NORMAN, Okla. — The pregame light show was engaging, the halftime drone show was fun and 50 Cent’s live performance before the fourth quarter was a surprise.
Think about the benefit of those College Football Playoff first-round games being played at home, with all the tricks the higher-seeded teams can bring to the table.
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The Sooners could have used more players on the field.
No. 9 Oklahoma lost 34-24 to No. 8 Alabama in a first-round College Football Playoff game Friday night at Memorial Stadium in front of 83,550 fans. That included a first-half lead being blown away, a late comeback effort and ultimately another playoff loss.
Here are five ideas from the game.
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Oklahoma’s first playoff trip in six seasons lasted three and a half hours. The Sooners vindicated their postseason resume by defeating the Crimson Tide in the regular season, posting double-digit wins for just the second time in head coach Brent Venables’ four-year tenure and extending their championship-less streak to 25 years.
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The Sooners (10-3) are winless in five postseason trips since their first playoff appearance a decade ago. They lost all four of their semifinal games in the four-team format and on Friday became the first home team to lose in the first round of the 12-team format.
The Crimson Tide (11-3) will face top-seeded Indiana in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
turning point
Look, let’s not make this too complicated, it happened when Oklahoma State burned a three-point halftime lead and squandered valuable home-court advantage.
Soon, the Crimson Tide scored three points – a touchdown run by John Martel, a touchdown pass by Martel and a field goal by kicker Tate Sandel – before the Crimson Tide got its first drive of the game. The Crimson Tide finally turned the tables for the first time with 9:58 left in the second quarter when quarterback Ty Simpson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Lotzeir Brooks to cut Oklahoma’s lead.
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The Sooners ended their next possession with a double kick, however, the Crimson Tide blocked the ball, regained it at Oklahoma’s 30-yard line and used five field goals late in the game to cut the lead to seven points.
Then it turned disastrous.
Heartbreaking Draft No. 6
Martel, who was sacked on the next possession and on second-and-13, threw a quick pass down the left sideline, where he expected wide receiver Kountes Lewis to be.
But Lewis outran Martel’s pass for five more yards, and he was replaced by Alabama cornerback Zabien Brown. He cut into the route, intercepted Martel’s pass and ran in the opposite direction 50 yards for a touchdown, tying the game and erasing Oklahoma’s once-impressive lead two minutes before halftime.
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Martial largely avoided a dangerous performance in the first half, although some of his passes were a little high or off target, but a miscommunication with Lewis cost the Sooners any chance to maintain momentum after the second half.
How is Mateer’s overall performance?
In Oklahoma’s 23-21 win over Alabama during the regular season, Martel passed for just 138 yards and no touchdowns. He got on track early, erasing memories of a quiet Friday night game.
He ran the ball five times on Oklahoma State’s first two possessions and scored the game’s first touchdown on an 8-yard rush with 5:29 left in the first quarter. He threw his second punt when he found wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III open 5 yards out in the end zone with 10:51 left in the second quarter.
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Martial could have had a third score later in the quarter when he dodged a potential sack on third-and-3 from Oklahoma State’s own 47-yard line and threw a punt downfield despite having plenty of room in front of him to run free for a first down. Soon, running back Xavier Robinson beat the defender but failed on a pass that would have set up a touchdown and a 17-point lead.
That was followed by a blocked punt. The next drive came with the No. 6 pick. The Sooners went three-and-out on their first two possessions of the third quarter and didn’t score again until Martial found wide receiver Deion Burks for a 37-yard touchdown on the second drive of the fourth quarter.
Martel completed 26 of 41 passes for 307 yards and three total touchdowns. It was his most touchdowns in a game since Oklahoma’s win over Michigan on Sept. 6.
semifinal math
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It never lies.
Or rather, not yet into the playoff era. In the decade since the postseason was first implemented, there have been three rematches of regular season games. The team that lost in the regular season is now undefeated in the postseason sequel of the playoff era and has an 18-7 record when including traditional bowl games.
Oregon State (which beat Ohio State in the regular season but lost in the Rose Bowl earlier this year) and Alabama (which beat Georgia in the regular season but lost in the national title game three years ago) are the other two teams that have lost in postseason rematches.
It’s hard to beat a team twice in one season.
Just ask the Sooners.
