'17-0 is Nothing to Us': How Alabama Reacted to Large Deficit Against Oklahoma

Alabama tied the largest comeback win in College Football Playoff history, but "there wasn't a doubt" in Ty Simpson's mind throughout.

Alabama's Ty Simpson (15) celebrates following the College Football Playoff game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Gaylord Family Ð Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Friday Dec. 19, 2025. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NORMAN, Okla. — There's nothing quite like a comeback win on the road.

Down multiple possessions with the crowd and momentum going against you is an equation that Alabama smiles at.

The Crimson Tide took Oklahoma down 34-24 in Norman on Friday night in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Alabama was once down 17-0 — tying the largest comeback win in CFP history (Georgia over Oklahoma in 2018 Rose Bowl).

"Yeah, there wasn't a doubt in my mind at all," Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson said during the postgame press conference. "I mean the guys that we have, the players, the coaches, 17-0 is nothing to us. Give us the ball. We'll go down. We'll do what we do. Give them the ball. They'll go down and do what they do. That's all."

Two-time Alabama captain Deontae Lawson didn't say a specific moment when he knew that the Crimson Tide had the Sooners in a chokehold, but he shared the all-around mindset when UA was down big with no hope from outside of the sidelines.

"Man, I just think we're a resilient team," Lawson said. "Even though we were down 17-0, we didn't really look at the scoreboard. Coach DeBoer always says 'Keep playing the game and the game will come back to you.' That's been our mindset all year. We know we're a resilient bunch and we're just going to keep fighting."

It's clear that Simpson and Lawson were confident, and Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer shared what the vibe was like as a coach on the sideline down by three scores.

"Ty seemed pretty confident," DeBoer said. "But I think it just goes back to that I know what I was echoing and trying to get guys to believe in is just just one score. Just get one score. And, you know, you make it even a 10 point game going to the half. You just get one more in the third quarter, make it a one score game. Or, you know, just chip away."

DeBoer mentioned that this was the same mindset the Crimson Tide used during Alabama's 24-3 loss at Oklahoma last season, and "those are things in the offseason we've talked about."

"Just put pressure on them," DeBoer said. "Even at the end it flips the other way, right? I mean, they got their opportunities too. You just want to put the game away. But there's two good teams going at each other. So that was our mindset. Just play the next play. Get some points on the board and just, you know, keep coming after them.

"There's a whole half of football. The games can go fast, but it's a long game. There's a lot of plays, there's a lot of momentum swings that are going to happen, and our guys were just steady through it all."

Alabama's composure earned the Tide a spot in the Rose Bowl against No. 1 Indiana during the CFP quarterfinals round. That game will be played on Jan. 1, 2026, in Pasadena, Calif.

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