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.
Related posts
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.”
Related posts
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
Nick Saban on SEC Championship Victory
December 6, 2009
Coach Nick Saban on SEC Championship Victory!!
Related posts
IRON BOWL – THE PAST FIVE YEARS: Alabama ends six-game losing streak
November 28, 2009
2008 in Tuscaloosa
No. 1 Alabama 36, Auburn 0
Alabama ended Auburn’s six-game winning streak in the series with an emphatic win in Tuscaloosa that kept the Crimson Tide unbeaten.
It was Alabama coach Nick Saban’s first victory in the rivalry, and Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville’s final game on the Plains.
Glen Coffee rushed for 144 yards and freshman Mark Ingram scored a pair of touchdowns for the Tide. Alabama’s defense, meanwhile, limited Auburn’s offense to just 170 yards. The Tigers made it across midfield only once in the game.
Leigh Tiffin kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired in the first quarter and Coffee scored on a 41-yard run in the second to give Alabama a 10-0 lead at the half. Auburn’s Morgan Hull had a field goal attempt blocked as time expired in the second quarter.
Alabama forced fumbles on the Tigers’ first two possessions of the second half and quickly converted them into scores to put the game away. John Parker Wilson threw a 39-yard TD pass to Nikita Stover and Ingram scored on a 1-yard run for a 22-0 lead. Tiffin’s extra-point attempt after the first score failed as did Wilson’s 2-point try after the second.
It didn’t matter. Ingram scored on a 14-yard run late in the third quarter, and backup QB Greg McElroy completed the rout with a 34-yard TD pass to Marquis Maze with 2:49 left in the game.
The loss also ended Auburn’s hopes for making a ninth straight bowl game
2007 in Auburn
Auburn 17, Alabama 10
Story lines ran rampant as questions about Tommy Tuberville’s future, the return of the Textbook Five for Alabama and Nick Saban’s first Iron Bowl all came to the forefront. In the end, it was the same old story as the Tigers gave a six-fingered salute to their in-state rivals.
Auburn jumped out to a 10-0 first-quarter lead, thanks to Ben Tate’s 3-yard TD run and Wes Byrum’s 37-yard field goal.
Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter before Auburn quarterback Brandon Cox returned the favor with a fourth-quarter TD plunge.
Leigh Tiffin added a 49-yard field goal with 2:11 remaining to pull Alabama within a score, but Brad Lester, who finished with 98 yards on 22 carries, ripped off a 12-yard run on fourth-and-1 to secure the win.
2006 in Tuscaloosa
Auburn 22, Alabama 15
Auburn’s “Fear the Thumb” campaign came to fruition when Brandon Cox hit Prechae Rodriguez with a 22-yard TD pass in the third quarter, then got the 2-point conversion on a halfback pass from Carl Stewart to Lee Guess for the final score of the game.
The Tigers earned their fifth straight win in the series and improved their record to 6-0 in Tuscaloosa.
Down 3-0, Auburn got a Brad Lester 12-yard run and a Kenny Irons 8-yard score to rally.
Alabama outgained Auburn 364 yards to 261, but four costly turnovers, including an interception by John Parker Wilson with 1:17 to go, sealed the deal.
2005 in Auburn
No. 11 Auburn 28, No. 8 Alabama 18
The game that will be forever immortalized by the bumper sticker “Honk if you sacked Brodie” saw the Tigers score 21 points in the first 11 minutes and sack Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle 11 times.
Kenny Irons rushed for 103 yards on 28 carries to become the first running back to go over the century mark against Alabama’s defense all season.
But it was the Auburn defense that stole the show. The Tigers held Alabama to 43 first-half yards.
2004 in Tuscaloosa
No. 2 Auburn 21, Alabama 13
With future first-round draft choices Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams held in check by a motivated Alabama defense, Jason Campbell — a future first-round draft choice himself — threw for 224 yards and a touchdown to lead No. 2-ranked Auburn to an 11-0 regular-season finish.
The win gave Auburn its 13th straight victory dating back to 2003 and a 5-0 mark against the Tide in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama (6-5) dominated the heavily favored Tigers in the first half — the Tide’s defense held Auburn to minus-4 total yards in the first period — yet led only 6-0 at intermission.
