Alabama defeats Florida game notes

ALABAMA FOOTBALL POST-GAME NOTES: ALABAMA 31, FLORIDA 6 (courtesy of UA Media Relations)
START FAST – FINISH STRONG: One of Alabama’s priorities each week is to get off to a fast start and then win the fourth quarter. The Crimson Tide’s “Start Fast — Finish Strong” motto has been evident in 2010, a trend that continued against Florida. With a 3-0 edge in the first quarter and a 21-3 edge in the second quarter against Florida, Alabama has compiled a 59-16 scoring edge in the first quarter and a 65-20 advantage in the second quarter for a 124-66 edge in the first half. UA has also had a distinct edge in the second half, outscoring opponents by a margin of 65-9 in five games. A season ago, Alabama outscored its opponents 121-32 in the fourth quarter, a margin of 89 points. That number grew to 201-77 in the third and fourth quarters for a margin of 124 points.

2010 SCORING
Quarter UA Opp. Difference
1st Quarter………. 59…………………….. 16…………………….. +43
2nd Quarter……….. 65…………………….. 20…………………….. +45
First Half…………. 124…………………… 36…………………….. +88
3rd Quarter………… 34…………………….. 6……………………….. +28
4th Quarter……….. 31…………………….. 3……………………….. +28
Second Half……… 65…………………….. 9……………………….. +56
TOTAL…………….. 189………………….. 45…………………….. +144

ALABAMA 33-1 UNDER SABAN WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF: With the win over Florida, the Crimson Tide improved to 33-1 when leading at halftime under head coach Nick Saban, including a 26-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.

ALABAMA-FLORIDA SERIES: Alabama and Florida met for the 36th time on Saturday. With the win, the Crimson Tide hold a 21-14 [22-14 without a win in 2005 later vacated per an NCAA ruling] edge in the series.

ALABAMA VS. FLORIDA
Date Result Site Score
Oct. 21, 1916 W A* 16-0

Nov. 11, 1921 L H 2-9

Nov. 29, 1923 L H** 6-16

Nov. 14, 1925 W H*** 34-0

Nov. 13, 1926 W H*** 49-0

Nov. 12, 1927 L H*** 6-13

Nov. 8, 1930 W A 20-0

Nov. 7, 1931 W H** 41-0

Nov. 27, 1948 W H 34-28

Nov. 26, 1949 W A 35-13

Nov. 25, 1950 W A* 41-13

Nov. 24, 1951 L H 21-30

Oct. 12, 1963 L H 6-10

Oct. 24, 1964 W H 17-14

Sept. 26, 1970 W H 46-15

Sept. 25, 1971 W A 38-0

Oct. 14, 1972 W H 24-7

Oct. 13, 1973 W A 35-14

Oct. 14, 1978 W A 23-12

Oct. 13, 1979 W A 40-0

Sept. 20, 1986 W A 21-7

Sept. 19, 1987 L H** 14-23

Sept. 15, 1990 L H 13-17

Sept. 14, 1991 L A 0-35

Dec. 5, 1992 W N# 28-21

Dec. 4, 1993 L N# 13-28

Dec. 3, 1994 L N$ 23-24

Dec. 7, 1996 L N$ 30-45

Oct. 3, 1998 L H 10-16

Oct. 2, 1999 W/OT A 40-39

Dec. 4, 1999 W N$ 34-7

Oct. 1, 2005 W% H 31-3

Sept. 30, 2006 L A 13-28

Dec. 6, 2008 L N$ 20-31

Dec. 5, 2009 W N$ 32-13

Oct. 2, 2010 W H 31-6
*Jacksonville, Fla.; **Birmingham; ***Montgomery
#SEC Championship Game (Birmingham); $SEC Championship Game (Atlanta)
%Vacated by NCAA ruling

SERIES RECORD BY SITE: Including Saturday night’s game, Alabama and Florida have met at six different sites since the first meeting in 1916. Alabama and Florida have played 19 times in the state of Alabama, with Saturday’s victory giving Alabama a 10-9 lead in those contests. Alabama also leads, 6-5, in games played in Tuscaloosa. UF won three of the five meetings played at Legion Field in Birmingham. Alabama won two of the three games contested in Montgomery. Florida has won three of the five SEC Championship games played in Atlanta. The Crimson Tide owns a 10-2 lead in games played in the state of Florida, including an 8-2 mark in Gainesville. Florida’s only wins against Alabama in Gainesville came in 1991 (35-0) and 2006 (28-13).

BEATING THE BEST: With the win over Florida, Alabama is 12-2 against the Associated Press Top 25 over the past three seasons and 6-2 against AP top 5 teams. UA has reeled off nine consecutive wins against top 25 teams. The Crimson Tide’s win over Florida was the Tide’s eighth win over a top 10 team dating back to the start of the 2008 season. Alabama is 3-0 against the AP Top 25 this season.

