NORMAN — Oklahoma was a 14-point underdog for its final home against No. 7 Alabama.

Not so fast, as Lee Corso would say.

The Sooners defeated the Crimson Tide, 24-3, to clinch the victory on Senior Night.

Fueled by a dominant rushing attack and a stout defense, the Sooners outgained Alabama 328-234 and won the turnover margin 3-1. The result? The Sooners improve to 6-5 on the season, securing that coveted sixth victory to clinch bowl eligibility.

It was a dominant, complete performance for the Sooners in a game that has monumental implications for the program this year and beyond. Here's a look at four takeaways from OU's stunning victory:

With Jalil Farooq, Nic Anderson, Jayden Gibson, Andrel Anthony and Deion Burks again out for the offense, playcaller Joe Jon Finley made a conscious decision.

The Sooners were not going to put the ball in Arnold's hands to throw it, really at all. Instead, they would use his feet.

It paid off handsomely.

Arnold surgically carved off Alabama's defense, as the Sooners largely abandoned the pass from the very beginning. Arnold was both efficient and effective, carrying the ball 25 times for a game-high 131 yards on 5.2 yards per carry. When Arnold did drop back to pass, he was able to routinely pick up chunk yards on scrambles when there weren't receivers open. The Sooners were also creative with their formations, constantly utilizing three- and four-man backfields and motions that kept Alabama off balance.

It was a bold strategy, considering Arnold entered the game with the third-most fumbles (8) and third-most fumbles lost (5) in the entire FBS. Instead, the Sooners doubled down on the running game — they carried the ball 49 times, and Arnold only attempted 12 passes, completing nine of them for 68 yards. The Sooners went into halftime with 215 rushing yards, more yards than Alabama had surrendered in any game this season.

That commitment to the running game is the main reason why the Sooners completely controlled the game. They held possession for nearly 18 minutes in the first half and outgained Alabama 242-97 heading into halftime.

The result? The Sooners finished with 260 rushing yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry.

Arnold was the head of the snake. But he didn't do it alone.

The true freshman had shown his potential earlier this month against Maine, then was the lone bright spot against Missouri with nine carries for 56 yards. It was enough that the Sooners decided not to hold Robinson for a redshirt and have him available for the final two games of the season.

Boy, did that pay off.

Robinson assumed lead running back responsibilities on the second drive of the game, taking his first touch for 40 yards down to the Alabama 35-yard line. From there, the Sooners proceeded to consistently feed the true freshman, who finished with 18 carries for 107 yards (5.9 per carry) and two touchdowns. He also led the team with four receptions for 20 yards.

Robinson didn't make his money on a few explosive plays. He did exactly what he showed against Missouri, consistently picking up chunk yardage while always falling forward. However, he did show some elusiveness on his 18-yard touchdown to end the first half.

Robinson's performance is even crazier considering he didn't start the game. With Jovantae Barnes unavailable, the Sooners began with Taylor Tatum in the backfield. But after Tatum fumbled inside the Alabama 25-yard line on the second drive of the game, Robinson largely overtook the starting job.

Robinson was nowhere near the rotation the first eight games of the season. Now, he appears to be an indispensable part of the offense who has proven he can play against SEC defenses.

The Sooners went into halftime with a 10-3 lead, but there was still some concern about the second half. OU led Ole Miss 14-10 at halftime and then lost 26-14.

However, Kip Lewis and Eli Bowen made sure there was no chance for Alabama to rally.On the opening drive of the second half, Bowen read Jalen Milroe's pass perfectly and picked it off before returning it to the Alabama 14-yard line. Robinson proceeded to score five plays later, pushing the Sooners' lead to 17-3.

The Sooners weren't done. Eight plays later, Lewis intercepted Milroe near the right sideline and returned it 49 yards for a score. It marked Lewis' second pick-six of the season — both ironically against teams from the state of Alabama.

The Sooners hadn't intercepted an opposing quarterback since Billy Bowman picked off Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers on Oct. 12. They then proceeded to pick off Milroe on back-to-back possessions that ultimately sealed the win and prevented any chance of Alabama taking back momentum.

Woodi Washington, poetically on Senior Night, added a fourth-quarter interception for good measure.

Just like the Sooners' offense looked to make a statement with the running game, the defense had a similar message to send, too.

There would be no room to run for Milroe.

The Alabama dual-threat quarterback's rushing ability was the primary focus for the Crimson Tide's offense. Milroe ran the ball 15 times for just seven yards (0.5 per carry), and he had -2 yards on nine attempts going into halftime.

As a result, Alabama's offense cratered. The Crimson Tide totaled just 70 yards on 30 rushing attempts (2.2 yards per carry), as the Sooners keyed in on Alabama's rushing attack with nine tackles for loss. Milroe completed just 11 of 26 passes for 164 yards, and the Sooners logged four quarterback hurries and a sack from R Mason Thomas.

The Crimson Tide's lone points came after Tatum's fumble. Outside of that, they scored zero points on their other eight drives. A big reason why was OU's ability to sustain drives on offense, which kept Alabama from developing a rhythm. The Crimson Tide averaged a mere 4.1 yards per play.

Danny Stutsman, Billy Bowman and Dez Malone each recorded five tackles to lead the defense.