Football: Alabama defeats Duke game notes

The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Duke Blue Devils. Final score: Alabama 62 Duke 13

ALABAMA FOOTBALL Post-Game Notes (courtesy of UA Media Relations)
PLAYER NOTES
INGRAM HAS IMPRESSIVE RETURN TO ACTION: Junior running back Mark Ingram rushed for 151 yards on only 9 carries while scoring two touchdowns against Duke on Saturday. Ingram made his first touch of the 2010 season a memorable one, taking a handoff and racing 48 yards to the Duke 12-yard line on the game’s first offensive play from scrimmage. He then took the game’s second snap and ran for three yards before Alabama scored a touchdown on a nine-yard pass from Greg McElroy to Darius Hanks for a 7-0 lead with 13:41 left in the first quarter. Later in the first quarter, Ingram broke loose on a 50-yard run to the Duke 27-yard line. That run put Ingram over the 100-yard rushing mark in the game with 102 yards on just three carries.

YARDS PER RUSH – GAME
(Minimum 5-9 attempts)
Avg. (att-yds-td) Player Opponent Date
36.0 (6-216-2) Harry Gilmer at Kentucky Nov. 3, 1945
28.4 (5-142-1) Jimmy Taylor Virginia Tech Oct. 27, 1973
27.6 (5-138-1) Wilbur Jackson Virginia Tech Oct. 27, 1973
23.3 (7-163-1) Tony Nathan Vanderbilt Sept. 30, 1978
20.6 (5-103-2) Bobby Marlow Delta State Sept. 21, 1951
19.3 (6-116-1) Freddie Milons Florida Dec. 4, 1999
17.0 (6-102-1) Richard Todd Virginia Tech Oct. 27, 1973
16.8 (9-151-2) Mark Ingram at Duke Sept. 18, 2010
16.4 (7-115-1) Tony Nathan at Mississippi State Oct. 29, 1977

INGRAM SURPASSES 2,500 CAREER RUSHING YARDS & MOVES UP CAREER RUSHING YARDS CHART: Junior running back Mark Ingram rushed for 151 yards against Duke, moving him up the Alabama career rushing yards chart into 7th place with 2,537 yards in his career. Shaun Alexander (1996-99) is the Alabama career rushing yards record holder with 3,565 yards.

RUSHING YARDS – CAREER
3,565 Shaun Alexander (727 att.)……………………………. 1996-99
3,420 Bobby Humphrey (615 att.)………………………….. 1985-88
3,324 Kenneth Darby (702 att.)………………………………. 2003-06
2,741 Johnny Musso (574 att.)……………………………….. 1969-71
2,645 Dennis Riddle (612 att.)……………………………….. 1994-97
2,560 Bobby Marlow (408 att.)………………………………. 1950-52
2,537 Mark Ingram (419 att.)………………….. 2008-present
2,519 Johnny Davis (447 att.)…………………………………. 1974-77
2,486 Sherman Williams (535 att.)………………………… 1991-94

INGRAM MOVES UP CAREER TD LIST: Junior running back Mark Ingram’s two rushing touchdowns against Duke give him 31 rushing touchdowns in his career at Alabama. Those totals rank among the best in Alabama history.

RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS – CAREER
41 Shaun Alexander 1996-99
34 Johnny Musso 1969-71
33 Bobby Humphrey 1985-88
31 Mark Ingram 2008-present
29 Tony Nathan 1975-78
27 Sherman Williams 1991-94

INGRAM OVER 100 YARDS RUSHING FOR 11TH TIME IN HIS CAREER: Mark Ingram’s 151 rushing yards gives him 11 100-yard rushing performances in his Alabama career, ranking fifth in Alabama history. Shaun Alexander (15 from 1996-99) and Bobby Humphrey (15 from 1985-88) hold the record.

McELROY ENDS ERRORLESS STRETCH AT 149: Senior quarterback Greg McElroy threw an interception for the first time this season, and the first time in 149 attempts dating back to the LSU game on November 7, 2009. The miscue occurred at the Duke 6-yard line with 13:49 left in second quarter. Prior to that play, McElroy had started the game completing 10 of his first 11 attempts for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns.

