Kalen DeBoer Explains Approach for Alabama’s Final Drive Against Oklahoma
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No. 4 Alabama fell to No. 11 Oklahoma 23-21 at home on Saturday.
The Crimson Tide held a 21-20 lead before the Sooners forced and recovered a fumble near the red zone. Oklahoma converted a field goal a couple of minutes later to retake the lead early in the fourth quarter. Alabama and Oklahoma proceeded to trade punts, and the Crimson Tide got the ball back at its own 6-yard line with seven minutes remaining in regulation.
Yeah, you don’t start that way,” Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said during the postgame press conference. “You’re just trying to get out of your own end zone. You know, with the ball on our own six, you’re just trying to get a first down and then you’re trying to get another one.
“I felt good about the situation. We knew we just needed a field goal to win it, but it was more about just getting out of your own territory. And even if we had to punt with the two timeouts, and you’re thinking of the two-minute warning, you know that we can flip the field and get an opportunity there.
But then, just the grind that it was, it becomes a situation where you get down to two minutes. Again, that wasn’t what the intention was going in is to have this be one possession. Most people would be on the same page thinking you’ve got two possessions here left to go win it.”
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson and wide receiver Germie Bernard were able to move the chains on third-and-5 just ahead of the Tide’s 10-yard line. Freshman wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks had been relatively quiet in this one, but he got Bryant-Denny Stadium rocking after he took a sweep right for a two-yard gain on fourth-and-1.
But one play later, with momentum turning in the Tide’s direction, Simpson was sacked for an 11-yard loss. He was able to find wide receiver Isaiah Horton for a 15-yard gain on third down to make it fourth-and-6, but Simpson couldn’t connect with wide receiver Ryan Williams with the game on the line.
Simpson was the player who fumbled the ball late in the third quarter, which set up Oklahoma’s go-ahead field goal. The turnover came on one of the Sooners’ four sacks. DeBoer spoke about Simpson in the pocket.
“Yeah, I mean, with the pressure that they brought, he’s got to get rid of it and be OK with throwing it away,” DeBoer said. “You can only hold on for so long, and I feel like with the blitz they had, you’re going to get overwhelmed and outnumbered.
“So you’ve just got to understand the situation. I know it’s third down, and he wants to stay on the field, but he’s got to understand, you know, your defense is playing pretty good too. You’ve just got to live with punting once in a while.”
