Alabama National Championship Game Notes

ALABAMA FOOTBALL POST-GAME NOTES – 2010 BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME Thursday, January 7, 2010 (courtesy of UA Media Relations)

ALABAMA CLAIMS 13th NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: With a 37-21 victory over Texas in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, Calif., the Alabama Crimson Tide claimed its 13th national championship. Alabama has won national championships in 1925, 1926, 1930, 1934, 1941, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1973, 1978, 1979 and 1992. The combined record of Alabama’s 13 national champions is 145-6-2.

ALABAMA-TEXAS SERIES: With the win tonight, Alabama defeats Texas for the first time in nine meetings. Texas leads the series with Alabama 7-1-1. Alabama and Texas have met six times in a postseason bowl game. The Crimson Tide and Longhorns also met in the 1948 Sugar Bowl, the 1960 Bluebonnet Bowl, the 1965 Orange Bowl, the 1973 Cotton Bowl and the 1982 Cotton Bowl. Texas leads Alabama 4-1-1 in bowl games. The two teams have also met three times in the regular season, with Texas winning all three contests.

Date Result of Game Site
Nov. 18, 1902 Texas 10, Alabama 0 Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Nov. 13, 1915 Texas 20, Alabama 0 Austin, Texas
Oct. 28, 1922 Texas 19, Alabama 10 Austin, Texas
Jan. 1, 1948 Texas 27, Alabama 7 New Orleans, La. (Sugar Bowl)
Dec. 17, 1960 Texas 3, Alabama 3 Houston, Texas (Bluebonnet Bowl)
Jan. 1, 1965 Texas 21, Alabama 17 Miami, Fla. (Orange Bowl)
Jan. 1, 1973 Texas 17, Alabama 13 Dallas, Texas (Cotton Bowl)
Jan. 1, 1982 Texas 14, Alabama 12 Dallas, Texas (Cotton Bowl)
Jan. 7, 2010 Alabama 37, Texas 21 Pasadena, Calif. (Citi BCS National Championship Game)

ALABAMA AT THE ROSE BOWL STADIUM: Alabama made its eighth appearance at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif., including its seventh post-season bowl game, and is now 6-2 at the venue with the win over Texas. The Crimson Tide has played in the Rose Bowl in 1926, 1927, 1931, 1935, 1938 and 1946. Alabama was the first southern team to play in the Rose Bowl when the Crimson Tide beat Washington 20-19 on Jan. 1, 1926. Alabama is 4-1-1 all-time in Rose Bowl games, with wins over Washington (1926), Washington State (1931), Stanford (1935) and Southern California (1946). Alabama has also played one regular season game at the Rose Bowl stadium, when the third-ranked Crimson Tide opened the 2000 season with a 35-24 loss to the UCLA Bruins on Sept. 3.

Alabama Results at Rose Bowl Stadium
Jan. 1, 1926 Alabama 20, Washington 19
Jan. 1, 1927 Alabama 7, Stanford 7
Jan. 1, 1931 Alabama 24, Washington State 0
Jan. 1, 1935 Alabama 29, Stanford 13
Jan. 1, 1938 California 13, Alabama 0
Jan. 1, 1946 Alabama 34, Southern Cal 14
Sept. 2, 2000 UCLA 35, Alabama 24
Jan. 7, 2010 Alabama 37, Texas 21

ALABAMA’S 57TH BOWL GAME APPEARANCE: Alabama has posted a 32-22-3 all-time record in its 57 bowl appearances. Alabama owns the NCAA record for most bowl games (57) and is tied with Southern California for most victories (32). With tonight’s BCS championship game appearance, Alabama has played in 17 different bowl games in its storied history.

ALABAMA 29-1 UNDER SABAN WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF: Alabama led Texas, 24-6, at halftime of the Citi BCS National Championship Game before going on to the victory. With the win, Alabama improves to 29-1 when leading at halftime under head coach Nick Saban, including a 22-game winning streak. The only loss came against LSU in 2007 when UA held a 20-17 halftime lead before losing, 41-34, on Nov. 3, 2007, at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide is 2-5 under Saban when trailing at halftime and 2-2 when tied at halftime.

TWO 100-YARD RUSHERS IN THE SAME GAME (10)
Alabama running backs Mark Ingram (116) and Trent Richardson (109) both rushed for more than 100 yards against Texas. That marks the 11th time in Alabama history that two Crimson Tide backs have eclipsed the century mark in rushing yards in a single game and the first time it has happened for Alabama in a bowl game. The last time it happened before tonight was on September 4, 2004, when Crimson Tide backs Kenneth Darby (111) and Ray Hudson (111) did it against Utah State.

