TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Oklahoma’s playmaking defense traveled great again Saturday, this time coming up with 17 points off three turnovers to shovel more chaos into the Southeastern Conference and the College Football Playoff pictures with a 23-21 upset of Alabama.
The 11th-ranked Sooners (8-2, 4-2 SEC, No. 11 CFP) backed up their win two weeks ago at Tennessee with an even bigger shocker — this time taking down the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide (8-2, 6-1, No. 4 CFP).
Eli Bowen returned an interception 87 yards for a touchdown, Kip Lewis had two sacks and OU snapped ’Bama’s 17-game home winning streak while handing its second-year coach, Kalen DeBoer, his first loss at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama had won eight in a row overall since getting blown out at Florida State in its opener.
“OU!” chants echoed through the emptying stadium as Oklahoma fans celebrated afterward. Coach Brent Venables stayed on the field for more than half an hour to greet fans along the gates of the field.
“This is one of the best teams I’ve been around in terms of brotherhood and belief in one another,” Venables said. “I think it shows. I don’t think you find a way to win our fourth true road game in the fashion we were able to unless you have a lot of ingredients that aren’t on the stat sheet.”
It probably won’t be a fatal blow for Alabama, but now the Tide face a must-win in two weeks against archrival Auburn in the Iron Bowl.
And Suddenly, OU’s 23-6 loss to its own rival, Texas, feels like a lot longer than four weeks ago. The Sooners were a bubble team in last week’s CFP rankings but with this win, they feel like a playoff lock if they can take care of business at home against Missouri and LSU.
The Crimson Tide had a chance late, but Ty Simpson’s fourth-down pass to Ryan Williams fell incomplete.
The Sooners ran out the clock from there. Oklahoma — a 6-point underdog, according to BetMGM Sportsbook — managed just 212 yards of offense but had an interception and recovered two fumbles.
Oklahoma held Alabama to 57 yards over its last four drives, which proved to be the difference.
“Throughout the game, it didn’t feel like we couldn’t move the ball,” DeBoer said. “There were just these one-off plays that were the takeaways, and it just became an uphill battle. That’s what’s frustrating — you win everything pretty much but you come away with a loss.”
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer managed 161 total yards — 138 passing — and scored on the ground. Simpson threw for 326 yards, with a touchdown to tight end Josh Cuevas and an interception. Daniel Hill scored twice for the Tide.
Alabama’s plus-10 turnover margin entering Saturday was fourth-best nationally and best in the SEC. But that didn’t matter to Oklahoma, which also had three takeaways in a victory at Tennessee last week.
Oklahoma has six takeaways in two games after getting just four in its previous seven. And the Sooners have scored 37 points off those turnovers.
Despite dominating in nearly every category, a series of errors by Alabama proved decisive. In addition to the turnovers, Alabama missed a 36-yard field goal and allowed a 46-yard punt return that set up Oklahoma’s first score.
Oklahoma: The Sooners notched one of the best victories in college football this season, beating a top-five team on the road. If their defense remains stout and their offense can continue to progress as Mateer gets healthier, they can be dangerous late in the year.
Alabama: The Tide's long-term goals are still in play, but this was a reminder of the small margin of error that the team had been winning with in recent weeks.
Oklahoma hosts Missouri next Saturday.
Alabama hosts Eastern Illinois next Saturday.
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Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer (10) celebrates a 23-21 win over Alabama in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
CLEVELAND (AP) — Cedric Gray isn't concerned about Tennessee Titans fans wanting the first overall NFL draft pick for the second straight year.
The second-year linebacker and everyone else in the Titans locker room were focused on getting their second win of the season.
Behind a strong running game along with key plays on defense and special teams, the Titans snapped a seven-game skid as they held off the Cleveland Browns 31-29 on Sunday.
“We hadn’t won since Week 5, so it feels amazing,” said Gray, who had a team-high 10 tackles and a fumble recovery. “I’m not worried about the No. 1 overall pick. We’re ballplayers. We got heart every time we step on the field.”
Tony Pollard rushed for a career-high 161 yards and two touchdowns as Tennessee averaged 5.3 yards per carry. The defense forced a pair of turnovers in the second half and the special teams blocked a punt, with those plays leading to 17 points.
