Alabama turned an early nightmare into a College Football Playoff statement Friday night, erasing a 17-point deficit and surging past Oklahoma 34-24 in the first round of the CFP.
After being dominated for nearly a quarter and a half, the ninth-seeded Crimson Tide flipped the game with a relentless stretch that showcased poise, speed and opportunistic defense. Alabama rattled off 27 unanswered points, completely seizing momentum and silencing an Oklahoma crowd that had seen its team control every phase early.
Quarterback Ty Simpson ignited the comeback, throwing for 232 yards and two touchdowns while settling an offense that struggled out of the gate. Freshman Lotzeir Brooks delivered a breakout performance, catching five passes for 79 yards and scoring twice after not finding the end zone during the regular season.
Oklahoma appeared in full command early, outgaining Alabama 118-12 in the opening quarter and pushing the lead to 17-0 midway through the second. But the game pivoted in dramatic fashion when Alabama finally cracked the scoreboard late in the half, then struck again moments later with a defensive touchdown to erase the deficit entirely.
The Crimson Tide carried that momentum into the third quarter, taking their first lead on Brooks’ second touchdown and extending it with a field goal to cap a stunning 27-point run. What had been Oklahoma’s night suddenly became a scramble to survive.
The Sooners mounted one last push early in the fourth quarter, trimming the margin to three, but Alabama answered with a late touchdown to restore breathing room.
Oklahoma’s hopes faded as missed field goals and special-teams miscues compounded earlier mistakes. Quarterback John Mateer seemed to hold on the football too long, which aided in quarterback sacks for the Tide. Mateer has been mistake prone this season. He played a relatively clean game, but the secondquarter interception was a backbreaker and turned the momentum. Mateer passed for 307 yards and two touchdowns, but he threw a costly interception that Alabama’s Zabien Brown returned 50 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Deion Burks had seven catches for 107 yards and a score for the Sooners.
In 12 games with the Sooners, Mateer completed 62.2% of his passes for 2,885 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Those numbers tell part of the story, but the turning point came early – in Week Four – when he broke the thumb on his throwing hand.
Alabama finished the night composed and mistake-free after the slow start, capitalizing on every opening and punishing Oklahoma’s rare lapses. The Crimson Tide improved to 11-3 and advanced to face top-seeded Indiana in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal on Jan. 1.
For Oklahoma, the loss snapped a recent run of success against Alabama and closed the season at 10-3, a night defined by early dominance that slipped away once momentum shifted. The end of the season also brings up questions about offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and is Mateer the quarterback in 2026.
In a playoff built