RICHARDSON RETURNS KICKOFF 91 YARDS FOR TOUCHDOWN: Sophomore Trent Richardson gave Alabama a 42-6 lead in the second quarter on a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. That return does not make the Alabama all-time top 10 list for longest kickoff returns, but it does mark the first Crimson Tide kickoff return for a touchdown since a 100-yard return for a score by Tyrone Prothro on October 10, 2004.

WELCOME BACK MARCELL DAREUS: Nose tackle/defensive end Marcell Dareus returned to action against Duke and quickly made his presence felt, notching a quarterback for a six-yard loss with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter.

JONES NOTCHES 10TH CAREER TD CATCH: Julio Jones gave Alabama a 14-0 lead with 10:34 remaining in the first quarter on an 18-yard catch of a Greg McElroy pass. The catch is the 10th of Jones’ Alabama career. The record for touchdown catches in a career is 18 by Dennis Homan (1967-69).

RICHARDSON JOINS 1,000-YARD CLUB: With 61 rushing yards against Duke, sophomore running back Trent Richardson became the 51st Crimson Tide player to rush for 1,000 career yards. Richardson now has 1,022 yards on 184 carries over the first 17 games of his Alabama career. Mark Ingram became the 50th player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards last season while Glen Coffee and Terry Grant both eclipsed 1,000 career rushing yards in 2008.

McELROY EXTENDS STREAK: Senior quarterback Greg McElroy has yet to lose a game as a starting quarterback at the University of Alabama. With the win over Duke, the Southlake, Texas, native has a perfect 17-0 mark over the last two seasons as a starter. In fact, dating back to his senior year at Southlake Carroll High School, McElroy has started 33 consecutive games and walked off the field as a winner each time. McElroy’s last loss as a starting quarterback was in the eighth grade. McElroy’s 17-0 start to his career is the second best in school history and he is currently the only Alabama quarterback to have never lost during his career as a starter (minimum 10 starts). It also ranks as the second-longest streak of consecutive wins by a starting quarterback in school history. Jay Barker owns both records, winning the first 22 games of his career from 1991-93.

Quarterback Win Streak to Start a Career
22 Jay Barker 1991-93
17 Greg McElroy 2009-present
11 Terry Davis 1971
8 Joe Namath 1962

GENERAL NOTES
MILESTONES – POINTS, VICTORY MARGIN & TOTAL YARDS: Alabama’s 62 points scored vs. Duke is the most in a game since a 62-0 win over Tulane on Oct. 12, 1991, and the most in a road game since a 62-27 win over Mississippi on Oct. 7, 1989. The 49-point margin of victory is the largest for Alabama since a 52-0 win over Western Carolina on Sept. 18, 2004. Alabama amassed 626 yards of total offense (315 rushing, 311 passing) against Duke, the most since gaining 644 against LSU in Baton Rouge on Nov. 11, 1989 (257 rushing, 387 passing).

27 STRAIGHT REGULAR-SEASON WINS FOR TIDE: With the win over Duke, Alabama has reeled off 27 consecutive regular-season victories. The win streak dates back to the 2008 season opener against Clemson. UA’s last regular-season loss came at Auburn on Nov. 24, 2007. During that stretch, the Crimson Tide boasts a 29-2 overall record with its only losses coming to Florida in the 2008 SEC Championship Game and Utah in the 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl. The Tide is also a perfect 16-0 in SEC play over the last two years, becoming just the second team (Florida – 1995 & 1996) in conference history to post back-to-back undefeated 8-0 records since the league split into a divisional format in 1992.

NO. 1 ROLLS ON: With the Crimson Tide’s 24-3 win over then-No. 18/14 Penn State, in the last 15 years the Associated Press’s No. 1-ranked team is 27-0 on its home field against a ranked opponent. That streak dates back to a 36-33 Auburn win at No. 1 Florida in 1994.

ALABAMA 32-1 UNDER SABAN WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF: With the win over Duke, the Crimson Tide is 32-1 when leading at halftime under head coach Nick Saban, including a 25-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. The two wins when trailing at the half came in a 34-24 win over No. 7 Virginia Tech on Sept. 5 in Atlanta and a 24-15 victory over No. 9 LSU on Nov. 7. Alabama’s two wins when tied at halftime came at LSU (Nov. 8, 2008) with a 27-21 victory and at Auburn with a 26-21 win on Nov. 27, 2009.

