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
LSU fans come to town
November 8, 2009
LSU fans plays dress up!!
LSU fans file out off the crazy train and into Tuscaloosa, ready to root on the Tigers as they face the No. 3 Crimson Tide.
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Gators, Tide give SEC top 2 teams
October 12, 2009
Alabama’s steady rise in the rankings has left the Crimson Tide with a clear view of No. 1 Florida.
CrimsonTide
Alabama jumped Texas into second-place behind top-ranked Florida in the AP Top 25 on Sunday, giving the Southeastern Conference the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the country.
The Crimson Tide moved up one spot after rolling over Mississippi 22-3. Texas, which had been No. 2 all season, slipped a spot after sputtering early in a 38-14 victory against Colorado.
For the complete Associated Press Top 25 poll, click here.
The Gators and Tim Tebow beat LSU 13-3. They have been an overwhelming No. 1 since the preseason, but support for Alabama has steadily grown.
Florida received 50 of 60 first-place votes from the media panel, a season low. The Crimson Tide received 10 first-place votes, up from five last week.
It’s the second time in the past two seasons that Alabama and Florida have held the top two spots in the rankings. Last year, the Crimson Tide was No. 1 and the Gators No. 2 for two weeks before they played in the SEC title game.
Texas for the first time this season did not receive a first-place vote. The Longhorns might be able to get some support back by beating No. 20 Oklahoma on Saturday in the Red River Rivalry.
No. 4 Virginia Tech, No. 5 Boise State and No. 6 Southern California each moved up one spot.
In the battle for Ohio, Ohio State moved up to No. 7 and ahead of No. 8 Cincinnati after a 31-13 victory over previously unbeaten Wisconsin.
The Bearcats, who were idle Saturday and have a Big East showdown with No. 21 South Florida on Thursday night, were ahead of the Buckeyes in the rankings last week for the first time since 1951.
Miami is No. 9 and LSU dropped six spots to No. 10 after its first loss.
In the USA Today coaches’ poll, Florida is No. 1, Texas is No. 2 and Alabama is No. 3. In the Harris Poll, the top three is the same as the AP poll. The coaches’ poll and Harris poll are used in the BCS standings, which will be released next week for the first time this season.
In the AP Top 25, No. 11 Iowa had another narrow escape, beating Michigan 30-28 to stay unbeaten. No. 12 TCU also had a close call, but stayed undefeated with a 20-17 victory in the cold and wind against Air Force.
No. 13 is Oregon followed by Penn State and Nebraska, which vaulted six spots to 15th after beating Missouri on the road.
After the Cornhuskers are Big 12 rivals Oklahoma State and Kansas.
No. 18 is BYU, Georgia Tech is 19th and Oklahoma No. 20.
The final five has South Florida and South Carolina, then three teams that re-entered the rankings this week.
No. 23 Houston moved back into the rankings after beating Mississippi State 31-28 in Starkville.
No. 24 Utah rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Colorado State 24-17 and No. 25 Notre Dame got back into the AP rankings on an off week.
The Fighting Irish host USC on Saturday, with a chance to drop out or make a big move back up the rankings.
While the SEC holds the top two spots in the Top 25, the conference only has four ranked teams this week, down from six last week.
The Big 12 has the most ranked teams with five.
Ole Miss, which began the season in the top 10, dropped out of the rankings for the first time in 2009. Auburn also fell out after losing its first game of the season and Missouri dropped from the rankings.
Tags: Alabama, ap poll, ap top 25, associated press top 25 poll, bearcats, beats, boise state, coach nick saban, College Football, Crimson, Crimson Tide, gators, harris poll, longhorns, place vote, place votes, red river, red river rivalry, Roll Tide, school coach, SEC, SEC, sec title game, southeastern conference, tim tebow, touchdown pass, unbeaten wisconsin, usa today, usa today coaches poll, virginia techRelated posts
Defensive demolition sparks Tide
October 11, 2009
OXFORD, Miss. When Alabama dominates, it’s never as pretty as USC. Nick Saban’s teams don’t put up a point a minute the way Florida does. But don’t mistake the No. 3 Crimson Tide’s 22-3 defeat of No. 20 Ole Miss as anything but a blowout.
If this were “CSI: Oxford,” the detectives would have known whodunit before the first commercial. Alabama left all the clues Saban’s best teams leave: The defense forced five turnovers, the opposing quarterback refused to set his feet, and every first down the Tide allowed became a cause for celebration.
“Probably the most complete team win we’ve had all year,” Saban said. “We’ve got a good team. Our guys play hard and play well together.”
The Tide D swarmed the Rebels Saturday.
Saban’s 2003 BCS champion team at LSU played this way: Defense and special teams make play after play, and the offense has its moments. Too many of those moments Saturday involved kicker Leigh Tiffin, who went 5-for-5 on field goals. The Tide’s lone touchdown came on a 36-yard run by Mark Ingram late in the first half.
