The Oklahoma Sooners had a solid second half, but went down big early in the Orange Bowl against Alabama, eventually losing 45-34 in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

The Tide looked dominant, and will now advance to play for another national title vs. Clemson.

After the game, Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley was disappointed, but also praised Alabama for a strong performance (via NewsOK.com):

“Yeah, it’s not the result that we wanted or expected. Kind of a tale of two different games for us. The start of the game, give Alabama credit, they’re a really good football team. They made a run on us there early. We just had a hard time breaking their string of momentum. …

“But give Alabama a ton of credit. They’re a really, really good football team, coached very well, outstanding players all around. It was fun. I mean, it was a heavy hitter just like we all expected.”

He also shared his thoughts on Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa, who had a huge performance in the win:

“Yeah, a ton of respect,” he said. “I thought he moved around well. I thought he really threw the ball well. There wasn’t many of the passes that weren’t on target. Made a lot of great throws. Didn’t give us too many opportunities. I thought he gave us one there on one of the deep balls that the guy ended up catching. I thought we had a chance to pick that one. But yeah, he did a great job. He played well. He’s a heck of a player. Obviously has a bright future, and he’s a great kid. We got to know him and his family a little bit on the little award circuit, and that’s an awesome family. He’s got a magnetic personality, and obviously he’s a fantastic player.”

As Heisman-winning QB Kyler Murray heads off to either the NFL or MLB, it’ll be back to the drawing board for Riley and the Sooners. With all the talent they have, though, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them back here next year.