MOST POINTS IN ANY HALF BY ALABAMA SINCE 1973: The 45 points scored in the first half by Alabama is the most scored by the Crimson Tide in any half since September 15, 1973, when the Crimson Tide scored 45 points in the second half of a 66-0 victory over California at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.

TIDE’S QUICKEST OPENING SCORE OF THE SEASON: Alabama broke on top of Duke, 7-0, just 1:19 into the game. The score is the quickest by Alabama to start a game since the Crimson Tide scored just 1:02 into the game against South Carolina in a 20-6 win on October 17, 2009, at Tuscaloosa on a Mark Barron interception return for a score. It also was the quickest the Alabama offense has scored under head coach Nick Saban, bettering the previous standard set vs. Tennessee on Oct. 20, 2007, on a Leigh Tiffin field goal just 1:55 into the game.

DEFENSE YIELDS FIRST OPPONENT TD OF 2010: The Alabama defense finally allowed an opponent touchdown in the final minute of the second quarter against Duke today. The scoring pass with 29 seconds remaining was an 11-yard pass. The touchdown play is the first allowed by Alabama since Texas scored in the fourth quarter of the 2010 BCS National Championship Game.

THE ALABAMA-DUKE SERIES: With the win, Alabama has won the last three meetings against Duke in a series that dates back to the 1945 Sugar Bowl. The Crimson Tide owns a 3-1 lead in the series after capturing a 30-14 win in Tuscaloosa in 2006 and a 35-12 victory in Birmingham in 1972. Duke’s win in the series came at the conclusion of the 1944 season with a 29-26 victory in the 1945 Sugar Bowl at New Orleans.

The Alabama vs. Duke Series (UA leads 3-1)
Date Result Site Score
Jan. 1, 1945 L N* 26-29
Sept. 9, 1972 W H** 35-12
Oct. 7, 2006 W H 30-14
Sept. 18, 2010 W A 62-1
*Sugar Bowl (New Orleans); **Birmingham

ALABAMA VS. THE ACC: With the win over Duke, the Crimson Tide has a 79-34-4 record against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents in 117 games.

SABAN VS. THE ACC: With the win over Duke, head coach Nick Saban is 4-2 (.667) all-time against opponents from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

SABAN VS. DUKE: Alabama head coach Nick Saban is now 1-0 against Duke in his career.

SABAN VS. CUTCLIFFE: With the win, Alabama head coach Nick Saban has a 5-1 record against David Cutcliffe. Saban’s teams at LSU posted wins over Cutcliffe’s Mississippi squads in 2000 (20-9), 2002 (14-13), 2003 (17-14) and 2004 (27-24). Cutcliffe’s win came in 2001, a 35-24 Rebels victory over the Tigers.

RUSH DEFENSE: The Crimson Tide has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in an astonishing 37 games, dating back to Oct. 13, 2007, when Mississippi’s BenJarvus Green-Ellis went for 131 yards. That is the longest streak in the nation, 11 games more than second-place Ohio State (26 games). Alabama was one of three teams not to allow a 100-yard rusher in 2009 and is the only team not to surrender a 100-yard rusher in 2008 or 2009. Over the 2008 and 2009 seasons, the Crimson Tide held 24 opponents to under 100 yards rushing with only LSU and Florida in 2008, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Auburn in 2009 and Penn State in 2010 able to crack the 100-yard barrier as a team.

Team Consecutive Games Last Time It Happened (Opponent)
Alabama 37 Oct. 13, 2007 (Mississippi)
Ohio State 26 Sept. 13, 2008 (Southern California)

SABAN ERA 100-YARD RUSHERS AND RECEIVERS: Producing a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver against Duke, Alabama has had 23 100-yard rushers and nine 100-yard receivers over the last three-plus seasons since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa. Junior running back Mark Ingram has recorded 10 100-yard rushing games during his career while Trent Richardson has three 100-yard rushing efforts and Eddie Lacy one. Junior Julio Jones is the only current player on the roster with a 100-yard receiving game. Under Saban, Alabama has gone 20-1 in those 21 games (both Ingram and Richardson went for 100 yards against Texas). The LSU game on Nov. 7, 2009, marked the fourth time under Saban that Alabama has had a 100-yard rusher and receiver in the same game. The Texas game also marked the first time under Saban that Alabama has had two 100-yard rushers in the same game. It was just the 11th time in school history two players rushed for 100 yards in the same game and the first time since Kenneth Darby and Ray Hudson did it against Utah State on September 4, 2004.

