The Sooners are prepping to host a playoff game in Norman with excitement building.

OU football (10-2, No. 8 CFP) is set to take on Alabama (10-3, No. 9 CFP) under the lights on Dec. 19 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The Sooners feel confident their fans will show out to elevate the team’s performance.

“The fans are going to be riled up,” redshirt junior linebacker Kobie McKinzie said. “I mean, it’s like Friday night lights — open the scene of that movie. That’s what Friday’s going to be next week, so it’ll be exciting.”

The game will also be OU football’s first time to host a playoff game in its history, and head coach Brent Venables recognizes that Sooner fans have been eagerly awaiting the high-stakes home matchup.

“It’ll be an electric environment, one where they’re going to show up with great passion and energy and make it difficult for the opponent to communicate — all those types of things, the advantages that you get,” Venables said on Sunday. “Our fan base is incredibly hungry. They’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.”

The game also marks a rematch after the Sooners, led by their dominant defense, defeated Alabama 23-21 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. OU forced three Alabama turnovers, including a sophomore cornerback Eli Bowen pick-six, to guide it to victory. After the playoff matchup was announced on Sunday, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer praised the Sooner defense’s ability to execute momentum-swinging plays.

“You create your own breaks by playing hard and playing smart and playing fast, and that’s certainly what coach Venables has with his team and … the defense — one of the best in the country,” DeBoer said. 

Bowen, however, feels that the defense played below its potential the last time it played the Crimson Tide. Despite the win, OU still allowed Alabama to put up 406 yards with 326 in the air, and Bowen hopes the Sooners have a more well-rounded performance the next time the two teams matchup.

“We didn’t have a great defensive game overall,” Bowen said. “We caused turnovers that saved us, but we didn’t have a highly detailed and executed game from the defensive side, so I feel like we’re focused on fixing those mistakes.”

They are set to rematch with a receiving core that has three wide receivers with at least 400 receiving yards on the season. Junior Isaiah Horton, sophomore Ryan Williams and senior Germie Bernard have 430, 631 and 762, respectively. 

“I know they’re all NFL-level receivers,” Bowen said. “It’s a great opportunity for all the DBs in general play good against them … because we know how talented they are.”

Between the environment and the hope to string together a complete game against high-level players, the Sooners are ready to embrace the playoff rematch under Friday night lights.

“When you commit to this place and put everything in that you possibly can, this is what you hope to see and hope to give,” McKinzie said. “Every opportunity that we had this year, every game, this is what you play for and what you desire when you become an Oklahoma Sooner.”

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