Alabama stumbles at Oklahoma as CFP chances take severe hit

NORMAN, Okla. — Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer lamented his team’s “uncharacteristic” mistakes in the aftermath 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 threw three interceptions, and the Crimson Tide (8-3, 4-3 SEC) never shook off a slow start against a Sooners defense that held them to a season-low 70 rushing yards.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma (6-5, 2-5) — relying on the legs of quarterback Jackson Arnold and freshman running back  Xavier Robinson — gashed Alabama for 257 rushing yards on its way to sealing bowl eligibility for a 26th consecutive season.

The Crimson Tide have three losses for the first time since 2010.

Alabama began Week 13 in line to reach the SEC title game on Dec. 7 with wins over Oklahoma then  Auburn during the final two weeks of the regular season. Instead, the Crimson Tide’s road stumble helped No. 10 Georgia clinch a spot in the conference championship and left Alabama’s path into the CFP on shaky ground. Even if the Crimson Tide beat the Tigers in the Iron Bowl next weekend, Alabama will need plenty of help to land a spot in the 12-team playoff field.

Following the program’s lowest-scoring performance since 2004, DeBoer focused on the Crimson Tide’s early errors in a game he said “got away” from them after halftime.

“We got to be better in all ways,” DeBoer said. “Some simple 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 touchdown and the turnovers really kind of changing 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 just 7 yards rushing on 15 attempts. Alabama trailed 10-3 early in the third quarter when Oklahoma cornerback Eli Bowen intercepted Milroe, setting up Robinson’s second touchdown run of the game five plays later. The Sooners’ lead grew to 24-3 on the ensuing possession after linebacker Kip Lewis jumped Milroe’s throw to tight end Robbie Ouzts and returned it 49 yards for a score.

Oklahoma’s 21-point advantage marked Alabama’s largest deficit against an unranked opponent since 2003. The Crimson Tide picked up only five first downs and 80 yards total after Milroe’s back-to-back picks. He became the first Alabama quarterback to throw three interceptions in a game since 2015 on  Woodi Washington’s game-sealing pick with 6:53 remaining in the contest.

While Milroe struggled, DeBoer saw wider problems in an offense that never recovered from a sloppy first half, which included punts on three of the Crimson Tide’s first four possessions.

“I think stepping back, it just felt like early in the game there were different things — drops, balls we lost in the lights — different, uncharacteristic things,” DeBoer said. “Weird things that happened. I thought [Milroe] was actually putting the ball where he needed to. We just needed to help him out a little bit.”

Sooners coach Brent Venables said Oklahoma was the more “physical football team,” and his offense proved it with 205 first-half rushing yards that marked the most Alabama had allowed in a half since 2007. The Crimson Tide continued to struggle against the Sooners’ rushing attack after halftime without linebacker  Deontae Lawson. Alabama’s second-leading tackler was ruled out for the remainder of the contest after exiting with a lower-body injury in the second quarter.

DeBoer did not provide an update on Lawson’s status after the game.

“Anytime you lose a great player like Deontae, it’s going to affect you,” DeBoer said. “His leadership. He’s the guy who makes a lot of the calls on the field. Just seems like he’s always in control.”

The stunning defeat leaves the Crimson Tide’s postseason hopes in a precarious position entering the final week of the regular 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 forward.

“It’s all about finish,” Milroe said late Saturday night. “We’ve got to finish. There’s so much left for the football season. We’ve got to get everyone together to have a like-mindedness and just keep on competing. Every opportunity that we have, we’ve just got to seize it.”