Live Updates From Oklahoma's College Football Playoff Matchup Against Alabama

The Sooners host Alabama for the program's first-ever home College Football Playoff game on Friday night.

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NORMAN — Sooners On SI offers real-time observations from Oklahoma Memorial Stadium throughout Friday’s College Football Playoff matchup between OU and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

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1:13 Fourth Quarter

Tate Sandell missed again.

Sandell's 51-yard attempt landed short, ending the Sooners' chances of a miraculous comeback.

2:53 Fourth Quarter

Tate Sandell's streak is over, and so might Oklahoma's hopes.

Sandell's 36-yard field goal try was JUUUUUST left to keep the Crimson Tide's lead at 10.

TV announcers initially said the kick was good, but officials called it no good.

The ball much be completely inside the upright to be considered good, and if it is over the upright, the call is not reviewable.

— Aber

3:29 Fourth Quarter

The Sooners still have a pulse, but it's beating faintly.

Oklahoma converted on fourth-and-8 when John Mateer hit Javonnie Gibson for a 38-yard gain to give the Sooners the ball at the Alabama 19.

— Aber

9:20 Fourth Quarter

Well, that’s one way to kill momentum.

After a messy offensive possession, Miller botched another punt. 

Alabama will go to work at the Sooners’ 35-yard line. 

— Chapman 

10:57 Fourth Quarter

After Deion Burks' touchdown, the Sooners' defense came up with a big stop.

Alabama had the ball in OU territory but then the defense bucked up, with Owen Heinecke sacking Ty Simpson on third down to force the Crimson Tide to punt.

The Sooners have the ball at their own 7.

— Aber

14:45 Fourth Quarter

Deion Burks continues his big game with a 37-yard touchdown reception that cut the Sooners' deficit to 27-24 after the 50 Cent bump.

Burks now has six catches for 105 yards, his most productive game of the season.

— Ryan Aber

14:45 Fourth Quarter

Two plays after 50 Cent appeared, the Sooners are in the end zone. 

I mean… 

— Chapman 

Concert Intermission 

I present to you: 50 Cent live in Norman pic.twitter.com/pmFK2NErJE

— Ryan Chapman (@_RyanChapman) December 20, 2025

Oklahoma really did it. The Sooners got 50 Cent to perform “Many Men” between the third and fourth. 

Now… I think the Alabama players enjoyed it just as much as OU’s, but that’s for another time. It got the crowd going. Mission accomplished.

End Third Quarter

The Sooners are moving the ball, but they have NO urgency. Very odd as OU trails by 10 entering the fourth.

4:30 Third Quarter

Conor Talty drills a 40-yard field goal to put the Crimson Tide on top 27-17. That’s now 27 unanswered from Alabama, and this is the first double-digit deficit the Sooners have faced since the loss to Ole Miss.

— Chapman 

5:48 Third Quarter

This feels like it’s slipping from Oklahoma’s fingertips. 

The Sooners got off the field on third down thanks to a Bernard drop, but Guillory was flagged for holding to extend the drive. 

Looked like a couple of Sooners were held a few plays later, but no flags and Simpson picked up a third down with his legs. 

Oklahoma has to get a stop on this third down. 

— Chapman 

9:26 Third Quarter

John Mateer ate a pair of sacks and that drive was over before it started. Now Alabama has fantastic field position again after the Sooners had to punt. 

First-and-10 from the Alabama 38-yard line coming up after this commercial break.

— Chapman 

11:21 Third Quarter

Tide on top in Norman. 

Alabama has rattled off 24 unanswered points after Simpson hit Lotzeir Brooks for a 30-yard dart to the corner of the north end zone. 

The Sooners now trail 24-17 and have to dig deep to fire back. 

— Chapman 

12:19 Third Quarter

Alabama’s two best sets of starting field position tonight have come from massive special teams errors. Big switch from how OU’s special teams played in Tuscaloosa. 

And Daniel Hill starts the drive with a 30-yard run to set the Crimson Tide up with a fresh set of downs at OU’s 30-yard line. 

— Chapman 

Halftime

In the first matchup between these two teams, Alabama out-gained Oklahoma 274-107 in the first half, but the Sooners benefitted from Eli Bowen’s Pick-6 and a big special teams play (Sategna’s punt return) helped OU add another field goal. 

