Paul Finebaum: Alabama, Kalen DeBoer turnaround 'all went down the drain' with loss vs. Oklahoma

After suffering its second loss of the season in a 24-17 defeat to Tennessee, Alabama‘s back was against the wall. For a while, it seemed to respond to the imminent danger of that dreaded third loss.

The Crimson Tide rattled off three straight wins, including back-to-back victories over ranked foes Missouri and LSU. Their hard work was paying off, resulting in them being the highest-ranked two-loss team in the Week 12 College Football Playoff rankings.

However, on Saturday, Alabama’s passionate push for the CFP collapsed as the Crimson Tide fell in stunning 24-3 fashion to Oklahoma. During an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum weighed in on Alabama’s lackluster performance.

“It was a complete and total abomination,” Finebaum said. “I don’t ever remember in an important game — listen, we’ve seen it in unimportant games with inferior coaches but considering what was at stake, where this team had come from, I cannot remember an Alabama team that looked more clueless, more poorly prepared and executed, as woefully as that.

“It was a historically bad performance, and it’s really too bad because I thought Kalen DeBoer and his staff had done such a really excellent job of bringing this team back from the brink five weeks ago, and it looks to me like it all went down the drain Saturday night.”

If Alabama’s sole goal was to reach the CFP, Finebaum may be correct. Barring a wild turn of events and a convincing performance from Alabama this weekend at Auburn, it’s unlikely the Crimson Tide earn an at-wide berth in the CFP.

It was a brutal showing for Alabama, who didn’t score a touchdown in the game for the first time since 2011. In total, the Crimson Tide’s offense amassed just 234 yards. Quarterback Jalen Milroe particularly struggled, only completing 11-of-his-26 pass attempts and throwing three interceptions, including a pivotal pick-six in the third quarter.

Despite the rest of the season’s gloomy outlook, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer isn’t giving up on the 2024 campaign.

“It’s win and lose as a team,” DeBoer said. “We made that commitment not just for each other but that we’re gonna finish, and we’re gonna finish everything we do. There’s a big game next week, so we’ve gotta regroup, stick together. The right things are said in there by the guys as much as they’re hurting, and just keep playing and have pride in who we are and finish the job.”