Crimson Tide voted No. 1
January 9, 2010
It’s unanimous. Alabama is back on top in college football.
The Crimson Tide was voted No. 1 in The Associated Press poll early Friday to earn its seventh AP title after beating Texas 37-21 in the BCS championship game.
Only Notre Dame has more AP national championships, with eight. Oklahoma also has seven.
The Crimson Tide (14-0) hadn’t finished No. 1 since 1992, but in just three seasons under coach Nick Saban, the South’s most storied program has returned to greatness.
“Third year and we’re already national champions?” Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody said. “That’s hard to believe.”
Texas (13-1) is No. 2 in the Top 25 and Florida (13-1), last season’s champion, was third.
The only other unbeaten team in the nation, Boise State (14-0), wound up fourth. It was the Broncos’ best finish in the AP poll. Back in 2006, the last time Boise State busted the BCS and went undefeated, the Broncos ended up fifth in the final rankings.
Only four points separated Florida and Boise State.
The USA Today coaches’ poll had the same top five as the AP, but the gap between No. 3 Florida and No. 4 Boise State was 11 points.
The Tide is the fourth straight Southeastern Conference team to win the national title. No league had ever captured three straight before last season. Alabama is the first unanimous No. 1 in the final Top 25 since Texas in 2005.
Ohio State finished fifth followed by TCU, Iowa, Cincinnati, Penn State and Virginia Tech, giving the Big Ten three top 10 teams, the most of any league.
Poor postseason showings in recent years have hurt the Big Ten’s reputation nationally, but this season Ohio State and Iowa won BCS games as underdogs and Penn State beat LSU in the Capital One Bowl.
Pac-10 champion Oregon starts the second 10, followed by BYU, ACC champion Georgia Tech, Nebraska and Pittsburgh.
For the Cornhuskers, it’s the best final ranking since 2001, when they finished eighth.
No. 15 Pittsburgh, along with Wisconsin, Utah, LSU, Miami and Mississippi complete the top 20. The Hurricanes hadn’t finished a season ranked this high since they were No. 17 after the 2005 season.
The final five were Texas Tech, Southern California, Central Michigan, Clemson and West Virginia.
USC’s victory in the Emerald Bowl against Boston College helped the Trojans avoid ending a season unranked for the first time since 2001, coach Pete Carroll’s first year.
Alabama won five AP championships under Bear Bryant, three in the 1960s and back-to-back titles in 1978 and ‘79.
After Bryant retired in 1982, Alabama couldn’t keep up with the high standards he set. Gene Stallings, one of Bear’s Boys, came the closest, winning a national title in 1992.
But in the late 1990s and earlier this decade there were some lean — and at times embarrassingly bad — seasons for Alabama.
The Tide lured Saban away from the NFL after the 2006 season. He had ‘Bama back in the national title hunt last season and completed the journey this season.
“I’ll tell you what I told the team,” Saban said, “that I’ve never been prouder of a group of guys for their resiliency, their buy-in, their hard work, the blood, sweat and tears that they put in to accomplish what they accomplished this season.”
Tags: Alabama, bama, coach nick saban, Crimson Tide, fourth quarter, greg mcelroy, Insider, julio jones, leigh tiffin, mark ingram, Tide, touchdown pass, yard field goal, yard touchdownRelated posts
Saban accepts championship hardware
January 9, 2010
Nick Saban is thrilled to have brought another title to Alabama and a lot of joy to everyone involved in the Crimson Tide program.
Saban spoke at a news conference on Friday, sitting alongside four trophies crowning Alabama as the national champion following a 37-21 victory over Texas.
The Associated Press trophy honored the Crimson Tide for being voted No. 1 at season’s end. The others were from the National Football Foundation, the Football Writers Association and the crystal BCS trophy he received on the field Thursday night.
His wife reminded him this morning that a statue of him will be going up outside the stadium in Tuscaloosa. He says he hopes it serves as a model of the reward for working hard.
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Bama VS Texas OverView
January 9, 2010
It was over when… Texas QB Colt McCoy went down on the second series, leaving the game in the hands of freshman Garrett Gilbert.
Gameball goes to… Mark Ingram, who followed up his Heisman win with 116 yards and two touchdowns against the nation’s No. 1 rushing D.
Stat of the game… 11. Alabama QB Greg McElroy attempted just 11 passes, completing six, for 58 yards on the day.
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Dareus deals dual blows to Horns
January 9, 2010
Like a baseball hitter who knows when he gets a hold of one just by the way his hands feel on contact, Marcell Dareus knew he’d tattooed Texas quarterback Colt McCoy.
