The first half of the Oklahoma–Alabama rematch in the opening round of the CFP delivered pure chaos. And then came the moment no one saw coming. A bizarre first penalty on the Crimson Tide. One call that nearly threatened to rinse away Alabama’s second-half surge before it even began. While it could have cost Kalen DeBoer’s squad, fans had already thrown referee Michael Vandervelde under the bus.

With just 22 seconds left before halftime, it happened on third-and-5 at Oklahoma’s 47-yard line. After bumping into an official on the field in Norman, a member of the Alabama coaching staff was called for “sideline interference.” The call handed the Sooners a fresh set of downs, instead of forcing a fourth-and-4 after a one-yard run by QB John Mateer.

Suddenly, Oklahoma was marching closer to field-goal range—thanks to a whistle. But in the end, it didn’t burn Alabama. The Crimson Tide defense slammed the door shut, and the Sooners let the clock melt away instead of pushing the issue. Then came the surge. The Tide ripped off 17 unanswered points in the second quarter, and momentum flipped fast.

With a 50-yard pick-six by Zabien Brown, by halftime, it was all square at 17–17 against the Sooners, the same team that beat Alabama earlier in the regular season. That sparked fans to call out the referee in protest.

“That might be the softest ref in college football. Send him back to high school. Absolutely pathetic call in a playoff game. Bro pretended Bama was Tomlin status,” wrote one fan.

In the second quarter, although Alabama silenced Gaylord Memorial Stadium in a hurry with a ruthless 17–0 run, by halftime, the game was tied, shifting the balance of power. But if the Tide hadn’t answered, and the Sooners had converted a field goal, that penalty could have cost Alabama dearly. While moments like that in a playoff game can swing everything, a call like this could have derailed Kalen DeBoer’s national title hopes in a hurry.

That’s why fan concern came naturally, and they openly questioned the referee’s decision. Even the call sparked frustration on the sideline, including from Kalen DeBoer himself. The reason is clearly visible. The sideline interference penalty on Alabama more than 30 yards downfield flipped the situation completely. A whistle changed everything, while it could have been fourth down and a punt for Oklahoma.

Fans erupted in outrage over the referee’s call

Bill LeMonnier, ESPN’s rules analyst, agreed with the official’s call during the ABC broadcast, noting that area of the field is considered the referee’s “territory.”

“That’s his territory. You’ve endangered me and you don’t belong there,” said LeMonnier.

But in a game of this magnitude, fans didn’t want any kind of controversy. Situations like this in college football typically warrant a formal sideline warning first, and that step was missing. One fan was quick to point that out.

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“The fact that everyone, including the announcers, said where’s the warning…yeah that was a TERRIBLE call,” wrote that fan, while another fan kept it blunt, saying, “That’s a terrible call on Bama like the ref is 5 yds out of bounds when they know they ain’t never that far out lol.”

While penalty calls like this can decide games, it’s nothing new in college football. Just recently, during Wednesday’s Cure Bowl between South Florida and Old Dominion, a costly penalty killed a potential scoring drive for USF, and ODU went on to win the game. With incidents like that fresh in mind, fans don’t want to take any chances. That’s why frustration sparked, and they simply couldn’t accept it.

“I’m not even kidding check that refs draft kings account that was so bad,” stated a fan.

Last but not least, one frustrated fan directly called out the referee, expressing their belief that it was an awful call.

“Wow. That’s a ref wanting to be apart of the game. He bumped a Bama coached 40 yards down the field 😂😂 the play was also already over. Ref just wanted to be seen. What an awful call.”

Amidst all this, Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama didn’t let the call slow them down and went on to win the game against Oklahoma, 34–24. Now, they turn their attention to preparing for a matchup against Indiana.