Bama’s ‘uncharacteristic’ gaffes doom CFP hopes

• Eli Lederman, ESPN Personnel WriterNov 24, 2024

  , 02:27 AM ET Close Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.NORMAN, Okla.

— Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer regreted his team’s “uncharacteristic” errors in the consequences of a 24-3 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday night that dealt a significant blow to the Crimson Tide’s College Football Playoff hopes.Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe tossed 3 interceptions, and the Crimson Tide(8-3, 4-3 SEC )never ever shook off a sluggish start versus an Oklahoma defense that held them to a season-low 70 hurrying yards.Meanwhile, the Sooners (6-5, 2-5)– depending on the legs of quarterback Jackson Arnold and freshman running back Xavier Robinson– gashed Alabama for 257 hurrying yards on their method to sealing bowl eligibility for a 26th successive season.The Crimson Tide have three losses for the very first time because 2010. Alabama started Week 13 in line to reach the SEC title game on Dec. 7 with wins over Oklahoma then Auburn throughout the last 2 weeks of the regular season. Rather, the Crimson Tide’s roadway stumble helped No. 10 Georgia clinch an area in the conference championship and left Alabama’s course into the CFP on unstable ground. Even if the Tide beat the Tigers in the Iron Bowl next weekend, Alabama will need lots of help in order to land a spot in the 12-team playoff field.Editor’s Picks 2 Related Following the program’s lowest-scoring performance given that 2004, DeBoer concentrated on the Tide’s early mistakes in a game he

stated”escaped”

from them after

halftime. “We got to be much better in all ways,”DeBoer said.”Some basic things, uncharacteristic things, happened early in the game where we didn’t get the momentum on our side.

And really, it comes down to the end of the first half [with] them scoring a goal and the turnovers actually kind of altering the momentum of the game there.”It was a particularly rough night for Milroe. The junior went 11-for-26 for 164 yards passing and managed simply 7 backyards hurrying on 15 attempts. Alabama trailed 10-3 early in the 3rd quarter

when Oklahoma cornerback Eli Bowen intercepted Milroe, setting up Robinson’s second goal run of the game 4 plays later on. The Sooners’lead grew to 24-3 on the ensuing possession after linebacker Kip Lewis jumped Milroe’s toss to tight end Robbie Ouzts and returned it 49 yards for a score.Oklahoma’s 21-point advantage marked Alabama’s largest deficit versus an unranked opponent since 2003. The Tide picked up only five first downs and 80 backyards total after Milroe’s back-to-back choices. He became the first Alabama quarterback to toss 3 interceptions in a game considering that 2015 on Woodi Washington’s game-sealing pick with 6:53 staying in the contest.While Milroe had a hard time, DeBoer saw larger issues in an offense that never recovered from a sloppy first half, which included punts on three of the Tide’s very first 4 possessions.”I think going back, it simply felt like early in the game there were different things– drops, balls we lost in the lights– different, uncharacteristic things,” DeBoer stated.”Odd things that occurred. I thought [Milroe] was in fact putting the ball where he required to.

We simply required to help him out a bit.”Sooners coach Brent Venables stated Oklahoma was the more” physical football group,”and his offense proved it with 205 first-half hurrying yards that marked the most Alabama had allowed in a half given that 2007. The Tide continued to resist the Sooners’hurrying attack after halftime without linebacker Deontae Lawson. Alabama’s second-leading tackler was ruled out for the rest of the contest after leaving with a lower body injury in the 2nd quarter.DeBoer did not offer an upgrade on Lawson’s status following the game.”Anytime you lose a great player like Deontae, it’s going to impact you,”DeBoer stated.”His management. He’s the guy who makes a great deal of the calls on the field. Just appears like he’s constantly in control.” The spectacular defeat leaves the Tide’s postseason hopes in a precarious position getting in the last week of the

routine season. With those playoff aspirations no longer in Alabama’s control ahead of an Iron Bowl visit from the Tigers, its quarterback was focused on moving on. “It’s everything about surface,” Milroe said late Saturday night. “We have actually got to complete. There’s so much left for the football season. We’ve got to get everyone together to have a like-mindedness and just keep competing. Every opportunity that we have, we have actually simply got to take it.”