Kalen DeBoer was Alabama fans everywhere over insane sideline interference call

It didn't end up mattering to the end result, but the sideline interference call Alabama was hit with right before halftime was about as frustrating as a penalty can get.

It wasn't a coach. It wasn't a player. But Alabama was penalized because someone way down the sidelines made contact with the official. And it was directly after Alabama had made a third-down stop, which was forcing Oklahoma to punt and put the ball back in the hands of the Crimson Tide offense with about 30 seconds to go.

Alabama had all the momentum, rallying from a 17-0 deficit to tie the game on Zabien Brown's pick-six just a minute earlier. Instead of getting the ball with a chance to take the lead, the penalty gave the Sooners a little bit of life and a chance to steal points before the half to swing some momentum back to their side.

Fortunately, Alabama's defense held to keep the game tied at 17, but the refs jumped in to make a call that could have had a direct impact on the game on a penalty that most certainly did not.

Kalen DeBoer was justifiably pissed off on the sidelines. His reaction probably mirrored your own from the couch:

Kalen DeBoer was furious over the sideline interference call vs. Oklahoma

I'm a harsh critic of officiating across all sports. I will say this: the officials during the Alabama/Oklahoma game on Friday night did a pretty good job of allowing the game to be decided on the field. They didn't make it about them; they instead kept the focus on the players and allowed them to be the stars of the show.

That's how it should be.

But that one call was the exception, and it was a big one. A sideline warning would have been a more than justifiable call in that situation, but jumping straight to sideline interference and penalizing a team 15 yards in a potentially critical spot in the College Football Playoff is brutal.

DeBoer had every right to lose his mind over it. He did a good job of reeling it in and not adding an extra 15 for unsportsmanlike conduct. I'm not sure I could've done the same.