Alabama trends after rising from the dead to stomp out Oklahoma

Jeff Hauser

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Alabama trends after rising from the dead to stomp out Oklahoma image

Alabama shook off an early haymaker, woke up, and reminded everyone why writing off the Crimson Tide remains a dangerous habit.

After falling behind 17-0 in the first quarter, Alabama Crimson Tide stormed back to beat the Oklahoma Sooners 34-24 on Friday night, advancing to the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl against Indiana Hoosiers.

Freezing Cold Takes chronicled the hottest doubts as Alabama dug itself a deep hole, with much of the college football world questioning whether the Tide still belonged among the elite after a SEC title game loss to Georgia. Quarterback Ty Simpson said the message reached the locker room.

“I guess we can thank you guys for that,” Simpson said. “You kind of wrote us off. So we appreciate that.”

Fuel alone wasn’t enough. Alabama had to prove it had changed. Many of the players celebrating Friday also endured last November's 24-3 loss in Norman, when the Tide never found traction. The offseason focus was learning how to respond when everything goes wrong.

That response showed up midway through the second quarter. Oklahoma missed a chance to extend its lead, then botched a punt that set up an Alabama field goal.

Simpson capitalized on a miscommunication with his first touchdown. It was before Zabien Brown returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown to tie the game.

From there, Alabama took control with methodical stops and timely scores, exactly the sequence coach Kalen DeBoer preached at 17-0. The Tide outscored Oklahoma 34-14 after the opening surge, turning skepticism into silence.

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Contributing Writer