Pickin' Splinters » Alabama Crimson Tide

10 games and the national title

Casey — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:07:01 +0000

By Paul Casey Gotham

Shhhhhh….did you hear that? Tick, tock, tick, tock…The time is drawing near. College pigskin kicks off on Thursday, September 2nd with 18 games including openers for Ohio State, Miami, Pittsburgh and even Lane Kiffin’s folly. There is no playoff, so, as the talking heads say: EVERY GAME MATTERS. Here are a few games that might matter more than others.

10. Boise State at Virginia Tech – September 6: Gentlemen start your engines! A top 10 tilt in the first weekend – the Hokies and Broncos are wasting no time with a soiree on Labor Day. Plenty of time to recover from a loss and get into the BCS, but the blemish could exclude from the title game.

9. South Florida at Miami – November 27: The Bulls won’t be competing for a national title, but the Hurricanes might. Skip Holtz should have his gang focused by this time. Miami won by 21 last year. Not so easy this time.

8. Oregon State at TCU – September 4: Geez. Gone are the days when teams opened against the sisters of mercy. If the Horned Frogs want a shot at the title game, they have to beat a school from a “power” conference. Then, they need to go on and beat another school from a “power” conference – Baylor (Big 12). And they need to beat BYU. Oh yeah, and they have to beat Utah. Don’t forget SMU – June Jones is there now. And they have Air Force on the ledger. Hmmmm…maybe the Mountain West isn’t for patsies after all. Back to the point, TCU better beat Oregon State and make it interesting.

7. Pittsburgh at Notre Dame – October 9: I know. I know. Pittsburgh? Notre Dame? National title? Don’t forget. Last year, the Panthers lost at West Virginia by 3 and to #5 Cincinnati by one. They went on to win a bowl game over UNC. Pitt has beefed up the schedule with an opening weekend game at Utah and a game against Miami. The Big East gets a spot in the BCS. Pitt could earn it. If Pitt is 4-0, ND could come bearing pumpkins.

6. Georgia Tech at North Carolina – September 18: Both are ranked in pre-season polls, and both want to take out the Hurricanes. Let’s see. Last year, the Ramblin’ Wreck won by 17 in Georgia. It’s going to be different this time around. If the Heels open with a win over LSU, this could be very interesting.

5. Stanford at Oregon – October 2: Someone from the Pac 10 is going to get a BCS game. The Ducks have some unfinished business after falling to the Cardinal last year.

4. Florida at Alabama – October 2: A spot in the SEC title will be at stake. How good is Mark Ingram?

3. Texas at Nebraska – October 16: The Longhorns get a week to rest before this one. Mack Brown’s crew will need it. After a three-year absence from the polls, the Cornhuskers finished in the top 20 last year and almost look relevant again. Some are suggesting this is a bigger game than the Red River shootout. Nahhhh!

2. Texas at Oklahoma – October 2: It’s the Red River Shootout. It’s Mack Brown and Bob Stoops. It’s the end of the Big 12 as we know it. Whooaaaaaa Nellllllllllllllllllllie!!!!!!!!!!

1. Ohio State at Iowa – November 20: Last year, the Hawkeyes looked past Northwestern and fell on their collective face. For good measure, Iowa followed that with an OT loss to the Buckeyes. This could be a late-season battle of two undefeated teams.