Auburn took control in the third period. Williams ended a six-play, 80-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run around left end. A 51-yard pass from Campbell to Devin Aromashodu put the Tigers at the 5, and Williams scored on the next play.
The Tigers’ defense held the Tide, then Auburn mounted a nine-play, 58-yard drive for another touchdown. The score came on a 32-yard Campbell-to-Courtney Taylor pass on a third-and-17 play.
Tags: auburn coach, backup qb, bowl game, brandon cox, coach nick saban, coach tommy tuberville, Crimson Tide, field goal attempt, fingered salute, first victory, game winning streak, greg mcelroy, iron bowl, john parker, mark ingram, nikita stover, point attempt, Tweets, wes byrum, yard field goalRelated posts
Alabama takes lead with 1:24 left, holds off late Auburn drive
November 28, 2009
AUBURN, Ala. — No. 2 Alabama found its championship form in the nick of time.
Outplayed most of the game, the Crimson Tide stayed unbeaten with a 26-21 victory Friday over Auburn, taking the lead with a nearly perfect drive that was capped by Greg McElroy’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Roy Upchurch with 1:24 left.
Alabama (12-0, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) completed a second straight perfect regular season in the Iron Bowl, but did it the hard way against its bitter rival. The Tide fell behind in the opening minutes, but came out ahead to do its part to set up 1 vs. 2 showdown with top-ranked Florida in the SEC championship game.
But forget the national and league championship, the state title almost slipped away.
“The strong do survive but the strong do get their (butts) kicked,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “That was my message to the team.”
Auburn (7-5, 3-5) pushed the ball to the Alabama 37 on the final drive, but Chris Todd’s pass to the end zone was batted down by the Tide defense.
For the second straight day, one of the three teams at the top of the BCS standings and in control of the national title race was knocked woozy, but did not fall. Much like No. 3 Texas, which held off Texas A&M 49-39 on Thanksgiving night, Alabama found out being a big favorite against an archrival sometimes doesn’t matter much.
TCU and Cincinnati, the unbeaten teams behind Florida, Alabama and Texas in the BCS standings, are left to hope Florida State can pull an upset against Florida on Saturday that might open the door for them to reach the national title game.
The Tide survived a shaky effort by it’s usually stellar defense and a sub-par game from Heisman Trophy contender Mark Ingram.
The SEC’s leading rusher was held to 30 yards on 16 carries and was on the bench for most of the game-winning drive. Saban said he believed Ingram had a bruised hip.
“Something like that,” the player said. “I’ll be all right.”
McElroy and Julio Jones took over without him, aided by five runs and a 17-yard catch by freshman Trent Richardson on the 15-play, 79-yard drive that consumed more than seven minutes.
McElroy, who has been criticized at times as a weak link in an offense with a powerful running game, completed his final seven passes for 62 yards on the climactic drive after opening with an incompletion. Jones made four catches, three for first downs.
“We didn’t play a great game today,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “It’s a great win. I’ve never been prouder of them.
“I don’t think you can say enough about the competitive character that this team showed today.”
Auburn fans remained in the stands for several minutes when it was over, some seemingly stunned and others applauding a closer-than-expected game, while a sizable crimson-and-white contingent celebrated. A handful of ‘Bama players later returned to the field briefly.
Until the final minutes, Auburn had supplied most of the big plays and its maligned defense largely outplayed the nation’s top unit.
Auburn outgained Alabama 332-291 and, more surprisingly, dominated on the ground 151-73. McElroy was 21 of 31 for 218 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He was sacked three times.
It was still a marked turnaround for the Tigers, who were shellacked 36-0 last season to have a six-year Iron Bowl winning streak snapped.
“I just told them that we’re not walking out of here with heads down,” first-year coach Gene Chizik said. “We’re a family. We’re a family when we win. We’re a family when we lose.
“Everybody in that locker room that played did what we asked them to do. They fought for 60 minutes in that game. I’m not disappointed with anybody on our team. Nobody.”
The Tigers stunned the Tide by rocketing out to a 14-0 lead in the first 9:18 when every trick seemed to work. Alabama hadn’t allowed a touchdown in the previous two games.
