As Alabama readies for its final SEC home game against No. 11 Oklahoma this Saturday, defensive coordinator Kane Wommack finds himself revisiting an old wound. The matchup pits him once again against offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle, the same coach whose offense carved up Wommack’s unit in the New Orleans Bowl two years ago. 

“We got our ass kicked is what happened. I appreciate you bringing that up. I needed a little edge this morning,” Wommack said in Monday’s press conference. “I feel like we have faced this offense and this system a number of times over the years, and I think they do a great job, just, schematically.”

That 2022 New Orleans Bowl defeat remains one of the toughest of Wommack’s coaching career. Arbuckle’s up-tempo, air-raid system relentlessly picked them apart, as Austin Reed led Western Kentucky to nearly 500 passing yards and four touchdowns in a 44-23 rout, setting his own record along the way. South Alabama had entered the game with one of the top scoring defenses in the Sun Belt. But they struggled to adjust to the Hilltoppers’ pace and spacing, watching their coverage repeatedly break down, ending a 10-win season on a sour note. Now with Arbuckle visiting Tuscaloosa as OC for the first time, he further acknowledged that such firepower could pose a real threat. 

“I feel like we have faced this offense and this system a number of times over the years, and I think they do a great job just schematically,” Wommack said of Arbuckle’s system. “They attack you vertically down the field, they’re aggressive, they got great RPO answers into their run game schemes and they always have little one-off runs that you got to defend. They do a good job of changing those things up.”

During his time as head coach at South Alabama, Kane Wommack got a look at the kind of system Ben Arbuckle runs. It’s one built on tempo, spacing, and relentless vertical pressure. Arbuckle came up through the Air Raid coaching tree, working under Zach Kittley at Western Kentucky and later running his own version of the offense at Washington State before heading to Oklahoma. His units are known for stretching defenses horizontally and vertically, forcing defenders to make quick decisions in space. The core philosophy revolves around light personnel groupings, quick-developing reads, and timing-based routes that open up deep shots once defenses start cheating underneath.

“I think Ben did a great job in that game and has done a good job in his first year there at Oklahoma,” Wommack said. “It will be a good challenge for us. This is the SEC. You face really good offensive minds every single week, and you have a body of work that you put on tape that you have to answer for.”

At Oklahoma, Arbuckle’s offense has taken some time to pack a punch. The rushing game was a red flag for Ben Arbuckle this season, but he seems to have mended this area. Tory Blaylock and Xavier Robinson are not getting the ground attack growing, with the latter now shouldering a bigger share of the work. 

Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2 SEC) ranks 11th in the conference and 77th nationally in total offense, though part of that decline can be traced to John Mateer’s health. The sophomore suffered a thumb injury on his throwing hand in September against Auburn and underwent surgery shortly after. So far, he has thrown for 1,949 yards and eight touchdowns with seven interceptions, and has only two scoring passes in his last four games.

Even with the passing dip, Mateer’s legs continue to make him a threat. He’s run for 306 yards and six touchdowns this season, adding an extra layer to Arbuckle’s scheme that Alabama (8-1, 6-0 SEC) will have to account for. The Tide saw a similar challenge in last year’s matchup, when Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold rushed for 131 yards in a 24–3 win.

On the other hand, Arbuckle, too, acknowledged Wommack’s defense, which ranks 18th in the country. 

Arbuckle’s Offense Meets Wommack’s Top-20 Defense For Round Two

“Coach Womack does a great job,” the OC told the press recently. He regarded the fight between his defenses and opponent offenses as a “chess match,” too. It is a Top-20 unit after all, and will definitely pull out the stops against a talented offense.

“They’re really talented, really long, really athletic, really physical, cause a lot of chaos.  But that all starts from the coach putting them in a position to where they can all use their athletic ability,” he added. Alabama’s defense has a really strong secondary. Justin Jefferson leads the team in tackles, while star LB Deontae Lawson is also a serious threat. Nikhai Hill-Green is also making a big impact. 21 of his 33 total tackles are solo.

Saturday’s much-awaited clash will affect how the future looks for both programs this season. Oklahoma needs to win this game to continue hoping for a playoff spot. And because this is a big one for the Sooners, they know the defense can’t be the sole factor powering the game. Ben Arbuckle’s offense will step up, which already has the Tide’s defense wary. Kalen DeBoer will know that well, since he was outsmarted by Brent Venables last season.