Oklahoma vs. Alabama: Epic Rematch Analysis & Predictions

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00:00We'll start with the matchup on December 19th.

00:02It's a rematch of the game that took place in late November

00:06where Oklahoma did pick up the three-point win,

00:0924-21 over top-ranked Alabama.

00:12Alabama was a six-and-a-half-point home favorite.

00:15John Mateer in Oklahoma handed Alabama only their second home loss

00:20dating back to 2020.

00:22When you look at this matchup,

00:24Alabama now is a slight one-and-a-half-point road favorite in Norman.

00:28Kaelin DeBoer has lost his last two games to Oklahoma.

00:33Coach, how do you see this matchup playing out,

00:35but specifically from the quarterback matchup?

00:39Well, that's one of my favorite games.

00:41And, again, it is going to be a quarterback matchup.

00:43I think Mateer gives you a steady quarterback.

00:46I don't know he knocks your socks off every time he plays,

00:49but he is so steady.

00:50And when you've got a great defense like they do

00:53and a quarterback that really just manages the offense,

00:56tries to play a clean game,

00:57I think that's what you get at Oklahoma.

01:00And that's why I kind of favor them a little bit.

01:02But Alabama, their quarterback, Ty Simpson,

01:05has really been one that has impressed everyone

01:08through much of the season.

01:10He got outplayed at the end by Gunnar Stockton at Georgia,

01:13and we saw a little bit less of what he's able to play.

01:16But he's going to probably bring his best game,

01:19and most of the season that's what he brought.

01:21They depend on the passing attack so much at Alabama.

01:24They can't run the ball.

01:25They absolutely ran for nothing against Georgia.

01:28For that reason, a lot more pressure on Ty Simpson than on Mateer.

01:33That's why I like Oklahoma in this football game,

01:36because, again, not so much pressure on the quarterback to be the guy.

01:41And, again, Alabama, unless they can fix their running game

01:43in the next two weeks, which they have some time to work on it,

01:47they're going to struggle for the same reason

01:48I thought they would throughout the season.

01:50They don't run the ball well enough.

01:51Coach, when you look at this team in terms of Oklahoma,

01:57if Mateer, let's say, wasn't 100%,

02:00and there's really no telling with that thumb.

02:02He had thumb surgery in the middle of the year.

02:06The extra two or three weeks of preparation

02:08might actually benefit him even more

02:11if he was just a little bit banged up on that hand.

02:14Do you see that being a positive,

02:16where it gives an extra time for Mateer to potentially heal up?

02:20I know he put up 300-plus yards against LSU,

02:24but did throw, in fact, three interceptions.

02:26When you look at that, give me your thoughts

02:28about the health aspect of John Mateer.

02:32I think when you have an injury to your throwing hand,

02:35every week is a positive in which you get better and better.

02:39And we don't know how much that's caused him

02:41to be off of his game.

02:42As we watched him play, like I felt like he's been

02:45a good quarterback, but not a great quarterback.

02:48He runs the ball smart, but not elusive quite as much.

02:52But I promise you, every week he has off

02:55is only going to help him get closer to his maximum ability

02:58and be the best quarterback he can be.

03:01And with their offense, with their football team

03:03being so dependent on a strong defense

03:05and not being able to score a lot of points,

03:08he needs to really be at the best of his game

03:10for them to progress through the playoffs.

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