What he didn’t know was that it would be the final play of McCoy’s brilliant career.
“I didn’t want him to be out for the game. You never want to hurt anybody, and you always want to beat teams at their best,” said Dareus, Alabama’s sophomore defensive end.
“But I knew I’d got him by the way the hit felt and by the way his head rocked back. I got a clean shot on him, and those are the kind of hits you can feel.”
It was also the hit that paved the way to Alabama’s 37-21 win and its first national championship in 17 years.
McCoy never returned from the pinched nerve he suffered on Texas’ fifth offensive play of the game. His backup, true freshman Garrett Gilbert, played valiantly, but he also wasn’t the real McCoy.
“That comes with the game,” said Dareus, named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Citi BCS National Championship Game. “Sometimes you miss. Sometimes you land a good one. The main thing is that we made enough plays to walk out of here with a championship.
“That’s what we all came here for, to get this program back to winning championships. It still hasn’t sunk in. It probably won’t for a while.”
Dareus’ night was far from over after knocking McCoy out of the game. In fact, he would strike again in the first half with a play that completely turned the game in Alabama’s favor.
With 15 seconds remaining and Alabama leading 17-6, Texas coach Mack Brown decided not to play it safe.
Instead of taking a knee and going into the half down 11, the Longhorns tried a shovel pass from their own 37. The ball deflected off of Texas receiver D.J. Monroe’s hands, and Dareus was there for the carom.
“It almost seemed like slow motion,” Dareus said. “I saw it hanging there and knew I had to get it.”
Dareus might be a 6-foot-4, 296-pound defensive end, but he looked awfully comfortable toting the rock.
He stiff-armed one Texas player and then did a little pirouette on his way to a 28-yard interception return for a touchdown.
“All I was thinking about is Mark Ingram and Javier [Arenas] and just doing moves I didn’t think I could do,” Dareus joked. “I was like, ‘I can’t believe I pulled off that screen.’ I saw the lineman coming for my legs, and my first reaction was to spin.
“I looked to my left and saw Eryk Anders. I knew it was a touchdown. I could not wait to get to the end zone.”
Dareus’ return made it 24-6 going into halftime and totally changed the complexion of the game.
And with the way Texas battled back in the fourth quarter, who knows where the Crimson Tide would have been without Dareus’ defensive touchdown?
Or his only tackle.
That’s right, the only tackle he was credited with was the one on McCoy.
“That put a dagger in them. You could see it in their faces,” Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody said. “The game started going downhill for them from there. They came out after halftime and fought back, but we had to finish. That’s what we do.”
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Walmarts to host Bama’s BCS trophy
January 9, 2010
The University of Alabama is going to display its new national championship football trophy at a place where most anyone can see it: Walmart.
The school says the Coaches’ Trophy will be on display at a Walmart Supercenter in Tuscaloosa on Saturday and another Walmart store in Gardendale on Sunday.
Fans will be able to get their picture taken with the actual Coaches’ Trophy that was presented after the BCS win over Texas. The $30,000 trophy is topped with a football made of Waterford Crystal.
The school will permanently display the trophy on campus. The Walmart stops are part of a sponsorship deal.
Tags: Alabama, bryant denny stadium, coach nick saban, Crimson Tide, mark ingram, TweetsRelated posts
Saban already ‘thinking ahead’
January 9, 2010
Though other current coaching giants who also won two national titles in the last decade may be leaving the college game or temporarily stepping aside — see Southern California’s Pete Carroll and Florida’s Urban Meyer— Alabama coach Nick Saban isn’t going anywhere.
His likeness will be immortalized in a statue at Bryant-Denny Stadium along the Walk of Champions in the stadium’s north end. Alabama athletic director Mal Moore didn’t have any further details on Friday, but Saban is expected to join the Crimson Tide’s coaching pantheon of Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Paul “Bear” Bryant and Gene Stallings.
“I guess that when you’re driven and you put as much into what you do as we have, not just for this year but or 30-some years, you would hope that something you do leaves a mark that is positive, that maybe could affect someone in a positive way in the future,” Saban said the day after his team won the Bowl Championship Series title after beating Texas 37-21 at the Rose Bowl. “That would be the most significant thing I would see from something like that.”
In the statue, Saban probably won’t be smiling. His focus will be intense, perhaps looking to what lies ahead, just as he did less than 12 hours after hoisting the crystal trophy.
Already, his message was clear: “I’m always thinking ahead, anticipating problems. Every success brings a new set of problems. Every success brings a new set of issues — the attitude of next year’s team, development of the players for next year, issues that you have from a staff standpoint or player standpoint, personnel standpoint, recruiting standpoint.
