Football is a game of momentum. It is also, as Oklahoma fans found out on a frigid December night in 2025, a game of cruel, heartbreaking irony. If you were watching the Oklahoma and Alabama game in the first round of the College Football Playoff, you saw a team dominate for twenty minutes only to evaporate into the ether.
It was 17-0. The Palace on the Prairie was shaking. Then, the wheels didn't just come off; they were basically vaporized.
The Night the Sooner Magic Ran Out
Most people focus on the final score: Alabama 34, Oklahoma 24. But honestly, the score doesn't tell the story of how weird this game actually was. You’ve got the Sooners coming off a regular season where they had already beaten the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. They had the momentum. They had the home-field advantage as the No. 8 seed.
John Mateer looked like he couldn't miss early on. When he found Isaiah Sategna III for a 7-yard score to go up three possessions, it felt like a funeral was being prepared for Kalen DeBoer’s first playoff run with the Tide. Alabama had gained a pathetic 12 yards in the first quarter. They looked slow, confused, and honestly, a little bit intimidated.
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Then came the shank. Or rather, the drop. Grayson Miller, an All-SEC punter who usually has ice in his veins, dropped a snap in the second quarter. It was the first "glitch in the matrix" moment. Tim Keenan III blocked the subsequent hurried punt, and suddenly Alabama had life.
Breaking Down the 27-Point Avalanche
You can't talk about the Oklahoma and Alabama game without mentioning Zabien Brown. If there was a single moment where the air left the stadium, it was his 50-yard pick-six. Mateer threw a ball he’d probably like to have back, and Brown just jumped the route.
17-17 at half.
The second half was a different sport. Alabama didn't just play better; they played meaner. Ty Simpson, who had been struggling to find any rhythm, started connecting with freshman Lotzeir Brooks. Brooks hadn't caught a single touchdown all season. He caught two in this game.
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Brooks’ 30-yard touchdown catch early in the third quarter gave Alabama its first lead. From there, it was a slow squeeze. Conor Talty hammered home field goals, and Daniel Hill rumbled in for a 6-yarder to put the game out of reach in the fourth.
What Most People Get Wrong About Tate Sandell
There’s this narrative that Tate Sandell "choked" the game away. That’s kinda unfair. Sandell is the Lou Groza Award winner. He’s the reason the Sooners were even in the playoff conversation. Before that night, he had made 24 consecutive field goals.
He drilled a 51-yarder early in the game into a stiff Oklahoma wind.
But when the pressure mounted, the luck ran out. Missing a 36-yarder is rare for him. Missing a 51-yarder later was just the final nail. It wasn't that he forgot how to kick; it was that the entire special teams unit had a collective breakdown. The blocked punt, the missed kicks—it was a total system failure.
Historical Context: 17-0 is a Haunted Number
If you’re a Sooners fan, 17-0 is a cursed score against the SEC. Remember the 2018 Rose Bowl? Oklahoma led Georgia by 17 in that game, too. They lost that one in overtime.
Alabama’s comeback in 2025 tied the record for the largest in CFP history. It’s a bitter pill to swallow when your program is on the wrong side of that record twice. The Crimson Tide now lead the all-time series 10-5 in playoff wins, the most in the country. They also hold a 2-0 record against OU in playoff matchups.
Key Statistical Anomalies from the 2025 Matchup
It’s rare to see a team outgain their opponent and lose by double digits, but that’s exactly what happened here.
- Total Offense: Oklahoma put up 362 yards compared to Alabama’s 260.
- The Sack Gap: Alabama’s defense recorded five sacks. They came from every level—linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs.
- Third Down Woes: Both teams were fairly pedestrian here, but Alabama's ability to capitalize on short fields (thanks to special teams) made the yardage disparity irrelevant.
John Mateer finished with 307 passing yards and two scores, but that one interception was the pivot point. Ty Simpson’s stat line was more modest—232 yards—but his zero interceptions and two strikes to Brooks were precisely what a road team needs to survive a hostile environment.
The 50 Cent Factor and the Final Push
One of the strangest moments of the night was the third-quarter break. Rapper 50 Cent actually came out and performed "Many Men." The crowd went wild. For a second, it worked. The Sooners came out and Mateer hit Deion Burks for a 37-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 27-24.
For about five minutes, it felt like Oklahoma might actually snatch it back. But the defense couldn't get the stop they needed when Daniel Hill started leaning on the line of scrimmage.
Moving Forward: Lessons for the SEC Era
Oklahoma is now fully immersed in the SEC grind. This game proved that you can't just be high-flying; you have to be disciplined. Alabama won this game because they were "steady," to use Kalen DeBoer's word. They didn't panic at 17-0.
If you’re looking to analyze where the Sooners go from here, the focus has to be on the offensive line’s ability to handle elite pass rushes. Giving up five sacks in a playoff game is a recipe for a loss 90% of the time.
For fans looking to dive deeper into the fallout of this game, keep an eye on the transfer portal. The Sooners have some holes to fill in the secondary, especially after seeing how a freshman like Brooks was able to exploit them on the biggest stage.
Next Steps for Analysis:
- Evaluate the 2026 Recruiting Class: Specifically, look for defensive depth. The Sooners were gassed by the fourth quarter of the Alabama game.
- Revisit the Kicking Game: Sandell is elite, but the protection on the edges for field goals was a recurring issue late in the season.
- Watch the Rose Bowl Tape: Alabama's quarterfinal against Indiana showed exactly how they used the momentum from the Oklahoma win to pressure Fernando Mendoza.