Auburn receiver Terrell Zachery raced 67 yards for a touchdown on an end around on Auburn’s opening drive. It was the longest play Alabama’s defense had given up all season by 15 yards.
Then the Tigers recovered an onside kick to set up another score.
Alabama regained its footing and threatened to take over. Richardson scored on a 2-yard plunge for Alabama’s first points. Alabama then got the ball across midfield thanks to a defensive stand and a nice return by Javier Arenas, who set the SEC mark for career punt returns.
On third-and-9, McElroy hit tight end Colin Peek for a 33-yard touchdown that tied it at 14.
On the first drive of the second half, Auburn hit another big play. Todd pump faked and hit Darvin Adams for a 72-yard touchdown to make it 21-14.
Alabama had three straight trips across midfield, ending with two field goals by Leigh Tiffin and Ingram’s failed fourth-and-1 run. Tiffin had earlier had a 42-yard attempt fall well short, another unfamiliar sight this season for the Tide season.
Auburn was left nursing a 21-20 lead going into the fourth.
“We didn’t play with a lot of passion, and I don’t understand that,” Saban said.
The Tigers had a solid chance to extend the lead after taking over at Alabama’s 44 following yet another defensive stand. But the Tide defense tackled Ben Tate for a 7-yard loss and then buried Todd for another 10-yard loss.
That set the stage for McElroy, who must have won over even his most ardent doubters with the poise and precision he displayed as the clock wound down.
Tags: bcs standings, bitter rival, coach nick saban, Crimson Tide, greg mcelroy, iron bowl, julio jones, mark ingram, national title game, roy upchurch, s pass, SEC, sec championship game, southeastern conference, stellar defense, teams at the top, thanksgiving night, touchdown pass, unbeaten teams, yard touchdownRelated posts
Jones’ TD catch sparks Crimson Tide
November 9, 2009
For three quarters and change, well before No. 3 Alabama would put away LSU 24-15, clinch the SEC West and remain at the front of the teams behind the BCS’s velvet ropes, the Crimson Tide gave the same frustrating performance it had in its previous three games.
The offense still looked like its best play began when place-kicker Leigh Tiffin ran onto the field. Against Ole Miss, South Carolina and Tennessee, field goals had been enough. Against LSU, no. The Tigers held a 15-13 lead, and the Crimson Tide had a lengthening list of offensive misfires.
Tension hung over Bryant-Denny Stadium, tension borne of frustration. Head coach Nick Saban couldn’t take it anymore. The Tide trailed by two points because wide receiver Julio Jones failed to come off the field for a goal-line offense. Instead of third-and-goal at the LSU 2, Alabama got penalized 5 yards for having 12 men in the huddle, and Saban erupted. Who knew an AT&T headset could be slammed into the turf and still work?
That mental mistake resulted in Tiffin’s kicking a 20-yard field goal, which is how Alabama arrived at that 15-13 deficit. So much at stake, and so much wasn’t happening.
The Alabama defense had played its usual physical game. The Tigers’ starting quarterback, Jordan Jefferson, and starting tailback, Charles Scott, both had been knocked out of the game.
Lord knows, the Tide offense had tried to change its ways. Quarterback Greg McElroy, who went from poster boy to whipping boy over the course of October, had come out firing.
He threw on the Tide’s first seven plays from scrimmage. McElroy had already thrown for 193 yards, but — stop me if you’ve read this before — Alabama had scored one touchdown in three trips into the red zone.
Jones, frustrated all season by injury and double teams, had two catches for 19 yards. In addition to the penalty, he also had a pass go through his hands at the Alabama 8. On the next play, McElroy got hit in the end zone by LSU defensive tackle Drake Nevis and threw the ball as he went down. That brand of intentional grounding earns the defense a safety. Those two points represented the difference in the game.
The clock showed 10:26 remaining when Alabama came onto the field to begin a drive at its own 27. Offensive coordinator Jim McElwain called a wide receiver screen, a play that Alabama had not run all season. Left tackle James Carpenter would release to the outside to escort Jones.
“I looked at James,” said offensive co-captain Mike Johnson, the left guard, “and said, ‘You’re up, buddy.’”
A crowd of 92,012 that began the game in a roar hadn’t been loud for a while. That was about to change. So was this game, and the Crimson Tide’s season.