“There’s really no time to sort of let your guard down. And being able to manage that is what allows you to be successful with more consistency.”
Alabama will likely begin the season ranked No. 1, given much of its offense returns next fall, including running backs Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, quarterback Greg McElroy and receiver Julio Jones. Defensively, the Tide will lose nose guard Terrence Cody, cornerback Javier Arenas, two starting defensive ends, Lorenzo Washington and Brandon Deaderick, and likely junior linebacker Rolando McClain, who expected to declare early for the NFL draft. Also gone will be All-America kicker Leigh Tiffin and punter P.J. Fitzgerald.
As Saban ticked off all the players the Tide will lose, he downplayed expectations in hopes of keeping the players focused and lofty projections in check.
“I think that people who make those statements sort of just look at the periphery. You’ve got to build a team. We play 50 or 60 guys through the course of the season, and like I always say, the bottom 40 guys on your roster usually determines how good that team really is. I don’t want to criticize the media or anything, because God knows I get punished enough by you guys, but you guys will look at the top four or five guys (returning) on the team and make your determination.”
Indeed. Expect the Tide to start the season just as they finished: No. 1.
Tags: Alabama, BCS Bowl, champs #1, coach nick saban, Crimson Tide, game, greg mcelroy, julio jones, mark ingram, SEC, yard touchdownRelated posts
Ingram wins Alabama’s 1st Heisman
December 13, 2009
Mark Ingram dabbed his eyes, took a deep breath and tried to steady himself. All set, he accepted the Heisman that completes Alabama’s trophy case.
The tough-running tailback turned tearful after winning the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night in the closest vote in the award’s 75-year history. Next, he’ll try to lead the most storied program in the South to a national championship.
Ingram finished 28 points ahead of Stanford running back Toby Gerhart.
The sturdy, 212-pound Ingram took a moment to get composed before starting his speech. Dressed in a dark suit with blue pinstripes, his voice wavered throughout.
“I’m a little overwhelmed right now,” he said. “I’m just so excited to bring Alabama their first Heisman winner.”
Ingram received 227 first-place votes and 1,304 points. Gerhart got 222 first-place votes and 1,276 points, while Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, last season’s runner-up, received 203 and 1,145.
Ingram said later he was feeling relaxed — right up until the winner was announced.
“When he started reading that letter, my heart started beating and I could feel it beating real fast,” he said. “When he called my name I was excited, then I saw my mom crying and it kind of made me break down, too.”
His father, a former Super Bowl star, was a few miles away. Incarcerated on bank fraud and money-laundering charges, he watched his son’s biggest moment on a prison television.
Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was fourth and Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, who won the 
Heisman two years ago, was fifth.
The previous closest vote in Heisman history came in 1985, when Auburn’s Bo Jackson beat Iowa quarterback Chuck Long by 45 points.
Ingram won four of the six regions. Gerhart took the far west and Suh won the southwest.
“I appreciate the way he plays,” said Gerhart, who ran for 1,736 yards and scored 26 touchdowns. “The passion for the game. I’m a physical guy, he’s a physical guy. I feel we’re similar in a lot of ways. I’m proud of him and honored to be included with him.”
Ingram has been the backbone of Alabama’s offense, rushing for a school-record 1,542 yards, gaining 6.2 yards per carry and scoring 18 touchdowns.
And in his final chance to make a case for the Heisman, facing Florida’s then-top-ranked defense, Ingram ran for 113 yards and scored three touchdowns to punctuate his season.
The win sent the top-ranked Crimson Tide to the BCS national title game against McCoy and No. 2 Texas on Jan. 7 at the Rose Bowl.
“This is a great, special moment for me but at the same time you’ve got to move forward,” Ingram said. “We still have a national championship game to play in.”
He is the third consecutive sophomore to win the Heisman since Tebow became the first in 2007 and he will be the sixth winner in the last seven years to go on to play in the BCS national championship game.
Few college football teams can match Alabama’s history of success. The Crimson Tide dominated the Southeastern Conference for decades. With six AP national championships, only Notre Dame and Oklahoma have won more.
But at Alabama, it’s a coach who has towered over the program more than any player.
Bear Bryant led some of college football’s greatest players — from Joe Namath to John Hannah, Ken Stabler to Ozzie Newsome — but never had a player even finish in the top three of the Heisman voting over his more than three decades at Alabama.
“The legacy of Alabama football certainly had a void filled,” Tide coach Nick Saban said.
David Palmer, the shifty receiver and return man, was third in the Heisman voting in 1993, the best finish by a Crimson Tide player.