Tonight, the Sooners are out-gaining Alabama 236-100, but the Crimson Tide have the defensive score and the big special teams play.

Enjoying these 2025 matchups between OU and Alabama.

— Chapman 

Halftime stats:

Halftime

That would have been a 64-yard field goal attempt if OU had called timeout there before the end of the half.

Believe it or not, that’s well out of Sandell’s range.

Halftime, 17-17. Crazy game.

— Hoover

1:18 Second Quarter

Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is sitting in stunned silence after the Pick-6.

Robinson had a chance to put OU in territory to go up 24-10, and now it’s 17-17 and the Crimson Tide get the ball out of halftime. Complete 180 in Norman.

— Chapman 

pic.twitter.com/8yuQQCXHiU

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) December 20, 2025

1:18 Second Quarter

And there’s Mateer’s next big mistake — it’s a doozy.

Zabien Brown easily picks off Mateer’s sideline throw and returns it 50 yards for a touchdown. 

Oklahoma won the first quarter 17-0. Alabama is winning the second quarter 17-0.

Buckle up for a wild fist-fight of a second half.

— Hoover

2:08 Second Quarter

Despite a sack by Jones and another pressure from multiple Sooners, Bama converts the blocked punt into a 35-yard Conor Talty field goal, and this thing is suddenly 17-10.

— Hoover

4:29 Second Quarter

Wow, Mateer’s eyes are just not right. On third-and-3, he escapes a sack, spins out and has 20 yards of open field ahead of him, but he pulls up and throws an off-balance pass 20 yards downfield to Xavier Robinson, which falls incomplete. He had the first down easy but chose a hard throw instead.

And the ensuing punt is blocked, setting up Alabama at the OU 30-yard line.

Yikes.

— Hoover

6:52 Second Quarter

Kalen DeBoer never even considered settling for a field goal there. 

On fourth-and-2, Simpson found Lotzeir Brooks, who torched OU for a 29-yard completion earlier in the drive, and neither Kobie McKinzie or Peyton Bowen were able to bring Brooks down. 

The missed tackles would not have prevented the Crimson Tide from getting a first down, but it did allow Alabama to get on the board with a touchdown. 

OU up 17-7, and the crowd is momentarily silenced for the first time tonight. 

— Chapman 

8:45 Second Quarter

On third-and-5, Simpson fires a deep corner to Brooks for 29 yard — and that’s Bama’s first first down. And it’s followed by another first down one play later. Tide is marching.

— Hoover

10:51 Second Quarter

Current stats. It's quite lopsided:

10:51 Second Quarter

Mateer really sharp early on that drive, firing a 15-yard strike to Deion Burks on the sideline (Burks with a nice tiptoe catch, which is upheld by replay), then an 18-yard fastball to Burks over the middle on first down, then a third-and-7 completion over the middle to Jacob Jordan, then a quick flip to Isaiah Sategna over the middle for a sliding touchdown, and it’s 17-0.

Ben Arbuckle in his bag.

— Hoover

10:51 Second Quarter

First Quarter Stats:

FIRST QUARTER

End 1st Quarter

All Oklahoma for the first 15 minutes. 

Sooners on top 10-0. OU is out-gaining the Crimson Tide 118-12.

— Chapman 

0:45 First Quarter

Tate Sandell nails a 51-yarder to put OU up 10-0 because of course he did. 

Sandell is now 8-for-8 from 50-plus yards, and his eight makes tie the FBS record. 

(He will break that record).

— Chapman 

1:49 First Quarter

First big mistake goes to Oklahoma: Eddy Pierre-Louis is flagged for a late hit/unsportsmanlike conduct on the sideline, wiping out a short gain by Tory Blaylock.

Third-down throw comes up short, and Sooners will kick a 51-yard field goal by Tate Sandell.

It’s good, of course, and with 45 seconds left in the opening quarter, OU leads Bama 10-0.

— Hoover

4:00 First Quarter

Another Bama three-and out.

Kip Lewis dropped Ty Simpson for an 8-yard loss on first down, and Simpson got that back with an 8-yard completion to TE Josh Cuevas. But before the third down snap, Bama needs a timeout.

Simpson escapes a sack attempt by Owen Heinecke in the end zone and throws incomplete.

Need to credit Sandell and Trystan Haynes for starting this defensive possession right for Oklahoma: Sandell’s kickoff landed at the 1, and Haynes dropped Lotzeir Brooks after a meager 13-yard return.

