NORMAN, Okla. — Alabama wasn’t ready to do this last year. Or earlier this year. Or even two weeks ago in Atlanta. But down 17-0 in a road College Football Playoff game, with its season in jeopardy, something finally clicked.
The No. 9 Crimson Tide had what it took to match the biggest comeback in Playoff history, rallying back with 27 consecutive points to stun No. 8 Oklahoma 34-24 on Friday in a first-round rematch that might have signaled a long-awaited breakthrough.
The Tide punched their ticket to a Rose Bowl quarterfinal against No. 1 Indiana by overcoming a double-digit deficit for the first time under coach Kalen DeBoer. They snapped a streak of six consecutive losses in these spots, including all three defeats this season, since DeBoer took over in 2024.
They’d put themselves in this tough spot, opening their CFP run with one more SEC road game, by losing 28-7 to Georgia in the SEC championship on Dec. 6. Then they fell behind fast yet again, down three scores within the first five minutes of the second quarter.
This time, though, quarterback Ty Simpson and his Crimson Tide teammates stuck to their plan and just kept chipping away.
“We always talk about the game is gonna come back to us,” DeBoer said. “We have too many good players. If you just keep fighting, you’re gonna force them to make a mistake, something’s gonna happen. Just keep coming after them, play after play, and the game’s gonna come back to you. And that’s what happened tonight.”
They turned a dangerous deficit into a tied game with a rapid second-quarter sequence. Freshman wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks got the rally started with a 29-yard gain on a third-and-5, then turned a fourth-down catch into a 10-yard touchdown by making two Sooner defenders miss.
Five plays later, Oklahoma punter Grayson Miller dropped the ball on a punt attempt and Alabama defensive tackle Tim Keenan III came through with a block and recovery, helping cut the Oklahoma lead to 17-10 after Conor Talty’s 35-yard field goal.
Then it was Alabama’s defense that delivered four plays later with cornerback Zabien Brown baiting Sooners quarterback John Mateer into a 50-yard pick-six. In less than five minutes, Bama went from on the brink to all the way back.
“Keep going,” Simpson said. “That’s kinda been our message all season.”
They did just that against a Sooners program that had notched 27 consecutive victories at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium when working with double-digit leads. College Football Playoffs teams were 1-28 all time when trailing by 17 or more.
What made this Alabama team different? They’ve been on a roller-coaster ride all season long, beginning with a shocking 31-17 road loss at Florida State. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said they’ve been living with a win-or-go-home mentality and “supreme urgency” ever since.
The Tide fell behind 10-0 in a home loss to Oklahoma in November. They trailed 14-0 at halftime of the SEC title game. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said they didn’t show the resolve necessary to get the job done. This time, though, they left no doubt.
“Our players won this game,” Wommack said. “They won the game with sheer will.”
Simpson kept the run going with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Brooks early in the third quarter and put the game away with a 35-yard touchdown drive off a short punt midway through the fourth quarter after the Sooners cut the lead back to 3.
When asked afterward what it meant to him to rally back after the SEC title game defeat, Simpson looked around a room of reporters and raised his eyebrows.
“Yeah, I guess we can thank you guys for that,” Simpson said. “I mean, y’all kinda wrote us off in a sort of way. Appreciate that.”
After nervously waiting to find out if they’d still earn a spot in the College Football Playoff, DeBoer felt the two-week break after the Georgia loss was invaluable for getting players healthy and ready to go on a run. The message in the days after that loss was to keep things in perspective.
“Don’t overthink it,” DeBoer said. “It’s a lot of guys doing a little bit better in everything they can control.”
He saw confidence from Simpson and an encouraging level of calm on the sideline down 17-0. If they could cut it to 17-10 before halftime, DeBoer liked their chances of clawing back. Once Brown stepped in front of Mateer’s pass and raced past him for a game-changing takeaway, they were well on their way.
After it was all over, Simpson ran off the field with a rose in his mouth. He and his squad are ready to go play the underdog role yet again against top-ranked and undefeated Indiana.
“You’ve got a great team culture, you’ve got a bunch of fighters, a bunch of punchers,” Wommack said. “That wasn’t who we were a year ago.”
