Alabama reminds us momentum is a helluva drug

The vibes in Norman couldn't have been higher.

It was 17-0 and the Oklahoma crowd was absolutely buzzing.

The defense was doing its regular thing and making life hell for Ty Simpson behind an overmatched Alabama offensive line. Even the previously anemic offense had driven the field three different times with ease. The difference in total yardage was a comical 181-12.

The Sooner party had fully started, and it looked as though it was going to be an all-time night for the storied program as it finally got a win in the College Football Playoff.

And then it all ended, abruptly, before the game even hit halftime.

Alabama served a cold reminder that momentum is one helluva drug - especially in the high-stakes game that is the CFP.

It started with the 4th-down king once again issuing a royal decree: this ain't over. Kalen DeBoer has shown throughout his entire FBS coaching career that he is without peer when it comes to gambles in big spots, and he rolled the dice yet again in Norman. Fail and this was almost certainly over. Succeed and the Tide were right back in the contest.

Take it away, Lotzeir Brooks.

Like unclogging a toilet - and make no mistake, that's an apt comparison for how Alabama had looked up until this point - Brooks' touchdown removed the Oklahoma impediment and got the Tide flowing again.

Five plays later, the visitors didn't just have the ball back, but were already deep in opponent territory. We'd like to credit some outstanding play by Alabama for that situation, but the Sooners' punter literally just dropped the ball in a moment that still doesn't make sense.

Alabama would get a field goal out of that miscue to cut the lead to seven, and the Tide were officially rolling.

The punter blunder was bad, but the upcoming series would be what turned things for good. The culprit? A play so inexplicable you could see the energy sucked out of the building even while watching on television.

A 50-yard pick-6 - with not one Oklahoma receiver in the frame - officially erased the 17-point lead and made it a new ballgame by halftime.

Technically the game was even at the break, but even the most ardent Sooner out there would admit the home team was on the ropes. Unfortunately, Oklahoma had been down that road before, blowing a 17-point lead to Georgia in a 2018 CFP loss.

That second half picked up where the first ended, with an early Alabama touchdown giving it a lead it would never relinquish. The final 10-point margin ensured another blown 17-point lead for the Sooners and dropped the program's record to 0-5 in the history of the playoff. According to Cody Nagel of 247 Sports, teams in the playoff are now 28-2 all-time when holding a lead of at least 17 points in a game, with both losses by Oklahoma.

In the end, the game was decided over a 40-minute span. The first 19 a resounding victory for the Sooners to take the 17-0 lead. However, they may have staggered the Tide, but they didn't knock them out. Alabama's 21 minutes of fury saw the visitors outscore the hosts 27-0 and dominate 194-59 in total offense.

Oklahoma spent all season winning in spite of its offense, but couldn't pull one more rabbit out of the hat once the Tide had flipped the script. That ended up costing the Sooners in the end, and will bring about plenty of offseason questions as to whether John Mateer is the quarterback to get that fixed in Norman.

Alabama's reward for the victory is a date with No. 1 Indiana - a matchup that will mark the first ever clash between the schools.