Oklahoma fans got strapped into a rollercoaster of emotions Friday that crashed and burned at the hands of Alabama.
The Sooners gave their fans plenty to cheer about early as they took a 17-0 lead in the second quarter at Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla. The home team looked like it was ready to cruise to the next round of the College Football Playoff.
Oklahoma’s cheers died down as the game progressed, with Alabama closing the game on a 34-7 run to win 34-24 in front of a stunned crowd. Many Sooners fans headed for the exits before the game reached its conclusion.
Oklahoma fans hitting the exits early after that last field goal miss. Alabama is 2:48 away from making it to the Rose Bowl.@wsfa12news @wsfa12sports pic.twitter.com/yE0jtSazlk
— Davis Baker (@DavisBakerTV) December 20, 2025
The Oklahoma fans who did stay all had incredulous looks on their faces as reality started to set in that the Sooners would blow the game.
Current state of Oklahoma fans… pic.twitter.com/kaSL9NzNn4
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) December 20, 2025
While Alabama made some huge plays down the stretch to pull off the comeback, Oklahoma also committed several self-inflicted errors throughout the contest.
Sooners punter Grayson Miller muffed a kick so badly that some fans wanted him under investigation. Kicker Tate Sandell followed suit, missing on two field goal attempts in the final three minutes that prevented Oklahoma from having any chance at a comeback.
Oklahoma star kicker Tate Sandell misses a 36-yard field goal (maybe).
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 20, 2025
Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and rules analyst Bill LeMonnier break it down for ESPN. 🏈🎙️ #CFP pic.twitter.com/4ReGPAqs3s
Sandell, who won the Lou Groza Award as the best placekicker in college football this year, had made 24 straight field goals before missing his last two.
With the defeat, Oklahoma became the first team to lose at home in the College Football Playoff. All four home teams won last season when the CFP first expanded to 12 squads.
It’s no surprise that Sooners fans didn’t want to stick around for much longer.