McElroy flipped the ball out to Jones, who shook off defensive back Brandon Taylor. Carpenter, rumbling toward the sideline in front of Jones, blocked one defender, spun around and took out another. Jones cleared the line of scrimmage, sprinting past the Alabama bench all by himself.
The next guy to lay a hand on him would be teammate Darius Hanks, high-fiving him in the end zone.
“I thought he stepped out,” McElroy said. “I didn’t react until pretty late. I think the next thing that went through my mind when I saw him high-stepping down the sideline was, ‘Who am I going to celebrate with?’”
“They wanted me to make a play,” Jones said, “and I did.”
This was no mere touchdown. It was 73 yards of catharsis, 13 seconds of massage that unleashed every hunched shoulder in the stadium. Alabama made a two-point conversion to lead 21-15 with 10:24 to play.
No one could have felt better than McElroy. When he missed a wide-open Jones in the end zone in the second quarter, McElroy sank to his knees and put his hands on his helmet. His body language screamed, “What did I just do?” The drive ended in, you guessed it, a 28-yard field goal.
But after the game, having completed 19 of 34 passes for 276 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, McElroy felt better. It wasn’t relief. He’s too much of a competitor. McElroy felt satisfaction for himself and for Jones.
“He’s had a lot of pressure on him, too,” McElroy said. “I’ve had to deal with a lot of animosity, a lot of hatred from a lot of different people, some of it undeserved I feel like, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. He’s dealt with the same thing. The fact that he was able to make a play really made me excited for him and the team.”
Someone asked if McElroy felt as if he had come through the other side. Before Saturday, he hadn’t completed a pass longer than 27 yards in his last four games. He hadn’t thrown a touchdown pass in his last three. The fans touting him for the Heisman in September had turned on him.
“Every game is its own animal,” McElroy said. “You can never say you won’t face adversity again, because you will. This is the SEC and you play great teams week in and week out. Is it frustrating to me that people did lose faith in me? Yeah. It really takes a toll.
“But I never lost faith in myself, I never lost faith in my teammates, and I never lost faith in what we were able to do offensively. It really made me feel good to go out and silence everybody tonight and obviously get a big victory.”
Through three quarters and change, the Alabama offense looked as if it hadn’t changed. In the course of one play, maybe it has. With this victory, Alabama guaranteed itself a date with No. 1 Florida in the SEC championship game. And maybe, just maybe, Alabama has an offense that can take it one game farther.
Tags: 12 men, bryant denny stadium, coach nick saban, Crimson Tide, end zone, field goals, game lord, goal line, greg mcelroy, leigh tiffin, physical game, place kicker, poster boy, red zone, SEC, sec west, three quarters, velvet ropes, whipping boy, yard field goalRelated posts
Video
Latest Threads
- Alabama ranking by: admin
December 11, 2009, 23:19
Login
Views
- Ingram rushes for two touchdowns as No. 2 Alabama improves to 10-0 - 219 views
- Forum - 196 views
- Week 8 Wrap: Alabama looking vulnerable - 180 views
- DALLAS COWBOYS:TERRENCE CODY, DT, ALABAMA - 178 views
- Covering the IRON BOWL - 168 views
- Alabama takes lead with 1:24 left, holds off late Auburn drive - 156 views
- Crimson Tide-Tigers Game Review - 142 views
- Alabama 2009 Season 12-0 - 130 views
- Contact - 126 views
- Bama Vs. Auburn OverView - 126 views
Recent Posts
- Crimson Tide voted No. 1
- Saban accepts championship hardware
- Bama VS Texas OverView
- Dareus deals dual blows to Horns
- Walmarts to host Bama’s BCS trophy
- Saban already ‘thinking ahead’
- Ingram Delivers Alabama Its First Heisman
- Ingram on Good morning America
- DALLAS COWBOYS:TERRENCE CODY, DT, ALABAMA
- Bama vs Texas in title game
Tags
Sports Tweets
Saban accepts championship hardware
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,...
Walmarts to host Bama’s BCS trophy
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’...
What’s happened to Florida’s defense?
One Simple Phrase.. Alabama shut them down!!! VN:F [1.8.1_1037]please wait...Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast) Tags: Alabama, defense, Florida, phrase, Tweets Related posts Terry...