This Date in College Football Belt History – December 31

Casey — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:06:48 +0000

December 31, 1973 -Bear Bryant’s top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide came to the Sugar Bowl with an 11-0 record & the UPI National Championship in hand. Before 1974, the UPI Coaches’ poll was voted prior to the bowl games. The Crimson Tide’s defense featured All-SEC LB Woodrow Lowe & All-SEC DB Mike Washington while the offense had All-American OT Buddy Brown, QB Gary Rutledge, & QB Richard Todd. In the first meeting between these two storied programs, the 3^rd ranked, 10-0 Notre Dame Fighting Irish of coach Ara Parseghian were happy to defend The Belt to decide the true champion. The game featured six lead changes with a missed extra point by Alabama’s PK Bill Davis the difference in a 24-23 Notre Dame win. The Fighting Irish got the only points of the 1^st quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by RB Wayne Bullock after QB Tom Clements completed 3 straight passes to WR Pete Demmerle for 59 yards. The missed extra-point left the score at Notre Dame 6 Alabama 0. The Crimson Tide took the lead when RB Randy Billingsley scored on a 6-yard touchdown run to put Alabama ahead 7-6. Fighting Irish’s RB Al Hunter returned the ensuing kick-off 93 yards for a touchdown to put Notre Dame back in front 14-7 after the successful 2-point conversion. Alabama got a 39-yard field goal from Davis to cut the lead to 14-10 at the half. Alabama’s All-SEC RB Wilbur Jackson scored on a 5-yard touchdown run capping an 11-play, 92-yard drive that put the Crimson Tide back ahead by a score of 17-14. Notre Dame responded with a 12-yard touchdown run by RB Eric Penick for a 21-17 Fighting Irish lead. Alabama got the lead back on a trick play when RB Mike Stock connected with Todd for a 25-yard touchdown on a halfback throw-back pass to the quarterback but the missed extra-point kept the score Alabama 23 Notre Dame 21. After Clements carried 3 times for 25 yards & completed a 30-yard pass to All-American TE Dave Casper, Notre Dame’s PK Bob Thomas hit a 19-yard field goal with 4:26 left for a 24-23 lead but the game was not yet in hand for the Fighting Irish. After a 69-yard punt by Alabama’s All-SEC P Greg Gantt pinned the Fighting Irish at their own 1-yard line, Coach Bryant declined a roughing the kicker penalty that would have allowed the Tide to retain the ball. Bryant hoped his defense could hold Notre Dame & get the Tide better field position. Clements sealed the win with a 36-yard pass to WR Robin Weber on 3^rd down play that got Notre Dame out of danger. Clements threw for 169 yards while Casper finished with 3 catches for 75 yards for the Fighting Irish. Rutledge threw for 88 yards with an interception in the loss. Notre Dame finished 11-0 & claimed the National Championship while the Crimson Tide finished 11-1; SEC Champions & ranked 4^th nationally. Alabama would play for The Belt again in 1978.