Alabama sophomore running back Mark Ingram became the 75th recipient of the Heisman Trophy and first Crimson Tide player to ever take home the honor. Here’s a look at the past six winners:
Year Winner 2009 Mark Ingram, Alabama 2008 Sam Bradford, Oklahoma 2007 Tim Tebow, Florida 2006 Troy Smith, Ohio St. 2005 Reggie Bush, USC 2004 Matt Leinart, USC
No major college program had won more games without a Heisman winner.
“Everybody that’s been in the Alabama family has been supporting me,” Ingram said before hoisting the bronze statue. “Walking to class, students flashed me the Heisman pose.”
Now he can take his place among Alabama’s greats and the Paul W. Bryant Museum has a new piece of a hardware to display.
“I’m sure it’ll be in the trophy cases with all those national championships and all the other awards people have won,” he said later.
The announcement that Ingram had won came minutes before the Alabama men’s basketball team was set to host No. 5 Purdue, prompting an immediate roar from the mostly full Coleman Coliseum.
Even though the presentation wasn’t shown on the videoboard, fans instantly found out the news. The public-address announcer congratulated Ingram early in the game, bringing another big ovation. One young fan sat at courtside sporting a 22 jersey — Ingram’s number — with “Heisman” across the top.
By midway through the first half, Heisman T-shirts were already on sale at the arena.
Ingram came to Tuscaloosa from Flint, Mich., the son of the former Michigan State and NFL receiver of the same name. Saban had been a coach at Michigan State when the elder Ingram was in college.
Mark Ingram Sr. starred for the New York Giants, but last year he was sentenced to almost eight years in prison. Then he did not show up at the federal prison in Kentucky to serve his sentence, which might cost him even more time.
He was found hiding out in a Michigan hotel the same day his son played Utah in the Sugar Bowl last season.
He has been serving his time in a New York City holding facility, where he’s been able to watch his son play.
“My father has been a great influence on my life and I love him to death,” Ingram said on the podium.
The father has seen his son quickly blossom into a feature back. As a freshman last season, Ingram was Bama’s No. 2 back, with a nose for the goal line. He ran for 728 yards and a team-high 12. This season, he’s been the best weapon on an offense with a first-year starting quarterback and a rebuilt offensive line.
And he’s been at his best against most of Alabama’s best competition. He opened the season with 150 yards rushing and two TDs against Virginia Tech, had 172 yards rushing at Mississippi, and set a Bryant-Denny Stadium record with 246 yards versus South Carolina.
In what was billed as the year of the quarterback — with Tebow, McCoy and last year’s Heisman winner Sam Bradford — all returning to college, Ingram emerged as the Heisman front-runner at midseason.
His only poor game, a 30-yard rushing performance against Auburn on Nov. 27, came at the worst time and in front of a national television audience.
But with the Tide playing in the biggest game of the season, a No. 1 vs. No. 2 SEC championship against Florida, Ingram had one more chance to impress voters — and he delivered.
Tide fans like to say their team is about winning championships, not Heismans.
Thanks to Ingram, Alabama might get both this season.
Tags: Alabama, alabama football, coach nick saban, College Football, Crimson, Crimson Tide, football team, heisman trophy, Ingram, mark ingram, Quarterback, ranked defense, running back, saturday night, SEC, SEC, sec championship, sugar bowl, title gameRelated posts
What’s happened to Florida’s defense?
December 6, 2009
One Simple Phrase.. Alabama shut them down!!!
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Alabama 2009 Season 12-0
November 28, 2009
Alabama 2009 Seasion 12-0
With a scare tonight from the Auburn Eagles.. Alabama came close of loosing there perfect record this football season.
Tags: Alabama, Auburn, eagles, football, football season, scare, tonight, TweetsRelated posts
Covering the IRON BOWL
November 28, 2009
With the Iron Bowl coming up on Friday, it is time for the analysis to begin. Many see it as a foregone conclusion – just a build-up to December 5th. But to really get inside the matchup, the only people you can turn to for truth are your fellow SN bloggers right?
So I asked catch5, ardent Alabama fan, to do some q & a on Friday’s game. His answers are in alabama red while mine are in auburn blue. Enjoy!
What is the “X factor” in Fridays game?
How good can Auburn’s offense be against Bama’s defense? Bama will move the ball. The Tigers don’t have a defense good enough to keep Ingram and Richardson from getting however many yards they want. The question is if Auburn can keep up. Their key to victory will be to get a lead and keep or increase it early. Bama will be stronger at the end of the game due to the better depth, so Auburn will need to be able to move the ball and put up points early to win. The key to this is likely in the passing game. In games where Auburn has lost this year, the passing game has struggled.