“This is complementary football. Big plays in all three phases,” said interim coach Mike McCoy, who picked up his first win in seven games since he replaced the fired Brian Callahan.
Cam Ward, the top overall pick in April’s NFL draft, completed 14 of 28 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns, his first game with multiple TD tosses. Ward also threw an interception but was sacked only once, the first time this season hadn't been taken down at least twice.
Cleveland's Shedeur Sanders passed for 364 yards and three touchdowns in his third start, and he also ran for a score in a matchup of rookies. However, Sanders threw a costly interception in the third quarter that led to Tennessee’s go-ahead TD.
The Titans (2-11) had a 31-17 lead with 6:17 remaining before the Browns scored a pair of touchdowns. Sanders had a 7-yard scramble with 4:27 left and threw a 7-yard TD pass to Harold Fannin Jr. with 1:03 remaining, but the Browns (3-10) missed both of their 2-point conversion attempts.
Cleveland attempted an onside kick, but it was recovered by Tennessee's Chimere Dike and the Titans ran out the clock.
Pollard, who had 25 carries, had a career-high 65-yard TD run late in the first quarter to give the Titans a 14-3 lead. After Cleveland rallied to take a 17-14 halftime advantage, Pollard put the Titans up for good with a 32-yard carry off left tackle. The third-quarter touchdown came two plays after Titans safety Xavier Woods picked off an ill-timed deep pass by Sanders and returned it 35 yards to the Browns 38.
After Gray recovered Dillon Sampson's fumble and returned it 19 yards to the Cleveland 8, the Titans extended their lead to 28-17 on Ward's 5-yard TD pass to Chimere Dike.
Joey Slye's field goal made it a two-touchdown advantage. That came after James Williams Sr. blocked a punt.
“Some of the things that happened that game, we expect more from our run defense,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We got to protect the ball. We had a punt blocked, and obviously not getting either the 2-point plays really off is frustrating. So that’s on all of us.”
Sanders completed 23 of 42 passes and was the Browns' first rookie quarterback since Baker Mayfield to have a 300-yard game. Fellow rookie Fannin finished with eight receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown.
“I would say as time goes on, those decisions and those things, you know, will slim down. And we won’t be in situations where I have that feeling, like, I got to make something happen," Sanders said.
The Titans scored a touchdown on their opening drive for the first time this season when Ward hit Ayomanor on a crossing route for a 14-yard score. Ward was 4 of 4 for 48 yards on the eight-play drive. Tennessee came into the game as the only team without a TD on an opening drive.
“About time, honestly,” Ward said. “We have to continue to be efficient. I have to be efficient, throwing to my guys open, putting it in their radius to make plays.”
Sanders had a strong second quarter to help the Browns take a 17-14 halftime lead.
He found David Njoku in the left corner of the end zone on third-and-goal at the Titans 1. With 2:47 remaining, Sanders gave the Browns the lead with a 60-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy, the receiver's second TD this season.
Cleveland's Myles Garrett became the 14th player to record 20 sacks in a season when he got to Ward in the second quarter. With four games left, he needs three sacks to break the NFL record of 22 1/2 shared by Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and Pittsburgh's TJ Watt.
“I think we really were licking our chops for the pass and they stuck with the run, and we really should have been focused on stopping the run,” Garrett said.
Titans: OT Dan Moore suffered a neck injury in the third quarter.
Browns: WR Malachi Corley (concussion) and Njoku (knee) were injured in the second quarter. C Ethan Pocic (Achilles tendon), CB Denzel Ward (calf) and WR Cedric Tillman (concussion) left in the second half.
Titans: At San Francisco next Sunday.
Browns: At Chicago next Sunday.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) runs the ball for a touchdown as Tennessee Titans defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat (93) gives chase in the second half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) visits with his father Deion Sanders, right, during warmups before an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) catches a touchdown pass as Tennessee Titans cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. (39) defends in the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) sprints to the end zone after catching a touchdown pass as Tennessee Titans cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. (39) gives chase in the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (20) runs the ball for a touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