Alabama vs. AP Top 25 Opponents (since 2008)
Date Team Rank Result
Aug. 30, 2008…… vs. Clemson (at Atlanta, Ga.) ………. 9…………. W, 34-10

Sept. 27, 2008….. at Georgia …………………………………….. 3…………. W, 41-30

Nov. 8, 2008…….. at LSU …………………………………………… 15………. W, 27-21 (OT)

Dec. 6, 2008…….. vs. Florida (at Atlanta, Ga.)………….. 2…………. L, 31-20

Jan. 2, 2009………. vs. Utah (at New Orleans, La.)……… 7…………. L, 31-17

Sept. 5, 2009…….. vs. Virginia Tech (at Atlanta, Ga.) .. 7…………. W, 34-24

Oct. 10, 2009……. at Mississippi ……………………………… 20………. W, 22-3

Oct. 17, 2009……. South Carolina……………………………… 22………. W, 20-6

Nov. 6, 2009…….. LSU……………………………………………….. 9…………. W, 24-15

Dec. 5, 2009…….. vs. Florida (at Atlanta, Ga.)………….. 1…………. W, 32-13

Jan. 7, 2010………. vs. Texas (at Pasadena, Calif.)……… 2…………. W, 37-21

Sept. 11, 2010….. Penn State…………………………………….. 18………. W, 24-3

Sept. 25, 2010….. at Arkansas…………………………………… 10………. W, 24-20

Oct. 2, 2010……… Florida………………………………………….. 7…………. W, 31-6

HOME FIELD WINNING STREAK: With the win over Florida, Alabama has won 17 consecutive games at Bryant-Denny Stadium dating back to the home opener against Tulane in 2008. That is the fourth-longest streak in school history at Bryant-Denny Stadium and is just one shy of the third-place streak. The longest winning streak at Bryant-Denny Stadium is 57 games from Oct. 26, 1963, to Nov. 13, 1982. During the current streak, the Crimson Tide is 9-0 against SEC competition and 4-0 against top 25 teams.

Longest Winning Streaks at BDS
57 Oct. 26, 1963 – Nov. 13, 1982

20 Nov. 1, 1941 – Nov. 11, 1950

18 Sept. 28, 1929 – Sept. 28, 1935

17 Sept. 6, 2008 – Present

16 Nov. 23, 1957 – Oct. 12, 1963

16 Nov. 9, 1935 – Oct. 12, 1940

29 CONSECUTIVE REGULAR SEASON WINS: With the win over Florida, Alabama has reeled off 29 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 31-2 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 18-0 in SEC play over the last two-plus 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 AT HOME: With the Crimson Tide’s 24-3 win over Florida, in the last 15 years the Associated Press’s No. 1-ranked team is 28-0 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 HAS MOST WINS IN THE NATION SINCE 2008: Alabama has won 31 games dating back to the start of the 2008 season, the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Crimson Tide won 12 games in 2008, followed that with a perfect 14-0 record in 2009 and is off to a 5-0 start in 2010 after the win over Florida, which ranks second with 30 wins over the past two-plus years, tied with Boise State.

TOTAL WINS (2008-present)
Team………………… Wins………………… 2008/2009/2010

Alabama…………………… 31…………………………………. 12/14/5

Florida……………………….. 30…………………………………. 13/13/4

Boise State………………. 30…………………………………. 12/14/4

Texas………………………….. 28…………………………………. 12/13/3

TCU……………………………… 28…………………………………. 11/12/5

SABAN VERSUS FLORIDA: With the win, Alabama head coach Nick Saban has a 4-4 record in his career against Florida, with five of the eight meetings coming while he was the head coach at LSU. Saban is 2-1 vs. Florida during his stint in Tuscaloosa. He compiled a 2-1 record against the Gators in Gainesville and a 0-2 record in Baton Rouge.

Date………………….. Score………………………………. W/L

Oct. 7, 2000…………… Florida 41, LSU 9…………………….. L

Oct. 6, 2001…………… Florida 44, LSU 15………………….. L

Oct. 12, 2002……….. LSU 36, Florida 7…………………….. W

Oct. 11, 2003……….. Florida 19, LSU 7…………………….. L

Oct. 9, 2004…………… LSU 24, Florida 21………………….. W

Dec. 6, 2008………….. Florida 31, Alabama 20………. L

Dec. 5, 2009………….. Alabama 32, Florida 13………. W

Oct. 2, 2010…………… Alabama 31, Florida 6…………. W

INGRAM ON CAREER RUSHING YARDS CHART: Junior running back Mark Ingram rushed for 47 yards on 12 carries against Florida, moving him up the Alabama career rushing yards chart into a tie for fourth place with 2,741 yards in his career. Shaun Alexander (1996-99) is the Tide’s career rushing yards record holder with 3,565 yards.

