OU football’s hopes in the College Football Playoffs first round fell short Friday as Alabama capitalized on a series of pivotal plays that shifted the momentum in the Crimson Tide’s favor. Despite an early strong performance, the Sooners were unable to overcome turnovers and missed opportunities.

Here are five plays that led to the Sooners’ playoff loss:

Lotzier Brooks opens scoring for Alabama

In the first quarter, OU jumped to a 17-0 lead, only for it to be slowly overtaken. Alabama freshman wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ty Simpson in the second quarter, cutting Oklahoma’s 17-0 lead to 17-7.

After the Sooners opened the game with a dominant start, Brooks’ score marked Alabama’s first offensive success and shifted momentum. The play demonstrated the Crimson Tide’s ability to respond under pressure and exposed early vulnerabilities in OU’s secondary, setting the stage for Alabama’s comeback.

Grayson Miller fumbles punt

At the end of the Sooners’ following drive, sophomore running back Xavier Robinson dropped a pass from redshirt junior quarterback John Mateer on third-and-three.

Redshirt junior punter Grayson Miller then mishandled the punt that followed, allowing Alabama defensive lineman Tim Keenan III to block and smother the ball, recovering it at the OU 30-yard line.

Five plays later, Alabama placekicker Conor Talty converted a 35-yard field goal to cut OU’s lead to 17-10. 

Zabien Brown ties the game with a pick-6

Late in the first half, Mateer threw an interception to Alabama defensive back Zabien Brown, who returned it 50 yards to the endzone.

The Crimson Tide found themselves tied 17-17 at halftime, despite having negative rushing yards. The pick-6 erased the Sooners’ early advantage and allowed Alabama to score 17 unanswered points in the first half.

Brooks responds again

Brooks was involved in another game-defining moment early in the second half, hauling in a 30-yard pass from Simpson that gave Alabama a 24-17 lead. The play came on a quick, three-play 60-yard drive after the Sooners were forced to punt.

The touchdown marked the first time that OU trailed in the game. After the touchdown, the Sooners went three-and-out on their next possession, allowing Alabama to maintain control of the tempo. Soon after, an Alabama field goal extended their lead to 27-14. 

Daniel Hill finishes the job

Alabama running back Daniel Hill scored on a 6-yard rush with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, putting Alabama ahead 34-24. The touchdown came after Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard made an impressive catch over the head of OU junior defensive back Jacobe Johnson to set up a first-and-goal.

This touchdown was the final score of the game and effectively ended the Sooners’ hopes of reaching the Rose Bowl.

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