The Alabama Crimson Tide marched into Norman and left with a statement, taking down the Oklahoma Sooners 34-24. But the real headline belonged to freshman Lotzeir Brooks. Scoreless throughout the regular season, Brooks flipped the script on the biggest stage. As Ryan Grubb showered praise on the breakout star, he even dropped Kirk Herbstreit’s take on the freshman’s heroic feat.

“TMI here, but I saw Herbstreit in the bathroom at halftime and he was like: man, you were right, Brooks is the guy,” said Alabama offensive coordinator during the post-game presser after Alabama’s win over Oklahoma. “I don’t think there’s anybody on that sideline that was surprised a bit that 17 made those plays. He’s a stud.”

In just the first 19 minutes, Oklahoma blitzed out to a 17-0 lead, steamrolling Alabama with a jaw-dropping 181-12 yardage edge. And it nearly turned into a full-blown avalanche. Owen Heinecke missed a punt block by inches that could’ve flipped into a safety or six more points.

What followed was a full-blown Tide surge.

Alabama outscored Oklahoma 27-0 over the next 21 minutes, outgaining them 194-59. Alabama freshman Brooks was the spark. He snagged two touchdown catches, including a fourth-and-2 score to break the seal and a 30-yard moon ball that slammed the door.

As of the Alabama freshman’s 2025 stats, he racked up 362 yards, 27 receptions, and zero touchdowns in the regular season. However, Brooks’ star show would not have been possible without a collaboration with the Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson. 

Simpson appeared to be more relaxed. With the weight lifted, he started slinging it. The fourth-and-two dime to Brooks flipped the script, and the winding touchdown cut it to 17–7.

It felt like a true “I belong here” moment.

With Alabama’s play-caller amplifying Herbstreit’s Lotzeir take, are the Tide inviting even more smoke? Herbstreit is already on thin ice after fans accused him of cheerleading Kalen DeBoer’s crew on the CFP broadcast.

“Listening to Kirk Herbstreit credit Alabama for ‘fighting back’ is so disingenuous and patronizing. The pick six was a who-the-hell-you-throwing-to pass, and the botched punt was an unforced error by the punter.” An upset fan tried to expose Herbstreit on X. 

But what was the hoopla all about? 

We got the whole John Mateer experience, brilliant throws paired with ‘what-was-that’ decisions. He hit in the second quarter, when a glaring misread turned into a Zabien Brown pick-six that knotted the score and flipped the game on its head. 

That’s why fans pointed out that it wasn’t Alabama clamping down or cranking up pressure; it was a self-inflicted mistake. Seen that way, calling it a Crimson Tide “fight back” rings hollow. Oklahoma didn’t get crushed; they handed Bama the momentum on a silver platter.

While Herbstreit took the hot seat in the commentary box, Grubb returned to the press box to call the Oklahoma game.

Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator stepped up amid coaching shuffle

With JaMarcus Shephard already jetting off to Corvallis as Oregon State’s new head coach, his Alabama chapter quietly closed after he stayed on through the SEC Championship Game. It left Grubb to adjust on the fly.

“Coach [JaMarcus] Shephard is obviously out at Oregon State now,” Grubb said. “Tyler Hughes, one of our senior analysts, was coaching the receivers. So, just to be accurate and make sure I got the things I needed from the sky.”

This was the DeBoer statement win. Alabama stared down a 17-0 hole in chaos and could’ve folded. Instead, the head coach rolled the dice on 4th and 2, passed on the field goal, and injected instant belief. Brooks made it worth every ounce of trust, hauling in a touchdown that flipped the energy and the game.

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From there, the Sooners lost their grip on the night. A dropped pass snowballed into a botched punt snap, gifting Alabama a field goal. Now the question remains: Is the latest Crimson Tide victory enough to shut down the DeBoer-to-Michigan talk?

Already, the former Crimson Tide quarterback, AJ McCarron, has waved red flags about the Wolverines’ job. 

Uncertainty lingers at the top, but the message inside the building is loud and clear. This group is done listening and ready to remind everyone who counted them out.

“I guess we can thank you guys for that. I mean y’all kind of wrote us off in a sort of way,” said Simpson in his post-game presser. “Appreciate that.”

With a first-round win in the bag, the Crimson Tide sets its sights on top-seeded Indiana Hoosiers. Can Lotzeir Brooks strike again?