Alabama crashes Oklahoma’s playoff party with historic CFP comeback win

NORMAN, Okla. — The biggest party on the Prairie went off without a hitch. Oklahoma blew a 17-0 lead against Alabama, and somewhere in the bowels of Memorial Stadium, superstar rapper 50 Cent was warming up for his surprise appearance to perform the Sooners’ anthem in the fourth quarter.

What followed was chaos, a comedy of self-inflicted wounds by Oklahoma and the unmistakable calm of an Alabama team that refuses to panic on the road.

In just two quarters, the Tide destroyed playoff night, flipped the script and even hijacked the playlist.

“We didn’t expect 50 Cent to show up, but the crazy thing is we always listen to ‘Many Men’ on Fridays, so we definitely got some juice there, for sure,” Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson said.

By the time 50 Cent performed, Alabama had scored 27 unanswered points en route to a 34-24 victory. They also had five sacks, a blocked punt and a pick six. As “Many Men” echoed through the stadium — Oklahoma’s fourth-quarter rallying cry — it was Alabama players dancing on the field while the rapper stood near the goal line, singing into a microphone.

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer’s “Black Hoodie of Death” once again worked its magic. He is now 4-0 on the road against top 10 teams. Even Oklahoma’s “Hard to Kill” mantra, emblazoned on 50 Cent’s black hoodie, suddenly belonged to the visitors.

This was supposed to be OU’s moment. Years of playoff frustration were supposed to end, but instead continued with a disastrous choke job. which dropped them to 0-5 all-time in the CFP. The Sooners are once again on the wrong side of history. Two of the biggest comeback wins in playoff history (17 points each) now belong to Oklahoma’s opponents: Georgia in 2017 and Alabama on Friday night.

How did this happen? As is usually the case for Alabama: the Tide didn’t blink. They’ve faced adversity on the road before, winning every true road game since their Week 1 disaster at Florida State, including a thriller at Georgia earlier in the season. The flat loss in the SEC championship game to Georgia two weeks ago only fueled doubt among fans, media and perhaps even opponents. Alabama erased it again.

“I guess we can thank you for that,” Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson told reporters in Norman. “You kind of wrote us all off in some way, so appreciate that.”

“There’s enough trust within our group,” DeBoer said. “We can see the doubters, we can see the naysayers and continue to play our game. This group is tight enough that there’s never been any finger pointing.”

Call it resilience. Call it coaching. Call it Alabama being Alabama.

The Tide’s last two victories came despite passing for more than 100 yards. They turned bad stats into good luck by turning their opponents’ mistakes into points with ruthless efficiency.

Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack went against the grain to corral a suddenly powerful Sooners offense. He sealed the edges, gave up the zone for man coverage and uncovered an alley to eliminate the dangerous crossing and drag routes that had doomed Alabama in the middle of the field for most of the first half.

The result was brilliant: OU managed only 70 yards on five possessions after taking a 17-0 lead.

Outdone, but not outclassed

“Our DBs were asking for it,” Wommack said. “By the time we got to the second half, they wanted it and that’s what you want, right? You want kids that are fighters, that want the ball in their court. They want to be challenged. They want to challenge people and our players won that game. They won the game with sheer will.”

Alabama had managed just 12 yards by the time the Sooners took a 17-0 lead, but Simpson then led the offense down the field with a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown run to wake up the offense. Freshman phenom Lotzeir Brooks scored the first of his two touchdowns on a 10-yard strike.

A few minutes later, Tim Keenan III blocked a punt attempt, which the Tide turned into a field goal to score. Then came the backbreaker that drained Norman’s energy just before halftime: Zabien Brown’s Pick Six.

John Mateer seemed to be expecting an exit. His receiver went vertical. Brown stepped up, intercepted the pass and sprinted 50 yards down the sideline. A 17-point hole disappeared in an instant. Clearly, this was Alabama’s mid-season form.

Atlanta Redemption

“I didn’t feel the same determination in Atlanta as I did here tonight,” Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said. “…Even when it was 17-0, talking to Ty on the headset, talking to some of the coaches, I felt like we believed the defense was going to make a play and no one was giving up.”

Grubb said Alabama coaches confronted the Tide about their apathy two weeks ago. Trailing by double digits doesn’t mean the end is near, much like it did a year ago here in a 24-3 blowout loss to Oklahoma or in that 28-7 loss to Georgia in Atlanta.

“What was behind us was no longer something we could control, but greatness lies in the future,” DeBoer said.

DeBoer silences critics and calms rumors

Indeed, many wondered if Alabama deserved to be the first three-loss team in the CFP. On Friday night, the Tide became the first road team to win the playoffs.

This is to DeBoer’s credit. His 20-5 record against ranked opponents is among the best ever. He also has an incredible 4-0 against top 10 teams in real road games, a mark that would even make his legendary predecessor, Nick Saban, applaud.

Now we wonder what the future holds for DeBoer. He may be asked again about potentially pursuing Michigan, but he probably won’t leave the Crimson Tide — even if that’s his hidden desire. He’s busy at least through the New Year coaching Alabama against No. 1 Indiana in the historic Rose Bowl. The College Football Playoff quarterfinals await the Tide.

That won’t stop the rumors, although clarity on Michigan’s plans is clearly on the horizon. Is Michigan willing to wait to chase DeBoer and give up ground until the transfer portal opens on January 2? And what happens if DeBoer beats Indiana?

These are questions that only sporting director Warde Manuel can answer. Or maybe DeBoer and boss Greg Byrne can calm the chatter by agreeing to a new contract in Alabama next week.

In a sport that has been upended in the NIL era, perhaps it’s fitting that this quarterfinal game between Alabama and Indiana is more steeped in Indiana ties than Alabama tradition.

DeBoer coordinated one of the most prolific offenses in Indiana history in 2019, which led to his rise to FBS head coaching jobs on the West Coast before landing at Alabama. Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, of course, was on Saban’s first team at Alabama in the late 2000s. Both DeBoer and Cignetti began their careers at the lower levels of NCAA football, in the NAIA and Division II, respectively, and both won 80 percent of their games during that span.

Alabama will begin this week as an underdog against the Hoosiers, a line that didn’t seem possible just a year or two ago, but the sport is changing.

Who would have thought that college football’s new coaching stronghold would be Indiana?

Then again, who would have thought Alabama would ruin Oklahoma’s perfect night?

Confidence is certainly not an issue for the Tide. The same team critics interviewed in Atlanta are still the first team in SEC history to win four straight games against ranked opponents. Then again, this is also the same team that lost to a bad Florida State team in Week 1.

For now, Alabama isn’t done winning — or picking up mantras like they did here in front of the Sooners and 50 Cent.

“What did Kobe say?” » suggested Simpson. “We’re not done yet. That’s all I can say.”