Oklahoma grabs 23-21 win, keeps playoff hopes alive
With three seconds left in the 2nd quarter Oklahoma defender Taylor Wein leaped over the Alabama blockers and got his fingertips on the Tide’s attempted 35-yard field goal, deflecting it away.
It would become the first “play of the game” in the Sooners’ 23-21 upset of No. 4 Alabama in Tuscaloosa, ending the nation’s longest active home winning streak.
In the suspenseful waning minutes, it was not so sure that would be the story of the game.
Alabama was on a drive to take the lead in the final two minutes. With the Tide’s hopes of securing a spot in the SEC championship game on the line, Alabama converted on a fourth down and one, keeping their drive alive at their 42 yard line. A Kip Lewis sack of ‘Bama QB Ty Simpson put the Tide back to a 3rd and 21 from their 33 yard line.
Simpson completed a 15-yard pass to Isaiah Horton to the Alabama 48. That set up a fourth and six with only a minute left. Simpson’s pass was knocked away by Peyton Bowen’s hand for the second “play of the game” and the Sooners won, 23-21.
You’ve heard that sports can often be a game of inches. In Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Saturday night, it was a game of fingertips.
It was not an impressive game statistic-wise for the Sooners. Oklahoma only had 51 plays for 212 yards. Alabama ran 75 plays for 406 yards.
But both offense and defense made the plays when they needed them. The defense forced two fumbles and made one interception — a pick 6 by Eli Bowen.
The Sooners team celebrated in the locker room to the music “Sweet Home Alabama.”
“Nobody deserved to lose that football game. That was a well-played, hard-fought slugfest,” Coach Brent Venables said.
A key play at 7:52 in the fourth quarter was a third down at the Alabama 38 yard line, when Mateer was flagged for intentional grounding. The penalty took Oklahoma out of field goal range at the 50-yard line and killed a drive that had the potential of putting the game away.
Earlier, near the end of the 3rd quarter, the Sooners grabbed the opportunity to take the lead, recovering a Ty Simpson fumble forced by the pass rush of Taylor Wein. A pass interference call against Alabama put the Sooners at the ‘Bama 10 yard line.
Oklahoma then ran the ball three times to reach the six. Tate Sandell then kicked a 24-yard field goal to take the lead 23-21.
In the opening drive of the second half, a key third down 22-yard toss by Mateer to Isaiah Sategna kept the drive alive, setting up a 52-yard field goal by Tate “Short Pants” Sandell which gave the Sooners a 20-14 lead over Alabama early in the 3rd quarter.
But Alabama responded on the next drive, juiced by a 26-yard pass from Ty Simpson to Isaiah Horton to the Oklahoma one yard line. A direct-snap one yard run by Daniel Hill for a touchdown and the extra point gave Alabama their first lead of the game, at 21-20. with 7:27 left in the 3rd quarter.
Alabama would not score again.
The first half was a punch-counterpunch affair, marked by OU scores off turnovers.
Despite Alabama leading passing statistics at the half (246 yards to Oklahoma’s 48), Oklahoma led 17-14 at intermission.
The Sooners took advantage of Alabama turnovers in the first half. Oklahoma recovered a punt return fumble punched out by Jayden Hardy with 9:34 in the second quarter at the Alabama 31 yard line.
Two plays later John Mateer ran up the middle, shaking off tacklers, for a 20-yard touchdown run. The Sooners went up 17-7 in the second quarter.
Alabama responded with a 25-yard Ty Simpson TD pass to a wide open tight end Josh Cuevas to narrow the lead to 17-14 with 6:13 left in the second quarter.
The Sooners closed out the first quarter with a 10-0 lead, after an 87-yard interception return for a touchdown by Bowen.
Oklahoma got on the scoreboard first with a 25-yar Tate Sandell field goal, set up by a spectacular punt return by Sategna.
Alabama responded with a one yard run for a touchdown with 10:36 left in the second quarter. The score came two plays after an interception by Robert Spears-Jennings was called back because of pass interference. That closed the Sooners lead to just 3.
The win took Oklahoma to 8-2 on the season. This win likely will move them up from their No. 11 spot in the college football playoff rankings.
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