alabama football, Alabama turned a nightmare start into a statement victory.
Alabama turned The Tide overcame a 17 point deficit and won in the College Football Playoff’s opening game by rallying past Oklahoma with an impressive second half performance that exemplified their renowned composure in the college football playoff series.
Oklahoma seemed to be in complete command of the game early, jumping out to a huge lead in what seemed to be a combination of the efficiency of its attack and the disruption of Alabama’s timing. The Sooners benefited from short fields, scoring efficiently in the red zone and getting Alabama to make uncharacteristic mistakes.
But the tone of the game changed as Alabama settled in toward the end of the first half and even into the locker room.
But after halftime, the Alabama defense seemed to be a different team, with tighter coverage, winning battles at the line of scrimmage, and denying Oklahoma deep passes. The Oklahoma team, which had played so efficiently in the first half, had to settle for longer possessions and find conversions on third down, while Alabama finally gained field position in its favor.
The Crimson Tide was able to find their offense and rhythm and used their lengthy drives as a way to eat into their deficit. While their scoring allowed for confidence with each passing moment, the rapidly closing gap left Oklahoma facing mounting pressure as their inability to capitalize on their chances allowed the Crimson Tide to take control and complete their comeback.
Oklahoma had chances to halt the surge, but it couldn’t get back into rhythm after Alabama’s defensive changes worked effectively on all aspects of the game.
The win propels Alabama into the next stage of the College Football Playoff series as it further confirms the team’s status as a “program that excels in big games.” The defeat is the end of what looked to be a promising run by the Sooners, derailed by the second half implosion that led to the loss despite securing a substantial lead early in the match.
Alabama is now closer to the goal for the second year in a row that they would become the college football national champion, as Oklahoma missed an opportunity to win in the opener of the playoffs.
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