A costly mistake at the end of the first half helped lead to No. 11 Oklahoma knocking off No. 4 Alabama 23-21 in front of 100,077 fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday.
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The Crimson Tide made several miscues, including a Ty Simpson interception and losing two fumbles. But a missed field goal attempt in the final seconds of the second quarter by Conor Talty (his only attempt of the game) was a huge blunder as it cost Alabama three points in a two-point loss to Oklahoma.
The operation wasn’t clean, as the snap by long snapper David Bird was high, and Talty pushed the kick wide left. Following the missed attempt, ABC broadcast cameras caught Talty having a heated discussion with Bird.
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Talty called out Bird for a poor snap.
Talty’s reaction reflected poorly on Alabama, and the kicker was called out for his actions on social media.
During his postgame news conference, Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer commented on the matter. He suggested that the blame should go to both players. He thinks Talty should have made the kick regardless of the snap.
“It’s a little bit of the same as the last time we missed (a field goal attempt),” DeBoer said. “We can get a little better snap. But we can make the kick too. It’s a little bit of everything on the execution from snap to the kick. So we’ve got to find a way to kick it through when it’s not perfect.
“We’ve got to find a way to execute better just on the whole thing–on the whole operation.”
The kicking game has been an issue for the 8-2 Crimson Tide throughout the season. Talty is 11-of-16 (68.8 percent) on field goal attempts this season. The sophomore is a perfect 32-of-32 on extra points.
Alabama will look to clean up special teams when it hosts Eastern Illinois in Week 13. The Crimson Tide will then travel to play Auburn in the “Iron Bowl” on Nov. 29 to finish the regular season.
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