NORMAN, Oklahoma — In the post-game maelstrom on the ripped and sand-laden Oklahoma midfield logo at Memorial Stadium, the feeling of euphoria ebbed from the No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide after a dramatic and defining 34-24 win over the No. 8 Sooners in the College Football Playoff first-round game. I could easily see why Michigan is chasing Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer to be their next man. He wears victory well. So did his team, especially his team captain.”Job’s not done yet,” Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson told a group of reporters just beneath the stands.Simpson walked past Alabama fans who’d made the journey to Norman with a right fist raised high, flanked by Alabama state troopers. Michigan fans might envision what it might look like to watch Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood do the same.[Best Teams in the College Football Playoff Era: Creating the Ultimate 12-team CFP]Pressure mounted early on DeBoer and his team. A week’s worth of pressure was on him to say he wanted to remain the head coach at Alabama and not jump to Michigan, to win a CFP game at Alabama, to beat a team that had come into Bryant-Denny Stadium and defeated his Tide just a month prior to Friday’s rematch. But as Alabama struggled badly at first, DeBoer didn’t lose his cool. He continued to simply coach his team as he had since spring practice. He remained consistent.DeBoer’s Crimson Tide met that pressure, watched its release and celebrated their wherewithal in the opponent’s face. Klatt’s Michigan Head Coach Update: Who are the Top Candidates? Some Oklahoma players watched, dumbstruck by what had just transpired over the previous three hours to the Sooners. How had DeBoer willed his team to a monster 17-point comeback win at Memorial Stadium? He pointed back to the game his Crimson Tide played in Norman last season in a 24-3 loss.There were moments sprinkled throughout the aftermath — and in the facts of what DeBoer’s Tide had done — that could lead a fan of the maize and blue to think that they want that guy to be their guy. He didn’t shout or become unglued with emotion. He reminded everyone in his press conference that, not only had his team been down double-digits in the ballgame, but also that they learned from a past failure.”A year ago, when we were in this very place, that’s what we had said,” DeBoer told reporters at his post-game press conference. “We were down, I think, 21 points at one point. And you know, we just said, ‘Hey,…
Try WordAi Free
2025-12-20 20:03:06