The slow creep of the Alabama lead left the illusion that Ole Miss remained in the game. The rest of the game indicated otherwise. Ole Miss finished with 212 yards of total offense and was held to the lowest point total in head coach Houston Nutt’s two seasons.
“Very few people score points against Alabama,” Nutt said. “… We ran into a real wall today.” Take Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead, who began the season as a Heisman candidate and ended Saturday as a tackling dummy. The stats show that Alabama never sacked Snead. But the junior transfer from Texas got hit more than the Washington Nationals’ bullpen.
“We hit the guy just about every time in the first half, and I think it affected him. It affected them,” Saban said. “… That’s about as fine a defensive performance in the first half as I’ve been around for awhile.”
Snead forgot about setting his feet. He forgot about squaring his shoulders. At the half, Ole Miss had gained 19 yards, made one first down and crossed midfield for one play. Snead finished 11-of-34 for 140 yards with four interceptions.
He has thrown seven in the last two games after throwing 13 all of last season. In Snead’s defense, two of the interceptions against Alabama occurred because split ends Shay Hodge and Markeith Summers couldn’t hold onto the ball.
That brings up a valid point. Snead wasn’t the only Ole Miss player who heard footsteps. Halfback Brandon Bolden completed the unlikely triple play of fumbling a handoff, dropping a pass and fumbling a kickoff return.
“This was the fastest defense if you went from 1-11,” Nutt said. “It’s from the cornerbacks, to the safeties, to the linebackers, to the D-line. They’re the best I’ve ever seen.”
It goes beyond 11, actually. The Alabama special teams dominated, too. Linebacker Cory Reamer blocked a punt in the first half to set up Tiffin’s third field goal. He also knocked a punt out of Dexter McCluster’s grasp in the third quarter, a turnover that led to Tiffin’s fourth field goal.
That’s what Alabama does. They hit and they confuse and they hit some more.
Nick Saban and Bama have rolled to a 6-0 start.
“It’s not just their speed. It’s their size. They’re great tacklers,” Ole Miss offensive coordinator Kent Austin said. “They’re the best defense we’ve faced by far. Easily.”
The Alabama offense scored one touchdown, a great call by coordinator Jim McElwain. On fourth-and-one at the Ole Miss 36, with 1:02 left in the first half, the Tide loaded the left side with what seemed like 15 guys and ran a quick toss to Ingram. He burst through the line and found no one there. A 9-0 lead became 16-0, and the game was all but over.
Quibble if you must that six trips into the red zone yielded Alabama five field goals and a turnover. Five times quarterback Greg McElroy threw a jump ball to wide receiver Julio Jones in the end zone. McElroy went 0-for-5 and should consider himself fortunate that none of them got picked off.
McElroy finished 15-of-34 for 147 yards. Those numbers aren’t all that different from Snead’s. But McElroy’s blood pressure numbers had to be lower. He didn’t make the critical errors that Snead made all game. Plus, Ingram finished with 172 yards on 28 carries.
“Hard-earned yards,” Alabama fifth-year senior left guard Mike Johnson called them.
You could see how much Saban enjoyed this victory. It came before 62,657 fans, the largest crowd in Ole Miss history, eclipsing the record set in the LSU game in 2003. Saban won that game, too, 17-14. The victory sent the Tigers into the SEC Championship Game and on their way to the crystal football.
The comparison stops there. Saban won’t entertain any discussion of Alabama beyond the Tide’s next game, at home Saturday against South Carolina. When asked to compare this team to the Alabama team that began last year 12-0 and rose to No. 1, Saban answered by discussing what it takes to compete for 14 weeks.
After all, that 12-0 Crimson Tide team finished 12-2.
Mark Ingram rumbled to 172 yards and one TD.
“This is like climbing a mountain,” Saban said. “The higher you go, the more treacherous it gets. The focus has to be better. The execution has to be better, and you have to continue to go through the grind to get there. So far we’ve done it but we have to continue to do it.”
It’s a good metaphor and an accurate one, especially the mental picture of Alabama breathing rarefied air.
Tags: alabama team, bama, class, cornerback, cory reamer, Crimson, Crimson Tide, defense, defensive performance, end zone, field goal, field goals, Florida, four interceptions, game, handoff, houston nutt, Insider, jevan snead, julio jones, leigh tiffin, linebacker, mark ingram, midfield, nick saban, ole miss, reamer, rebels, return, score, SEC, snead, stat, touchdownRelated posts
Alabama rolls Arkansas
September 27, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ? On a big play day, the third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide scored three touchdowns on plays of over 50 yards to defeat the Arkansas Razorbacks, 35-7, at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Alabama, 4-0, moved to 1-0 in Southeastern Conference play while the Razorbacks, 1-2, fall to 0-2.
“I am disappointed in our performance,” Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino said. “Alabama is a good football team and they do a lot of real good things, but I am disappointed in the way we played and in our execution. We have a lot of work to do to get to be the type of football team that we need to be.”
