or 30 yards, something like that. So, compared to other teams, because this is a very good defense and that’s what you’re looking at, we ran the ball as well as anyone had, so we got to keep building on that. That is important though because the more you can do of that, the better situations and third downs that you can be in where Ty can go, you know, not have to force the ball down the field which takes more time. Third and mediums, third and shorts, would love to live in that world, but there’s obviously a team on the other side of the ball that’s trying to make that world a little bit harder and not let you in those spots. So, everything we can do to continue to stay ahead of the chains, whether it’s run or pass, playing good smart, clean football, that’s gonna be really important to our success on offense.”

Venables is one of the few head coaches in the nation that is a play caller. He won national championships as a defensive coordinator at Clemson, and now he’s coaching Oklahoma into the College Football Playoff.

Alabama and Oklahoma will be the first College Football Playoff game of the year. The Crimson Tide play the Sooners in Oklahoma on Friday night.