The College Football Belt

This Date in College Football Belt History – November 3

Casey — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:57:43 +0000

The 3^rdranked, 7-1 Louisiana State Tigers of coach Les Miles traveled to Tuscaloosa to meet the 17^thranked, 6-2 Alabama Crimson Tide of first-year coach Nick Saban. The pregame hype for the match-up featured several storied about Nick Saban’s departure from Louisiana State for the NFL. The Tigers’ faithful considered him traitorous not only for leaving Louisiana State but for taking the Alabama job. Tigers’ QB Matt Flynn overcame three 1^sthalf interceptions to lead Louisiana State to a come-from-behind 41-34 victory to retain The Belt. The Crimson Tide opened with a 10-play, 44-yard drive but had to settle for a 36-yard field goal from PK Leigh Tiffin. The Tigers drove 59 yards in 11 plays & tied the game when All-SEC PK Colt David kicked a 43-yard field goal. Louisiana State’s All-SEC CB Chevis Jackson intercepted Alabama’s QB John Parker Wilson & returned the pick 17 yards to the Crimson Tide’s 13-yard line. Three plays later, Flynn connected with WR Early Doucet on a 10-yard touchdown pass giving the Tigers a 10-3 advantage. A short punt gave Louisiana State the ball at their own 46-yard line when the Tigers went to their bag of trick plays. After Flynn tossed the ball to RB Jacob Hester who was running to his left, Hester flipped back to a Doucet who was reversing his field to the right. Doucet threw to a wide-open Flynn who had run down the right sideline for a 35-yard gain. The Tigers finished the drive on the first play of the 2^ndquarter with Hester scoring on a 1-yard run pushing the lead to 17-3. Louisiana State’s defense seemed to be dominating the game when a mistake cost them the momentum. Faced with a 3^rdand 12, Wilson threw another incomplete pass but Tigers’ DE Tyson Jackson was called for a roughing-the-passer penalty. On the next snap, Alabama’s WR D.J. Hall ran past the Louisiana State secondary & Wilson hit him in stride for a 67-yard touchdown pass giving the Crimson Tide the momentum. Flynn tried to get the score back quickly but his first pass of the next drive was intercepted by Alabama’s All-SEC S Rashad Johnson. The Crimson Tide was unable to move the ball but the punt pinned the Tigers at their own 5-yard line. Flynn again tried to move the offense but his pass was intercepted by Alabama’s LB Ezekial Knight at the Louisiana State 10-yard line. The Crimson Tide had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Tiffin but they still trailed 17-13. Flynn’s third interception of the 1^sthalf came after he had led a Tigers’ drive to the Alabama 23-yard line. Flynn’s pass was picked off by Alabama’s CB Kareem Jackson who returned it to the Louisiana State 35-yard line. With 0:46 left in the half, Wilson threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to WR Keith Brown giving the Crimson Tide a 20-17 halftime edge. Late in the quarter, it looked like Alabama had taken complete control as Wilson threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Brown for a 27-17 advantage. It took just two plays for Louisiana State to right the ship as Flynn connected with WR Terrance Toliver for an 11-yard gain then found WR Demetrius Byrd open on a 61-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline. The teams started the final quarter with Alabama holding a 27-24 lead but Louisiana State tied it with 11:21 to play when David connected from 49-yards. The teams traded punts but it was the Crimson Tide’s Javier Arenas who gave the home crowd hopes of an upset. He took the punt, side-stepped a defender, & raced 61 yards for the go-ahead score. Alabama led 34-27 with 6:26 to play but the Tigers had been in similar situations during the season & had rallied for the win. After a quick exchange of punts, Louisiana State got the ball at their own 15-yard line when Flynn went back to work. He completed 6 of 9 passes on the drive including a 32-yard touchdown pass to Doucet that tied the game at 34-34 with 2:49 to play. Wilson tried to rally Alabama but after an incomplete pass he was sacked on the next two plays. More importantly, on the second sack, Wilson fumbled the ball & Louisiana State’s S Curtis Taylor recovered giving the Tigers the ball at the Crimson Tide’s 3-yard line. Two plays later, Hester scored his second touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run. Alabama hopes of tying the game ended when Wilson’s 4^thdown pass fell incomplete near midfield. Flynn finished with 353 yards passing with 3 touchdowns but 3 interceptions while Byrd added 6 catches for 144 yards to his score. Wilson finished with 234 yards passing with 3 touchdowns & an interception while being sacked 7 times by the Tigers’ defense. The Crimson Tide finished the season 7-6 while Louisiana State finished 12-2 & National Champions. Alabama has not played for The Belt again.