— Hoover

5:29 First Quarter

In Tuscaloosa, Oklahoma scored 17 points off turnovers. 

OU’s first scoring drive, a field goal, was also aided by a big Isaiah Sategna punt return. 

So essentially, the offense scored three of its 23 points by itself. 

Ben Arbuckle’s unit has seven on the board two drives in. Xavier Robinson looks fresh The crowd is ready to explode on this next possession. 

— Chapman 

5:29 First Quarter

Bama let a huge hole in behind a gap in the defensive line, and Mateer took advantage of it with a quick check down to Xavier Robsinon, who caught it and spun away from a tackler and up the sideline for a 17-yard gain on third-and-10.

On the next play, Mateer escaped traffic at the line of scrimmage and scooted into the end zone for a Sooner touchdown. Sandell makes it 7-0.

Another efficient drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 3:34 off the clock.

— Hoover

7:39 First Quarter

John Mateer had Javonnie Gibson wide open for a touchdown, but saw him late, then kind of panicked his throw and overthrew him by six feet.

Mateer saves the drive with a scramble for a first down, however, to the Bama 25. Tate Sandell territory, to be sure, though Arbuckle no doubt wants a touchdown here.

— Hoover

9:14 First Quarter

And it’s a quick three-and-out for Bama as R Mason Thomas hammers Daniel Hill for a 1-yard gain and Ty Simpson’s third down throw is batted down by Courtland Guillory.

OU football at the Sooners’ 41.

— Hoover

10:30 First Quarter

Oklahoma’s starters on defense:

Wein — Dam. Williams — Halton — Thomas 

Daniels — Kip Lewis — Heinecke 

Guillory — Spears-Jennings — P. Bowen — E. Bowen

— Chapman 

10:37 First Quarter

Not an ideal start for the Oklahoma offense, but not bad all in all. OU picked up two first downs and took 4 1/2 minutes off the clock and with a 32-yard punt turns the football over to the defense at the Bama 12. That second-and-10 run was an odd call, and Tory Blaylock slipped on John Mateer’s third-down dump-off throw, but he wouldn’t have got the first down on third-and-10 anyway. 

— Hoover

15:00 First Quarter

Oklahoma’s starters on offense

Fasusi — Pierre-Louis — Nwaiwu — Fodje — Simmons 

Sategna — Burks — Kanak — Gibson

Mateer — Blaylock

— Chapman 

One minute until kickoff

Alabama won the toss.

Oklahoma’s offense is up first.

— Chapman

Three minutes until kickoff

Toby Rowland just finished his pregame hype video by cutting in with “LIVE…From the Palace on the Prairie …” live from the radio booth.

Well done, T-Row.

This place feels like it's about to combust.

— Hoover

27 minutes to kickoff 

Taylor Wein, Damonic Williams, Gracen Halton — and yes, R Mason Thomas — are announced as the starting defensive line for OU.

You can imagine, the last one got quite the ovation.

— Hoover

47 minutes until kickoff

Oklahoma’s starting offensive line per warmups from left-to-right:

Fasusi — Pierre-Louis — Nwaiwu — Fodje — Simmons

— Chapman

51 minutes to kickoff

It’s official: “Who U Wit” made it through one more full season as the Sooners’ stretching song.

May 2026 bring something new and fresh.

— Hoover

58 minutes until kickoff

With Maikklula ruled out, Gunnar Allen is snapping to Michael Hawkins Jr. as the second-team center and Ryan Fodje is snapping to Whitt Newbauer as the third-team center. 

It remains to be seen if it would be Allen or Fodje who gets the call if Nwaiwu has to miss a snap.

— Chapman 

72 minutes until kickoff

We’ve had the privilege of covering some big games in Norman, but it’s hard to remember the city buzzing like this before kickoff. 

The vibes were high walking through the tailgates before getting to the stadium, and the expectation is that the fans in the stadium are going to bring the heat tonight. 

Unfortunately for Oklahoma, center Jake Maikkula has been ruled out of tonight's contest.

Sooners On SI has myself, John Hoover and Ryan Aber up in the press box for this contest and Carson Field is on the field shooting photos. 

Stick with us as we give all of our observations throughout tonight’s massive matchup. 

— Chapman