Tate Sandell’s costly misses kill Oklahoma’s comeback hopes against Alabama
By David Wasson
Published:
All season long, Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell has been a weapon during the No. 8 seed Sooners’ march to the College Football Playoff – connecting on 23 of his 24 field goal attempts to help earn a first-round home matchup against No. 9 seed Alabama.
But when the Sooners needed a score to cut a 10-point lead to 7 late Friday against the Crimson Tide, Sandell’s near-automatic right leg backfired.
The oft-critiqued, short pants-wearing junior kicker pushed a 36-yard field goal wide left to keep Alabama’s lead at 34-24 with 2:53 to play.
Sandell’s miss was only his second all season, having been errant on his first attempt of the season – a 42-yarder against Michigan on Sept. 6. He was 3-for-3 from 20-29 yards, 3-for-3 from 30-39 yards, 8-of-9 from 40-49 yards and 7-7 from 50-plus en route to winning the Lou Groza Award given to the nation’s best kicker.
Sandell’s miss came after he nailed a 51-yard field goal late in the first quarter as Oklahoma sprang out to a 17-0 lead. In addition to the 36-yard miss, Sandell would also come up short from 51 yards away with 1:13 remaining to seal the Sooners demise.
Alabama finished it off from there to earn the 34-24 victory, becoming the first visiting team to win a first-round game in the 12-team CFP format, and will play Indiana in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
