With their team holding a commanding 24-3 lead over No. 7 Alabama Saturday night and with under one minute remaining, Oklahoma fans began storming the field at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to take part in a much-needed celebration near the end of what has been a difficult 2024 season.
The urge was understandable, but there was just one problem — there were still 28 seconds remaining on the clock.
For Kirk Herbstreit, who was calling the game alongside Chris Fowler for ESPN, the scene unfolding in front of him looked more like something on a farm than inside a college football stadium, with the longtime analyst comparing the fans to sheep.
“Do you think they don’t see the clock?” Herbstreit said. “They just see other people running and they just take off, like sheep? They just take off?”
His confusion was merited.
While a victory was assured for the Sooners, coach Brent Venables’ team still had a third-and-6 and more time on the game clock than the play clock.
The field was eventually cleared and Oklahoma took one final knee to seal by far the program’s biggest win of the season. The moment of euphoria will cost the Sooners — literally — as the school will have to pay Alabama $200,000 as a first-time violator of the SEC’s ‘access to competition area’ policy. The fine was double what it normally would have been since the fans rushed the field twice.
Oddly enough, it wasn’t the only game Saturday that included a premature field-storming.
In No. 22 Arizona State’s 28-23 win against No. 15 BYU, Sun Devils fans rushed the field, believing the game was over after an incomplete pass on fourth down that they thought drained the remaining seconds off the clock. Officials, however, determined that one second remained, meaning BYU took over possession and had the chance at a desperation heave to win the game.
The field took 15 minutes to clear and the Cougars’ Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete a few yards short of the end zone.
With the victory, Oklahoma improved to 6-5 and became bowl eligible for the 26th consecutive season.
The loss continued what has been a maddening season for Alabama under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer, who took over for the legendary Nick Saban in January. With their latest defeat, the Crimson Tide fell to 8-3, putting their College Football Playoff aspirations in grave danger. It marks the first time since 2010 that Alabama has had more than two losses in a season.
(This story was updated to change a video and gallery).