Alabama Rallies Past Oklahoma 34-24 in College Football Playoff First Round

Norman, Oklahoma, No. 9 seed Alabama erased a 17-point deficit to defeat No. 8 Oklahoma 34-24 on Friday night, punching its ticket to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals with a resilient road victory.

Quarterback Ty Simpson threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns, while freshman wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks delivered a breakout performance, scoring twice after failing to find the end zone during the regular season.

The win marked Alabama’s first College Football Playoff appearance under head coach Kalen DeBoer, who arrived from Washington two years ago. The Crimson Tide improved to 11-3 and will now face No. 1 seed Indiana and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza in a quarterfinal matchup at the Rose Bowl on January 1.

Oklahoma looked firmly in control early, racing to a 17-0 lead behind quarterback John Mateer, who finished with 307 passing yards and two touchdowns. The Sooners outgained Alabama 118-12 in the first quarter, setting the tone with an explosive start.

Kicker Tate Sandell, the Lou Groza Award winner, added to Oklahoma’s momentum by drilling a 51-yard field goal into a stiff wind, tying an FBS single-season record with his 24th made field goal of 50 yards or longer.

Mateer then connected with Isaiah Sategna on a 6-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter to extend the lead to 17-0.

Alabama finally responded midway through the second quarter when Simpson hit Brooks for a 10-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 17-7. Moments later, the game turned dramatically when Zabien Brown intercepted Mateer and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown, tying the game before halftime.