NORMAN, Okla. — Alabama coach Karen DeBoer heard the critics and questions heading into Friday’s College Football Playoff game against Oklahoma State.
There are those who think Alabama maybe shouldn’t be in this game. The Crimson Tide suffered a crushing loss to Georgia in the Southeastern Conference championship game, shutting out a strong Notre Dame team. Then the rumors that he might be heading to Michigan got serious enough that he issued a statement saying he was happy in Alabama.
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DeBoer expected his players to handle it all well, and they did.
“The question is, there’s enough confidence in our team that we can see the doubters, we can see the naysayers, and just keep playing our game,” DeBoer said. “The group is very tight-knit and there’s never been anyone pointing fingers at each other. It’s happened before.”
Players appreciated the extra fuel.
“I think we can thank you for that,” Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson said. “I mean, you all wrote us off in a nice way. So, appreciate that.”
Alabama linebacker Deontay Lawson didn’t like how the media portrayed the Crimson Tide after the loss to Georgia, but he agreed with Simpson.
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“That’s when we’re at our best,” he said.
The Crimson Tide lost their first two games to Oklahoma State and looked like they might have their number in hand. Oklahoma State led 17-0 in the second quarter.
But DeBoer and his team proved their resilience. The Crimson Tide scored 27 straight points to win 34-24 and advance to the Rose Bowl quarterfinals against No. 1 seed Indiana.
DeBoer said he was never worried even if Oklahoma State took control of the situation early.
“You can’t score 17 touchdowns,” he said. “You’ve got to score a point, even if it’s three. And that’s what our guys did.”
Now, red tides are getting closer to where they would be expected to be this time of year.
“We’re not done yet,” Simpson said. “That’s all I have to say.”