The Razorbacks stay on the road next weekend as the home team at the inaugural Southwest Classic at Dallas Cowboys Stadium versus Texas A&M.
“That was a good football team we played out there today, very good offensive team,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “I was really pleased with the defensive effort out there today. To hold those guys to seven points is really good and it was a team effort.”
Senior running back Michael Smith had 12 carries for 61 yards and quarterback Ryan Mallett hit 12-of-33 for 160 yards, scoring the Razorbacks’ only touchdown on an 18-yard pass to Greg Childs.
“We just didn’t execute,” Mallett said. “That hurt us and you can see that throughout the whole game. We have to execute.”
After a rough first half, Mallett guided Arkansas on a five-play, 55-yard touchdown drive. Three straight completions by the 6-7 sophomore highlighted by a 23-yard pass to D.J. Williams before the 18-yard fade route to the deep left corner for the score. Alex Tejada’s PAT made it 14-7.
“We came out and scored a touchdown to make it 14-7, but we just lost it,” Mallett said. “We came out playing good in the second half and just didn’t keep it up.”
Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy put the margin back to 14 on the first play of the ensuing Alabama possession as he found Maze on a post route for an 80-yard touchdown with 10:21 left in the third and a 21-7 lead.
Mallett moved Arkansas downfield, but on fourth down Breeding’s rugby-style punt attempt was blocked by Lorenzo Washington. McElroy connected with Ingram for a 14-yard touchdown to take advantage of the miscue and a 28-7 lead with 5:33 in the third.
The Razorbacks looked like they had a big break as Dylan Breeding’s punt was downed inside the one yard line. Alabama went on a game clinching 99-yard drive that soaked up almost six and a half minutes of clock before Mark Ingram’s two yard dash made it 35-7 with 13:12 left in the game.
After giving up over 50 points to Georgia in the last game, the Razorback defense opened the game by holding the powerful Alabama offense scoreless in the first quarter.
“I really thought in the first half our defense played well,” Petrino said. “They did a nice job of stopping the run. They did a nice job of tackling, except for the long run, and that was a heck of run. I just thought we didn’t play the way we’re capable of playing.”
Defense held sway almost the entire opening quarter as a combined two offensive first downs, and two more by penalty, was the highlight early. The teams swapped field position advantages early until Alabama pinned Arkansas for consecutive possesions inside the Razorbacks’ 20.
Petrino went with a fake punt with a direct snap to Ronnie Wingo, Jr., on fourth and five at the Hogs’ 25 yard line to spark the first sustained drive for either team. Mallett connected with Joe Adams for a 19-yard first down play to put the Razorbacks at the Bama 47 to close the first quarter. He backed it up with another first down pass to Wright to push the Hogs to the 33, but Javier Arenas’ 8-yard sack of Mallett ended the drive.
The Tide broke the scorless start with a six play, 86-yard drive capped by a 52-yard touchdown run by T. Richardson. The Alabama back evaded a potential tackle for loss for the scoring run with 9:30 left in the quarter for a 7-0 lead.
After a first down seemed to have Arkansas moving, Arenas picked up his second sack, a 13-yard loss for the Razorbacks. Arenas returned the ensuing Hogs’ punt to the 50. Saban calls for a Wildcat reverse, ending with a McElroy 50-yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones and a quick 14-0 Alabama lead.
Arkansas’ defense settled down after the 14-point outburst sending the teams to halftime with the same 14-0 spread.
The Tide racked up 217 first half yards, but 102 of Alabama’s yardage came on the two touchdown plays. Mallett hit his first two passes, and had a series of three straight in Arkansas’ one sustained drive, but went only 7-of-21 in the first half for 74 yards. McElroy was 8-of-15 for 103 yards and a TD in the first half. The Razorbacks had only 101 yards at halftime.
For the game, McElrory finished with a career high 17-of-24 for 291 yards and three touchdowns.
While Breeding suffered one block, the Razorback punter also had a career day. Breeding punted nine times for 358 yards and an average of 39.8, all are career highs. His 52-yard punt is a career long and was his third 50-yard punt of the season. Breeding also put three punts inside the 20-yard line including one inside the one.
Tags: Alabama, arkansas, beats, Crimson, Crimson Tide, Roll Tide, SEC, TideRelated posts
Alabama unveils Double Mac attack
September 12, 2009
One of the bright spots in a surprising Alabama-FIU first half is the chemistry developing between quarterback Greg McElroy and senior receiver Mike McCoy.
At intermission, McElroy has already thrown for 203 yards, well on his way to his first career 300-yard passing game in only his second start.
And with Julio Jones sidelined at least part of the night with an apparent minor injury, McCoy has emerged as the go-to guy with 100 yards receiving. After putting ice on his leg, however, Jones was back and apparently OK at the end of the half.
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Bama vs Virginia Tech
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