Alabama Trails Oklahoma 17-14 at Halftime, Coaches Urge Improvement

Tuscaloosa, Alabama – Alabama Coach Kalen DeBoer delivered a succinct halftime message as his team faced the Oklahoma Sooners, trailing 17-14 after a missed field goal attempt.

DeBoer told the Crimson Tide Sports Network to “take care of the ball” and to ensure successful snaps on field goal attempts. In the first half, Alabama rolled up 274 yards of total offense but suffered two critical turnovers that allowed Oklahoma to convert these mistakes into 14 points.

“We can move the ball on these guys,” DeBoer said. “We can get stops. The takeaways they got on us were a killer.” He emphasized the need to maintain momentum for the second half.

Oklahoma’s Coach Brent Venables echoed similar frustrations, criticizing his defense for coverage issues that allowed Alabama’s offensive threats. “We have to tighten things up,” Venables said, referring to an adjustment issue that arose just before Alabama’s missed field goal.

Alabama had advanced 69 yards on 13 plays, setting up a 36-yard field goal attempt that was partially blocked by Oklahoma’s Taylor Wein. This resulted in a missed opportunity for the Crimson Tide to tie the game before halftime.

With both teams under pressure, the focus will undoubtedly shift to execution and capitalizing on opportunities in the second half as the game intensifies.