INGRAM OVER 100 YARDS RUSHING FOR 8TH TIME THIS SEASON TO SET ALABAMA RECORD: Mark Ingram’s 116 rushing yards gives him eight 100-yard rushing performances in 2009, setting an Alabama record for 100-yard rushing outings in a season previously set by Shaun Alexander, who had eight 100-yard rushing performances in 1999. Ingram has eclipsed 100 rushing yards nine times in his Alabama career, ranking in a tie for fifth in Alabama history. Alexander (15 from 1996-99) and Bobby Humphrey (15 from 1985-88) hold the record.

INGRAM SCORES TWICE: Sophomore running back Mark Ingram’s two touchdown runs in the Citi BCS National Championship Game gave Ingram 17 rushing touchdowns in the 2009 season and 29 in his two-year career at Alabama. Those totals rank among the best in Alabama history.

RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS – SEASON
19 Shaun Alexander…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1999
17 Siran Stacy………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 1989
17 Mark Ingram………………………………………………………………. 2009
16 Johnny Musso…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1971
15 Bobby Humphrey…………………………………………………………………………………………. 1986
15 Cotton Clark…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1962
15 Tony Nathan …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 1977

RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS – CAREER
41 Shaun Alexander……………………………………………………………………………………… 1996-99
34 Johnny Musso………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1969-71
33 Bobby Humphrey………………………………………………………………………………….. 1985-88
29 Tony Nathan ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 1975-78
29 Mark Ingram…………………………………………………………. 2008-09
27 Sherman Williams………………………………………………………………………………….. 1991-94
26 Bobby Marlow………………………………………………………………………………………… 1950-52

RICHARDSON MOTORS TO HIS 8TH TOUCHDOWN OF THE SEASON: Freshman running back Trent Richardson rushed for two touchdowns against Texas to give him eight rushing touchdowns for the season, ranking him tied for second on the Alabama list for rushing touchdowns by a freshman. Mark Ingram set the record of 12 in 2008. Richardson tied Terry Grant, who also had eight rushing touchdowns in 2007.

FIRST TURNOVER LOST BY ALABAMA SINCE LSU GAME: The interception thrown by Alabama at the end of its first offensive possession was the first by the Crimson Tide since an interception thrown with 29 seconds left in the first half of the LSU game on November 7. Prior to that turnover, the UA offense had gone 272 minutes and 20 seconds without committing a turnover.

SCORELESS FIRST QUARTER FOR ALABAMA MEANS BIG 2ND PERIOD: Alabama did not score in the first quarter of the BCS National Championship Game, but the Tide’s ability to bounce back with a strong second period was evident tonight against Texas. Alabama has been held scoreless in the first quarter in five games this year – Arkansas (September 26), LSU (November 7), Mississippi State (Nov. 14), Auburn (Nov. 27) and vs. Texas (tonight). Including the Texas game, Alabama has outscored opponents 86-43 (advantage of 43 points) in the first quarter this season. However, Alabama has outscored opponents by a margin of 162-43 (+119 points) in the second quarter this season counting Alabama’s 24-0 second-period scoring tonight.

TIFFIN FINISHES CAREER 2ND IN SEC HISTORY FOR KICKING POINTS & FIELD GOALS MADE: Senior placekicker Leigh Tiffin converted a 26-yard field goal in the second quarter against Texas, Tiffin’s 30th of the 2009 season to extend his Alabama single-season and career records for most field goals made at Alabama. With seven points scored, he finishes his Alabama career with 385 career points to rank second among kickers in SEC history behind Georgia’s Billy Bennett, who holds both the SEC and NCAA scoring record with 409 career points. With 83 field goals made in his career, Tiffin ranks second on the SEC’s career field goals made list, just five behind Georgia’s Billy Bennett (87), who is also the NCAA career leader.

FIELD GOALS – SEASON
30 Leigh Tiffin (35 att.)……………………………………………………. 2009
25 Leigh Tiffin (34 att.)………………………………………………………………………………………. 2007
24 Philip Doyle (29 att.)…………………………………………………………………………………….. 1990
22 Philip Doyle (25 att.)…………………………………………………………………………………….. 1989
22 Michael Proctor (29 att.)……………………………………………………………………………. 1993

FIELD GOALS – CAREER
84 Leigh Tiffin (111 att.)…………………………………………….. 2006-09
78 Philip Doyle (105 att.)…………………………………………………………………………… 1987-90
65 Michael Proctor (91 att.)…………………………………………………………………….. 1992-95
59 Van Tiffin (88 att.)………………………………………………………………………………….. 1983-86
38 Brian Bostick (52 att.)………………………………………………………………………….. 2002-04

MOST SACKS ALLOWED IN 2009: The five quarterback sacks allowed by Alabama in tonight’s game with Texas is the most given up by the Crimson Tide offense this season (previous high: 3 by Auburn) and the most since Utah had eight sacks in the 2009 Sugar Bowl.