The first half of the Oklahoma–Alabama rematch in the CFP opener was pure chaos. But the most bizarre moment was probably the first penalty on the Crimson Tide. It’s that one call that could have nearly threatened to rinse away Alabama’s second-half surge before it even began. While Kalen DeBoer’s squad has won 34-24 fair and square, fans had already thrown referee Michael Vandervelde under the bus.

With just 22 seconds left before halftime, the moment unfolded 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. It briefly brought Oklahoma closer to field-goal range, though Alabama’s defense quickly made the stops, and the Sooners let the clock run out instead of forcing a play.

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.

The sequence included a 50-yard pick-six by Zabien Brown, which tied the game at 17–17 at halftime against the same Sooners team that had beaten Alabama in the regular season.

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.”

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

But if the Tide hadn’t answered, and the Sooners had converted a field goal, that penalty could have cost Alabama dearly.

That’s why fan concern came naturally, and they openly questioned the referee’s decision.

Fans erupted in outrage over the referee’s call

“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 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.

“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.