The College Football Belt

This Date in College Football Belt History – September 16

Casey — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:24:08 +0000

The top-ranked, 1-0 Alabama Crimson Tide of coach Paul “Bear” Bryant traveled to Missouri to battle the 11^thranked, 1-0 Missouri Tigers coached by Warren Powers in his first year. Missouri was coming off a 3-0 upset of the 5^th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Alabama rallied for three 2^ndhalf touchdowns to claim a 38-20 victory over the Tigers to retain The Belt. The 1^stquarter belonged to the Crimson Tide as RB Major Ogilvie scored on a 23-yard touchdown run & QB Jeff Rutledge threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to TE Rick Neal. When PK Alan McElroy hit a 26-yard field goal for a 17-0 lead with 12:07 to play in the half, it looked like the Crimson Tide would roll to an easy victory. Missouri got on the board with a 4-yard touchdown run from RB Earl Gant midway through the quarter. Missouri’s All-Big 8 QB Phil Bradley broke loose for a 69-yard touchdown run with 3:44 left in the half as the Tigers closed to within 4 points at 17-13. On the next series, Missouri’s All-Big 8 CB Russ Calabrese intercepted Rutledge & returned the pick 30 yards giving the Tigers a 20-17 halftime lead. The 3^rdquarter belonged to Alabama as Crimson Tide’s All-SEC DE E.J. Junior blocked a punt that LB Rickey Gilliland returned 35 yards for a touchdown that gave the Crimson Tide a lead they would not relinquish. Late in the quarter, RB Tony Nathan pushed in from 1 yard putting Alabama in front 31-20. On the first play of the 4^thquarter, Rutledge threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to RB Lou Ikner to finish the scoring. Rutledge finished with 70 yards passing with 2 touchdowns but 2 interceptions. Bradley threw for 114 yards with an interception as well as rushing for 60 yards with a touchdown & All-American TE Kellen Winslow had 3 catches for 49 yards in the loss. Alabama finished the season 11-1; SEC Champions & National Champions while the Tigers finished 8-4, ranked 15^th nationally. Missouri would play for The Belt again in 1991.

The College Football Belt

This Date in College Football Belt History – August 27

Casey — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:11:40 +0000

The 5^th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide of coach Ray Perkins opened the season against the 9^th ranked Ohio State Buckeyes of coach Earle Bruce. Alabama’s All-SEC PK Van Tiffin hit 3 field goals & QB Mike Shula threw a touchdown pass to WR Albert Bell early in the 4^th quarter as the Crimson Tide retained The Belt with a 16-10 win over the Buckeyes. Alabama played without All-American LB Cornelius Bennett due to injury but the kicking game was the difference in the score as Tiffin hit his three field goal attempts while Ohio State’s PK Pat O’Morrow, a freshman in his first game, missed 3 field goal attempts. Tiffin hit a 38-yard field goal in the 1^st quarter while a low snap foiled the first attempt by O’Morrow. The Buckeye kicker’s second attempt was short from 42 yards. Tiffin connected from 44 yards early in the 2^nd quarter as the Crimson Tide pushed the lead to 6-0. Ohio State got on the board when WR Jamie Holland took a reverse handoff 26 yards for a touchdown giving the Buckeyes a 7-6 lead at halftime. In the 3^rd quarter, Alabama turned the ball over 3 straight times but Ohio State could only get a 37-yard field goal from O’Morrow. The biggest blow for the Buckeyes came after Alabama’s RB Kerry Goode fumbled the kickoff after O’Morrow’s field goal giving Ohio State the ball at the Alabama 10-yard line. On the next play, Buckeyes’ RB George Cooper fumbled the ball back to the Crimson Tide. Early in the 4^th quarter, Alabama drove 75 yards with Shula throwing a 3-yard touchdown pass to Bell giving the Crimson Tide a 13-10 lead with 9:33 left. After forcing Ohio State to punt, Shula led a drive that ran more than six minutes off the clock with Tiffin hitting a field goal from 28 yards with 1:02 to play as Alabama took a 16-10 lead. Ohio State last hopes ended without a score at the Crimson Tide’s 18-yard line even after they got 2 extra plays with no time left when Alabama’s LB Derrick Thomas was called for pass interference on successive plays. Buckeyes’ QB Jim Karsatos final pass attempt was high in the end zone & All-American WR Cris Carter unable to make the catch. Shula had just 83 yards passing with a touchdown but 2 interceptions while All-SEC RB Bobby Humphrey was held to 50 yards rushing. Karsatos threw for 191 yards but 2 interceptions while Carter had just 3 catches for 56 yards in the loss. Alabama finished the season 10-3; ranked 9^th nationally while the Buckeyes finished 10-3, Big Ten Co-Champs & ranked 7^th nationally. Ohio State would play for The Belt again in 2003.

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