NORMAN, Okla. — The biggest party on the prairie was going off without a hitch. Oklahoma stormed out to 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 barely two quarters, the Tide crashed the playoff party, flipped the script and even hijacked the playlist.
“We didn’t expect 50 Cent to show up, but the crazy thing about that is we always listen to ‘Many Men’ on Friday, so we definitely got some juice right there, for sure,” said Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson.
By the time 50 Cent performed, Alabama had scored 27 unanswered points on the way to a 34-24 win. 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” was once again working its magic. He’s 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 meant to end, but instead continued with a disastrous choke job that sank them to 0-5 all-time in the CFP. The Sooners are once again on the wrong side of history. Two of the largest comeback wins in playoff history (both 17 points) now belong to Oklahoma opponents: Georgia in 2017 and Alabama on Friday night.
How did this happen? Like it usually does for Alabama: the Tide didn’t blink. They faced adversity before on the road, winning every true road game since their Week 1 disaster at Florida State, including a thriller at Georgia earlier in the season. The flat SEC Championship Game loss to Georgia two weeks ago only fueled doubt among fans, media and maybe even opponents. Alabama erased it again.
“I guess we can thank you guys for that,” Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson told reporters in Norman. “Y’all kinda wrote us off in a sort of way, so appreciate that.”
“There’s enough confidence within our group,” DeBoer said. “We can see the doubters, we can see the naysayers and still go play our game. This group is tight enough to where there’s never been any finger pointing.”
Call it resiliency. Call it coaching. Call it Alabama being Alabama.
The Tide’s last two wins have come despite being out-gained by more than 100 yards. They’ve turned bad stats into good luck by transforming opponents’ mistakes into points with ruthless efficiency.
Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack went against the grain to corral a suddenly potent Sooners offense. He sealed the edges, abandoned zone for man coverage, and discovered 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 stellar: OU managed only 70 yards on the five possessions after building a 17-0 lead.
Out-gained, but not outclassed
“Our DBs were begging 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 go challenge people and our players won this game. They won the game with sheer will.”
Alabama had managed only 12 yards by the time the Sooners grabbed a 17-0 lead, but then Simpson led the offense down the field with a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to awaken the offense. Freshman phenom Lotzeir Brooks scored the first of his two touchdowns on a 10-yard strike.
Minutes later, Tim Keenan III blocked a bobbled punt attempt, which the Tide turned into a field goal to pull within a score. Then came the backbreaker that sucked the energy out of Norman just before halftime: Zabien Brown’s Pick Six.
John Mateer appeared to expect an out route. His receiver went vertical. Brown stepped in front, intercepted the pass and sprinted 50 yards down the sideline. A 17-point hole vanished in an instant. Clearly this was the Alabama of midseason form.
Redemption from Atlanta
“I didn’t feel the same resolve in Atlanta that I felt here tonight,” Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said. “… Even when it was 17-0, talking to Ty on the headset, getting with some of the coaches, I felt like there was a belief that the defense was going to make a play and nobody was giving up.”
Grubb said Alabama’s coaches confronted the Tide about their listless showing two weeks ago. Falling behind 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 setback to Georgia in Atlanta.
“What was behind us wasn’t anything we could control anymore, but greatness lies in the future,” DeBoer said.
DeBoer quiets critics, quells rumors
Indeed, many questioned whether Alabama deserved to be the first three-loss team in the CFP. On Friday night, the Tide became the first road team to ever win in the playoffs.
That’s a credit to DeBoer. His 20-5 record against ranked opponents is among the best ever. He’s also an incredible 4-0 against top 10 teams in true road games, a mark that would even make his legendary predecessor, Nick Saban, applaud.
One wonders now what the future holds for DeBoer. He may be asked again about Michigan’s potential pursuit, but he’s probably not leaving the Crimson Tide — even if that is his hidden desire. He’s busy through at least the New Year coaching Alabama against No. 1 Indiana at the historic Rose Bowl. The quarterfinals of the College Football Playoffs awaits the Tide.
That won’t stop the rumors, though some clarity on Michigan’s plans is clearly on the horizon. Is Michigan willing to wait to chase DeBoer and cede ground until the transfer portal opens Jan. 2? And what happens if DeBoer beats Indiana?
Those are questions only athletics director Warde Manuel can answer. Or maybe DeBoer and boss Greg Byrne can quiet the chatter by agreeing to a new contract at Alabama next week.
In a sport that has been turned upside down in the NIL era, perhaps its’ fitting that this quarterfinal game between Alabama and Indiana is steeped more in Indiana connections than Alabama tradition.
DeBoer coordinated one of the most prolific offenses in Indiana history in 2019, leading to his jump to FBS head coaching jobs on the West Coast before landing at Alabama. Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, of course, was on Saban’s first Alabama staff in the late 2000s. Both DeBoer and Cignetti started their careers on the lower levels of NCAA football in the NAIA and Division II, respectively, and both have won 80 percent of their games during that time.
Alabama will open 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 knew college football’s new coaching bastion would be Indiana?
Then again, who knew Alabama would ruin Oklahoma’s perfect night?
Confidence certainly isn’t a problem for the Tide. The same team critics questioned in Atlanta is still the first team in SEC history to win four straight games against ranked opponents. Then again, it’s also the same team that lost to a bad Florida State team in Week 1.
For now, Alabama isn’t done winning — or appropriating mantras as they did here in front of the Sooners and 50 Cent.
“What did Kobe say?” Simpson offered. “We’re not done yet. That’s all I can say.”
