No. 9/11/11 Alabama Football Overcomes Early Deficit in 34-24 Win over No. 8/8/8 Oklahoma

Friday, December 19

Norman, Okla.

7 p.m. CT

Alabama

11-3 , 7-1

Oklahoma

10-3 , 6-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Alabama

Oklahoma

No. 9/11/11 Alabama Football Overcomes Early Deficit in 34-24 Win over No. 8/8/8 Oklahoma

12/20/2025 1:03:00 AM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery

NORMAN, Okla. - The No. 9/11/11 Alabama football team erased an early 17-0 deficit to advance to the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals, besting the No. 8/8/8 Oklahoma Sooners 34-24 on Friday at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The Crimson Tide's 17-point comeback is tied for the largest comeback in CFP history.

Ty Simpson finished 18-of-29 (62.0 percent) through the air for 232 yards and two touchdowns, with both of his passing scores finding freshman Lotzeir Brooks. The first-year receiver was responsible for his most impressive performance to date, leading all Tide pass-catchers with five receptions for 79 yards to go along with his first two career touchdowns. Isaiah Horton also managed five catches for 65 yards, while Daniel Hill provided important work on the ground, totaling 43 yards on the ground across nine carries to go with a score.

Defensively, Zabien Brown ignited a spark following his 50-yard interception return for a touchdown to tie the game at 17-17 just before halftime. Brown finished his evening with three tackles and one pass breakup to go with his second pick-six of the campaign. Deontae Lawson produced a game-high 10 tackles, adding in one sack, one tackle for loss and a pass breakup. Justin Jefferson wasn't far behind Lawson, closing with nine stops as well as one sack and two tackles for loss. As a whole, the Alabama defense created five sacks, seven tackles for loss, five pass breakups and four quarterback hurries in the winning effort.

Game Notes

The Crimson Tide (11-3) overcame a 17-point deficit after trailing 17-0 midway through the second quarter, marking the largest comeback victory since Alabama erased a 21-point deficit at Ole Miss in 2016
Alabama's 17-point comeback is tied for the largest comeback in CFP history, matching Georgia's 17-point comeback in the 2017 Rose Bowl Game against Oklahoma
Alabama improved to 10-5 (.667) all-time in 15 College Football Playoff contests, the most CFP wins of any program in the nation
The Tide is now 2-0 against the Sooners in CFP matchups, having also defeated Oklahoma 45-34 in the Orange Bowl in 2018
Head coach Kalen DeBoer is now 3-1 (.750) in four career College Football Playoff appearances
DeBoer extended his mark against ranked teams to 20-5 (.800) in 25 career matchups, including an 8-3 mark at Alabama. Additionally, he is now a perfect 4-0 against AP Top-10 teams in true road contests following the win at No. 8 Oklahoma (10-3).
With his 50-yard interception return for a touchdown, Zabien Brown recorded his second pick-six of the season, becoming the first player since Jordan Battle in 2021 to return two interceptions for a score
Brown also stands as just the 12th different Alabama player to create two interception returns for a touchdown in the same season
Lotzeir Brooks' 10-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter stands as his first collegiate score
Deontae Lawson's 10 tackles mark a new season-high

How It Happened

First Quarter

5:29 - OU | The Sooners' second possession resulted in a score, with quarterback John Mateer taking a designed run up the middle for an eight-yard touchdown run. The scoring drive covered 59 yards over eight plays. (7-0, Oklahoma)
0:45 - OU | While the Alabama defense did well to hold the Sooners to just 13 yards on six plays, the hosts took advantage of a short field, connecting on a 51-yard field goal to extend the lead. (10-0, Oklahoma)

Second Quarter

10:51 - OU | Mateer produced his first passing score of the night with a seven-yard touchdown, closing an eight-play, 63-yard drive. (17-0, Oklahoma)
6:52 - UA | On fourth-and-three at the opposing 10-yard line, Ty Simpson found Lotzeir Brooks for a 10-yard touchdown, with the freshman breaking a tackle on his way to the end zone. Brooks was responsible for 39 of Alabama's 75 total yards on the scoring drive. (17-7, Oklahoma)
2:08 - UA | After the Crimson Tide blocked and recovered a Sooners punt, Alabama managed one first down before Conor Talty split the uprights with a 35-yard field goal. (17-10, Oklahoma)
1:18 - UA | On second-and-long, Zabien Brown jumped in front a Mateer pass, taking the interception into the end zone for a 50-yard touchdown to level the score just before intermission. (17-17)

Third Quarter

11:21 - UA | The Crimson Tide quickly gained its first lead of the night. Following Daniel Hill's 30-yard rush, Simpson spotted Brooks for a 30-yard touchdown pass, putting an end to a brief three-play, 60-yard scoring drive. (24-17, Alabama)
4:30 - UA | Talty succeeded on his second field goal attempt of the evening, this time from 40-yards out to give the Tide a two-score lead. The possession amassed 40 yards across nine plays. (27-17, Alabama)

Fourth Quarter

14:45 - OU | The Sooners crossed the goal line for the first time since the second quarter, with Mateer managing a 37-yard touchdown pass to cut into the Tide lead. (27-24, Alabama)
7:24 - UA | Following a three-and-out forced by the Tide defense, Alabama made use of a short field with Daniel Hill rumbling into the end zone for a six-yard touchdown run. The final scoring drive of the night needed just four plays to cover 35 yards. (34-24, Alabama).

Up Next

With its victory, the Crimson Tide will take on No. 1 Indiana in the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential
The New Year's Day contest is set to kickoff at 3 p.m. CT/1 p.m. PT and will be televised on ABC and ESPN