Hard to argue with his reasoning. Auburn’s offense will be the difference, that’s for sure. Bama is solid on both sides of the ball, while Auburn stinks defensively, making their offense have to catch up for them. Ben Tate will have to go for over 100 and Chris Todd will have to have a mistake free outing. Auburn has had 7 turnovers in 7 wins, and 9 turnovers in 4 losses. IT’s all about Auburn’s O.
What is the potential of Gene Chizik in the next few years?
Much better than I would have guessed. When Auburn fired Tubby, they really needed to make a big splash with their replacement hire. What they got with the Chizik hire was a fart bubble (taken from an Auburn fan’s reaction btw). Gene has completely surprised everyone with first his early recruiting, then a terrific start to the season, and while the middle of the season has been rough, he is still rolling on the recruiting front. In contrary to my initial predictions, Auburn is definitely heading in the right direction, and will be competing for the West soon. I don’t think it will be next year, but in two or three, they may likely be back to where they were a couple years ago in the hey days of Tubberville. Recruiting will be the key.
Surprisingly enough, Chizik’s second year will be his hardest IMO. RB Ben Tate, easily the biggest producer on the team, leaves. A few O and D linemen leave. A lot of the guys playing in 2010 will be younger Chizik-recruited guys. That has positives and negatives. But looking into the next five years, it is hard to argue against the guy. He is fighting a major lack of depth this year which can be fixed easily over 1-2 yrs. If he didn’t have to fight Saban tooth and nail for every recruit, he would be on the fast track to an SEC Championship or two. But overcoming Saban seems equal to running to Antarctica and back. Twice.
Finish the sentence: if Alabama wins,…
We are in for the best, most anticipated college football game this year (decade?) in the SEC championship game.
I’m going to one-up catch – we will be experiencing the most hyped/anticipated college football game EVER on December 5th. Name me any other game that has received this kind of build up.
If auburn wins…
It will be touted as possibly the best win ever on the plains. What more could you ask for in a year when you have struggled than to deny your #1 rival a shot at the national championship?
I will go streaking. 
Just kidding…but seriously, if we can pull this one out, I’m gonna be out of my mind for a few days. It’s gonna be crazy. And Chizik would definitely deserve a bonus or something.
Fav iron bowl ever?
Van Tiffen’s Kick. I was young enough to see the players as bigger than life, but old enough to remember my emotions. The high off of that kick lasted what seemed like forever.
Considering I can only remember from about 2001-present, it would have to be 2005, the 11 sacks game. Auburn came out gunning for QB Brodie Croyle, sacking him on the first and third plays of the game. The D never turned back, haunting him for 11 sacks. Huge win. If I was older, I would be choosing from games like Punt Bama Punt, Bo Over the Top, etc. If only…
Most exciting player on au? Bama?
Easily Tate for the Tigers (but I admittedly haven’t seen near as many Auburn games).
It could be one of many for Bama. I have to at least mention Cody, McLain, Jones, Arenas, Richardson, and of course Ingram. The nod must go to Ingram though. He just does everything that can be asked of a runningback.
For Auburn, I would narrow it down to Tate, Darvin Adams, Mario Fannin, and Terrell Zachary. Tate is such a workhorse, but has that rare burst of speed that is so unexpected. Adams has caught nearly every big catch there has been this season, with T-Zach taking the rest. And it seems like every time Fannin touches the ball, something happens. I’m going with Adams, though. His hands are incredible.
Alabama has to be Javier Arenas. Ingram is a great player, but he seems to be more of the grind it out type. Arenas is just flat out exciting.
What will it take for au to pull the upset?
I covered this earlier in the first question, but they have to be able to move the ball and score early. Bama will score their points late, so if they are going to win, they have to score early and keep up from there.
Mistake free – no big penalties, turnovers, etc. Penalties lost the game for us against Kentucky. And the turnover stats I said above.
Just how good is this bama team?
They are the best I’ve seen in my knowledgeable lifetime. The ’91 team had maybe a better defense, and the running game was good, but the weapons on this offense put them over the top. When this team is on, I don’t think there is a team out there this year that can hang with them. One of, if not the best this decade.
It’s hard to argue against this team. I would say they are easily the most complete team this year, and would give any team in the last decade a good game.
Score prediction?
I think it is close at halftime (14-10, ish), but Bama pulls away late in the 3rd, and closes the door in the 4th. Much better than last year’s 36-0 shut-out. 31-17
I feel really bad about this one. Really bad. Alabama in a 38-14 blowout. 
Come Friday at 1:30, we will see how this all plays out. Thanks to catch for the help, and have a great Thanksgiving!
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Saban accepts championship hardware
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