ALABAMA’S CAREER RUSHING LEADERS

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

2,741….. Mark Ingram (455 att.)………………… 2008-present

INGRAM SCORES TOUCHDOWNS #34 & 35: Running back Mark Ingram scored on a 6-yard run with 14:14 remaining in the second quarter to give Alabama a 10-0 over Florida, and later scored on a 1-yard run with 7:50 left in the first half to give the Crimson Tide a 17-0 lead. The rushing touchdowns were the 34th and 35th rushing touchdowns of Ingram’s Alabama career, moving him past Johnny Musso (1969-71) for second on the Alabama career rushing touchdowns list. The scores also give Ingram 38 total touchdowns (35 rushing, 3 receiving) at Alabama, moving him past Mike Shula (1984-86) for 10th on the Alabama career total touchdowns responsibility list.

CAREER RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS

41 Shaun Alexander…………………………………………………………………………….. 1996-99

35 Mark Ingram……………………………………………….. 2008-present

34 Johnny Musso……………………………………………………………………………………. 1969-71

33 Bobby Humphrey……………………………………………………………………………. 1985-88

29 Tony Nathan ……………………………………………………………………………………… 1975-78

27 Sherman Williams…………………………………………………………………………… 1991-94

26 Bobby Marlow…………………………………………………………………………………… 1950-52

GREG McELROY: Greg McElroy has yet to lose a game as a starting quarterback at the University of Alabama. With the win over Florida, the Southlake, Texas, native has a perfect 19-0 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 35 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 19-0 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
19 Greg McElroy 2009-present
11 Terry Davis 1971
8 Joe Namath 1962

MOSLEY NABS A PICK 6: True freshman linebacker C.J. Mosley intercepted a Florida pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to give Alabama a 31-6 lead over the Gators, the first interception of Mosley’s Alabama career and the first interception return for a touchdown in 2010. It marked Alabama’s first interception return for a touchdown since Marcell Dareus returned an interception of a Texas pass 28 yards for a score in the BCS Championship Game on January 7, 2010.

UPSHAW HAS BIG NIGHT: Junior Jack linebacker Courtney Upshaw had an impressive outing for the Crimson Tide against Florida as he was credited with seven tackles, including four for losses, a fumble recovery and two pass breakups. Upshaw’s performance keynoted a strong defensive effort by Alabama, which posted eight tackles for loss with three interceptions and one quarterback sack for the night.

GROUND DEFENSE: Florida’s leading rusher gained 47 yards. The Crimson Tide has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in an astonishing 39 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 (28 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, 2009 or 2010. Over the last three seasons, the Crimson Tide held 27 opponents to under 100-yards rushing.

Team Consecutive Games Last Time It Happened (Opponent)
Alabama…………… 39…………………………………… Oct. 13, 2007 (Mississippi)
Ohio State………… 28…………………………………… Sept. 13, 2008 (Southern California)

FORCING TURNOVERS: Alabama forced four Florida turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble) on Saturday giving Alabama 13 turnovers and six giveaways in the first five games. UA has intercepted 11 passes and recovered two fumbles for a +1.4 turnover margin. Alabama has forced 93 turnovers in 46 games under head coach Nick Saban (an average of 2.0 per game) while forcing 43 turnovers over the last 19 games (2.26 per game). Alabama has recorded at least one turnover in 41 of 46 games under Saban. UA is 35-6 under Saban when gaining at least one turnover.

SCORING DEFENSE: Alabama has surrendered only three touchdowns in 2010 and a total of 45 points in 20 quarters this season (five games). The Tide allowed a field goal to both San Jose State in the opener and to Penn State on Sept. 11 before giving up 13 points (all in the second quarter) at Duke, surrendering 20 points at Arkansas (The Razorbacks were averaging over 35 points per game enter the contest) and six points to Florida (UF averaged 37.8 ppg entering the Alabama game). Over the last 33 games (start of the 2008 season), UA has allowed just 409 points or 12.3 points per game.

NEXT GAME: Alabama plays its third road game in four weeks with a visit to the No. 19/22 South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, October 9. It will be the Crimson Tide’s first visit to Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia since a 34-14 victory on September 17, 2005. Alabama boasts an 11-2 record (win in 2005 later vacated per an NCAA ruling) against South Carolina, including an actual record of 3-1 in Columbia. UA’s only loss in Columbia was a 37-36 setback in 2001. Alabama defeated then-No. 22 South Carolina, 20-6, at Bryant-Denny Stadium last season.