Alabama Crimson Tide has 3 Sooners it must watch out for to win College Football Playoff rematch against Oklahoma
Here are 3 players the Alabama Crimson Tide must contain on Friday night.
It’s finally here. The Alabama Crimson Tide has a shot at redemption this Friday. Not only redemption against the Oklahoma Sooners, but also for the last month of the season. The Crimson Tide down the stretch of 2025 wasn’t the same as the team in the middle of the season.
Frankly, the regression of the team and offense started during homecoming against Oklahoma. So, who do the Crimson Tide need to take care of in this rematch? I spoke with Justin Churchill of A to Z Sports Oklahoma to get a bead on who to look for.
Taylor Wein, DE
“This is a guy the college football world doesn’t really know about yet, but they certainly will. It’s hard to be the other end when the leader is R Mason Thomas. However, when Thomas was hurt, Wein not only stepped up, but went nuclear. Against Bama the first time, Wein had a blocked field goal, and a few tackles for loss. He’s a guy who’s very technically sound, and kind of reminds you a lot of Maxx Crosby in that he just has a dawg mentality. Wein can take over a game.” – Churchill
Wein was a tough matchup for the Tide the first time around, and that was when OU didn’t have standout EDGE R Mason Thomas. Alabama’s pass protection will need to be on point to make sure those bookends don’t get hot.
Xavier Robinson, RB
“Robinson has been the best running back in the Sooners this season, but he hasn’t always been healthy. He wasn’t healthy against Bama the first time around, but after a two-week break, the Sooners are expecting to get him back with more to give. Robinson can just be a physical back that takes those 4-yard runs over and over again until out of nowhere he pulls off a 50-yarder. That’s dangerous, and for a Bama run game who has struggled at times this year on defense, I can imagine they will be game planning against X.” – Churchill
Alabama’s run defense has been much better down the stretch, but it will be stressed this week against the Sooners and their heavy RPO scheme. The Crimson Tide did enough to slow down OU the first time around, but Robinson could be an X-Factor this go-round.
Isaiah Sategna, WR
“Maybe the fastest player in college football plays for Oklahoma. His mom and dad being Olympic athletes certainly helps, and when you see him get the ball in his hands you can see why he gets the respect he gets. Against Missouri, he turned a slant into an 87-yard touchdown. He’s had a 57-yarder against a busted coverage when playing LSU. He can turn nothing into something into the blink of an eye. For OU it’s more about getting him the ball, and getting him the ball in situations that make sense. He’s certainly a guy Bama is game planning for.” – Churchill
Whether it’s Dijon Lee or Domanji Jackson, the Tide has to contain the speed demon that is Sategna. As Churchill stated, what makes him dangerous is not just the speed vertically, but after the catch, where he can take a glance route and strike up the band for six.
We will see how Alabama handles all of these players and more on Friday.
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