Dan Orlovsky: Fourth-down TD was 'pivotal' moment for Kalen DeBoer's career

Oklahoma jumped Alabama in the College Football Playoff, quickly going up 17-0. With pressure mounting on Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, some even wondered if he could be looking at the hot seat.

Then, everything changed. The Crimson Tide would go on a 34-7 run the rest of the way, walking away with a come-from-behind win. That run was kicked off by a bold decision by DeBoer to go for it on fourth and two with just over seven minutes left in the second quarter.

For ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, that play is what stood out in particular for him during the win. So much so, he would go on Get Up on Tuesday to call it the pivotal moment in DeBoer’s career at Alabama.

“If you’re Alabama, a lot changes in a week, three or four hours,” Dan Orlovsky said. “I think the most pivotal in Kalen DeBoer’s era so far at Alabama is the fourth-and-two call. When they went down 17-0. They go down and it’s fourth and two, and I think the ball was probably at the seven-yard line or something. I thought to myself, ‘Kick the field goal. Just get points. Stop the bleeding. Get something on the board.’ They didn’t hesitate.”

On the play, Alabama had the option to take a chip shot field goal. As Orlovsky pointed out, that would stop the bleeding and presumably be the start of a comeback option. Certainly, that would have been safer than risking momentum with a failed conversion. Still, the reward made the risk worth it for DeBoer.

Needing only two yards, Ty Simpson found Lotzeir Brooks on a quick curl. He had first down yardage on the catch, but wasn’t done. Four different Sooners would get their hands on Brooks, but he didn’t go down, battling for a touchdown. He scored and Alabama took all the momentum.

“They go for it, yards after the catch and a touchdown. Then, it just flipped. I think that play is the moment — we’ll see what happens moving forward the rest of this Playoff,” Orlovsky said. “But we will all point to it. That’s when It flipped for DeBoer at Alabama long term. That one play.”

Few, if any, jobs in college football have pressure on them the way Alabama does. So, for DeBoer, proving he can find postseason success was massive. That likely wouldn’t have happened without that gutsy decision to go for it on fourth down.

Now, Alabama is marching on in the College Football Playoff. Up next is a trip to the Rose Bowl, where they’re set to take on the top-seeded Indiana Hoosiers.