When Alabama fell behind 17-0 to Oklahoma in the first round of the College Football Playoff, plenty of folks figured the Crimson Tide's title hopes were about to be buried in the turf. But what followed was a reminder of what makes this program-and this team under Kalen DeBoer-so dangerous when the lights are brightest.
That early deficit wasn’t just a stumble out of the gate. It was a gut punch.
Oklahoma came out swinging, and Alabama looked rattled. But instead of folding, the Tide regrouped, recalibrated, and responded with the kind of resilience that championship teams are built on.
Head coach Kalen DeBoer recently joined Urban Meyer on The Triple Option podcast, where the former Ohio State coach praised Alabama’s ability to weather that storm. Meyer, who knows a thing or two about Playoff pressure, called it a moment where Alabama got “punched in the face”-and still found a way to win.
DeBoer didn’t downplay the struggle. In fact, he leaned into it.
“Being down 17-0 at OU was miserable,” DeBoer admitted. “But now we’ve won.”
That comeback wasn’t about individual heroics or a lucky bounce. It was about grit, trust, and execution under pressure. For DeBoer, it’s a defining moment-not just for the scoreboard, but for the identity of this team.
“Now that we’ve won, it’s one of those program things that you know we’ve done together,” he said.
That “together” part matters. Because when a team claws its way back from a three-score hole on a national stage, it builds more than momentum-it builds belief. And belief is a dangerous thing to give a team like Alabama.
There are always signature moments in a season-tight wins, statement games, dramatic finishes-but few are as galvanizing as a comeback like that. It’s the kind of experience that doesn’t just boost confidence; it hardens a team for what’s next.
And what’s next is no small task. Alabama heads to Pasadena to face Indiana in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. The stakes only get higher from here, and DeBoer knows it.
“We gotta remember that one,” he said. “Not just down the road in the offseason, but right now. In the moments we are in, facing these great teams that are coming ahead, we’re going to take more punches at times.”
That’s the mindset of a coach who understands the grind of the College Football Playoff. DeBoer isn’t sugarcoating it-there will be more adversity. But now his team has proof they can take a shot, get off the mat, and fight their way back.
Alabama’s comeback against Oklahoma wasn’t just a win-it was a statement. And if the Crimson Tide carry that same resolve into the Rose Bowl, they’re going to be a tough out for anyone standing in their way.