100-Yard Rushers (23-1)
246 by Mark Ingram vs. South Carolina (Oct. 17, 2009) W
218 by Glen Coffee vs. Kentucky (Oct. 4, 2008) W
173 by Terry Grant at Vanderbilt (Sept. 8, 2007) W
172 by Mark Ingram at Mississippi (Oct. 10, 2009) W
162 by Glen Coffee at Arkansas (Sept. 20, 2008) W
151 by Mark Ingram at Duke (Sept. 18,, 2010) W
150 by Mark Ingram vs. Virginia Tech (Sept. 5, 2009) W
149 by Mark Ingram vs. Mississippi State (Nov. 14, 2009) W
144 by Mark Ingram vs. LSU (Nov. 7, 2009) W
144 by Glen Coffee vs. Auburn (Nov. 29, 2008) W
144 by Trent Richardson vs. Penn State (Sept. 11, 2010) W
140 by Mark Ingram at Kentucky (Oct. 3, 2009) W
134 by Terry Grant vs. Western Carolina (Sept. 1, 2007) W
126 by Glen Coffee at LSU (Nov. 8, 2008) W
121 by Glen Coffee vs. Houston (Oct. 6, 2007) W
118 by Trent Richardson vs. Florida International (Sept. 12, 2009) W
116 by Mark Ingram vs. Texas (Jan. 7, 2010) (BCS) W
113 by Mark Ingram vs. Florida (Dec. 5, 2009) (SEC) W
113 by Mark Ingram vs. Arkansas State (Nov. 1, 2008) W
111 by Eddie Lacy vs. San Jose State (Sept. 4, 2009) W
112 by Glen Coffee vs. Florida (Dec. 6, 2008) (SEC) L
109 by Trent Richardson vs. Texas (Jan. 7, 2010) (BCS) W
104 by Terry Grant vs. Tennessee (Oct. 20, 2007) W
102 by Mark Ingram vs. Chattanooga (Nov. 21, 2009) W

100-Yard Receivers (8-1)
185 by D.J. Hall vs. Tennessee (Oct. 20, 2007) W
172 by D.J. Hall at Arkansas (Sept. 15, 2007) W
140 by D.J. Hall at Mississippi (Oct. 13, 2007) W
128 by Julio Jones at LSU (Nov. 8, 2008) W
124 by Julio Jones vs. Florida (Dec. 6, 2008) (SEC) L
106 by Julio Jones at Duke (Sept. 18, 2010) W
103 by Julio Jones at Tennessee (Oct. 25, 2008) W
102 by Julio Jones vs. LSU (Nov. 7, 2009) W
100 by Mike McCoy vs. Florida International (Sept. 12, 2009) W

100-Yard Rusher/Receiver in Same Game (4-1)
Tennessee (Oct. 20, 2007) W 104 by Terry Grant and 185 by D.J. Hall
vs. Florida (Dec. 6, 2008) (SEC Champ.) L 112 by Glen Coffee and 124 by Julio Jones
Florida International (Sept. 12, 2009) W 118 by Trent Richardson and 100 by Mike McCoy
LSU (Nov. 7, 2009) W 144 by Mark Ingram and 102 by Julio Jones
at Duke (Sept. 18, 2010) W 151 by Mark Ingram and 106 by Julio Jones

NEXT GAME: Alabama opens SEC play on Sept. 25 with a visit to Fayetteville, Ark., to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Crimson Tide lead the series 10-8 (13-7 without NCAA rulings) after a dominating 35-7 win over the Razorbacks last season in Tuscaloosa. The Tide has now won three straight in the series and four of the last five contests. Alabama’s last visit to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium came in 2008, a commanding 49-14 Alabama victory. The Crimson Tide is 5-4 against Arkansas on the road, including a 3-4 record at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville and a 2-0 mark at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.