Why Oklahoma punted down 10 with 6 minutes left in the College Football Playoff

Oklahoma got stopped and had a choice to make.

The Sooners sent out the punting team.

With about six minutes left, OU trailed Alabama by a 34-24 score. Yes, Oklahoma was in its own end.

But it may not age well to have punted the ball back to the Crimson Tide.

Why did Oklahoma punt?

OU's thinking had to do with field position. If the Sooners didn't convert the fourth down, they'd be deep in their own end, and Alabama would have a relatively easy path to scoring.

The problem is that by punting, Oklahoma ran the risk of the clock getting run way down, or of Alabama expanding the score beyond a 10-point lead.

Oklahoma was thinking about this in a bit of a conservative mindset.

But if it didn't work, their season would be over.

Brent Venables started using his timeouts immediately after plays on Alabama's ensuing drive.

And at least initially, it worked, because they forced a three-and-out.

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