SEC fines Oklahoma for fans storming the field after Alabama upset

Oklahoma didn’t bother trying to keep its fans off the field after its 24-3 upset win over No. 7 Alabama on Saturday night. On Sunday, the SEC fined the school $200,000 for its infraction of the conference’s policies.

Although the fine is nothing to scoff at, it could be much worse. The initial $100,000 fine is the lowest-level fine for first-time offenders. After a school’s second offense, the fine increases to $250,000. It then increases to $500,000 for the third offense and any ensuing breaches of the policy.

In accordance with the policy, which the SEC updated in 2023, Oklahoma’s $100,000 will go to Alabama. Oklahoma must pay Alabama an additional $100,000 for its fans entering the field of play before the game ended.

While nobody may have expected fans to rush the field early, the Oklahoma faithful were certainly expected to storm the gridiron if the Sooners won. The last time the home team’s fans didn’t rush the field following a win over Alabama was when LSU downed the Crimson Tide in 2010.

Earlier this season, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer revealed his perspective on opposing fans storming the field.

“I know when it happens, the biggest thing that you’re concerned about is the safety,” DeBoer said. “You’re trying to get your players off the field. All it takes is one fan who’s a little over the top and gets connected with one of our players who is super emotional and had just laid it all on the field.

“You’ve got a recipe for something that could go wrong. Would be nothing but a negative. For the most part, I think our guys have handled themselves well when we’ve been in those situations.”

It’s safe to assume that the Sooners won’t lose any sleep over the fine. It was a vindicating win for Oklahoma on Saturday after the team landed on the wrong side of tight battles against top teams throughout the season.

The Sooners’ ground game was key in the victory. In the win, quarterback Jackson Arnold amassed a team-high 131 rushing yards on 25 carries. Following closely behind, true freshman running back Xavier Robinson notched 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Oklahoma’s defense was stellar as well, holding the Crimson Tide to just 234 yards of total offense. Moreover, the Sooners squeezed three turnovers out of Alabama, including a pivotal pick-six in the third quarter.

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables couldn’t have been prouder of his team’s performance.

“We finally got the result we want and we put it all together,” Venables said. “I just want to thank our players — congratulate our players and the staff for a really tough, challenging season. And I just appreciate their belief, their leadership, their work, their strain, their competitive spirit, the willingness to continue to come back week in and week out and continue to believe and do the things that we’ve asked them to do.”