PFF notebook: What the numbers say about Alabama's loss to Oklahoma

After defeating LSU on the road in Week 11, Alabama looked like a shoo-in for the College Football Playoff and had the inside track for the SEC Championship. However, two weeks later, the Crimson Tide’s momentum came to a halt as the 5-5 Oklahoma Sooners delivered a shocking 24-3 defeat in Norman, turning a trip to the Palace on the Prairie into a nightmare for Alabama.

Alabama couldn’t find its footing in any way, shape or form. The Crimson Tide’s typically potent rushing attack was suffocated by a strong Oklahoma defense, while Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold carved up Alabama’s defense with his legs, delivering a standout performance that kept the Tide trailing the whole game. Even Alabama’s special teams had their blunders, with typically reliable punter James Burnip having several self-inflicted errors throughout the game.

“Extremely disappointed. Frustrated,” said Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer. “We worked extremely hard, I thought, all week putting a plan together all week. Guys had good energy and were excited to come here on the road. We’ve just got to play better. We’ve got to be better.”

Before we turn the page to the now No. 13 Alabama’s matchup with Auburn in the Iron Bowl here’s a look at the Tide’s Week 13 performance through the lens of Pro Football Focus.

TOP PERFORMERS

Offense

(Player, position — offensive grade)

Parker Brailsford, C — 70.5

The Washington transfer finished as the highest-graded offensive player in Alabama’s 21-point loss to Oklahoma. Among each offensive lineman who took at least one pass-blocking snap against the Sooners, Brailsford was the only one not to allow a pressure, although he did chart one penalty for the Crimson Tide.

Josh Cuevas, TE — 69.2

Cuevas finished with 40 receiving yards on two receptions, his second straight game hauling in two catches for at least 40 yards, helping him finish with a 71.6 receiving grade against Oklahoma. Unfortunately for the hybrid offensive piece, Cuevas allowed his first pressure of the season as a QB hit.

Jalen Milroe, QB — 67.7

Although Milroe cracks into the top three, his placement here shows how abysmal Alabama’s offense was against the Sooners. Milroe’s grade was the second lowest of the season for the junior quarterback while simultaneously finishing with his lowest-graded rushing performance this year. In the passing attack, Milroe only charted one turnover-worthy play despite the career-high three interceptions.

Defense

(Player, position — defensive grade)

Tim Smith, DT — 82.5

The fifth-year defensive lineman was Alabama’s most consistent defender in the 24-3 loss to the Sooners, finishing with Alabama's second-highest run defense grade, 78.0, and charting a lone pressure. Smith finished the day with four tackles on 38 snaps.

DeVonta Smith — 74.1

Smith had a good game against the Sooners, totaling eight tackles and finishing with Alabama's third-highest tackle rating (83.1). The defensive back allowed one reception for five yards in coverage,

Malachi Moore — 73.9

Alabama’s defensive leader, Moore, is set to play in his final regular season game for the Crimson Tide in the upcoming Iron Bowl, but had a solid performance in his final SEC road game. Moore finished the day with 10 tackles and a team-leading 74.7 grade in coverage.

Qua Russaw, OLB - 73.5

Russaw lands in the top four with a consistent performance across the board. The redshirt freshman finished with four tackles and above a 70.0 grade in each overall defense, run defense tackling and coverage.

TOP BLOCKERS

Pass blocking

Jam Miller — 85.5 (10-pass-blocking-snaps)

Tyler Booker — 83.0 (34-pass-blocking-snaps)

Jaeden Roberts — 78.5 (24-pass-blocking-snaps)

Parker Brailsford — 74.1 (24-pass-blocking-snaps)

Geno VnDeMark — 70.3 (10-pass-blocking-snaps)

Outlook: Alabama’s pass blocking finished with its second-lowest overall grade of the season, 59.0, only behind Alabama’s Week 8 loss to Tennesee. The Crimson Tide blockers allowed 12 pressures in total, with Elijah Pritchett allowing five; this was his fifth time of the season allowing at least three pressures in a game. The unit also totaled four penalties against the Sooners.

Run blocking

Kadyn Proctor — 67.7 (29-run-blocking-snaps)

Parker Brailsford — 66.8 (29-run-blocking-snaps)

Jam Miller — 64.3 (12-run-blocking-snaps)

Outlook: Alabama’s run blocking also turned in its second-lowest grade of the season, 53.9. The Crimson Tide’s run game was abysmal against Oklahoma, only rushing for 70 yards on 30 attempts (2.3 yards per carry)

PASSING DEPTH

Jalen Milroe

Deep (20+ yards past LOS): 2 of 5 for 62 yards, 1 interception

Medium (10-19 yards past LOS): 1 of 3 for 15 yards

Short (0-9 yards past LOS): 6 of 12 for 73 yards, 1 interception

Behind LOS: 2 of 4 for 14 yards, 1 interception

Ty Simpson

Behind LOS: 0 of 1

Outlook: Jalen Milroe delivered his least efficient passing performance of the season against Oklahoma, finishing with an adjusted completion rate of 62.5% and recording his first turnover-worthy play in four games. Despite the interception, Milroe showed flashes in his deep passing game, logging two big-time throws and nearly a third, which was taken away by an illegal touching penalty on Alabama after Ryan Williams caught a fourth-quarter touchdown. Milroe’s passing in the short game was abysmal, finishing with a 50.2 grade on those passes, but three drops from his receivers also impacted his play in the range of the field.