2006 Alabama Crimson Tide Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews
Independence Bowl
Oklahoma State 34 ... Alabama 31
Oklahoma State's Jason Ricks nailed a 27-yard field goal with
eight seconds to play to break a 31-31 tie and prevent a fourth quarter
collapse. Down 31-17 with under 11 minutes to play after OSU scored on a
ten-yard Adarius Bowman touchdown, Alabama's Javier Arenas took a punt 86 yards
for a touchdown. The Tide scored again after recovering a fumble on the ensuing
kickoff and using a little trickery with tackle Andre Smith catching for a
two-yard touchdown pass. Despite how close the game became, the Cowboys never
trailed helped by two second quarter Keith Toston touchdown runs and a one-yard
Dantrell Savage dash to open up the scoring. Alabama was outgained 419 yards to
276. Player of the
game ... Oklahoma State
RB Dantrell Savage ran 19 times for 112 yards and a touchdown and caught three
passes for 41 yards Stat Leaders: Oklahoma- Passing: Paul
Thompson, 7-11, 77 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Allen Patrick, 23-163, 1 TD Receiving:
Manuel Johnson, 2-19 Oklahoma State - Passing: Bobby Reid, 15-29,
212 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dantrell Savage, 19-112, 1 TD Receiving:
Brandon Pettigrew, 4-65 Notes and Thoughts ... Oklahoma State
showed excellent offensive balance throughout the game, but two big
breakdowns in the fourth quarter made the score closer than it should've been.
Give the team credit for coming through with the late scoring drive it needed to
win the game when many teams would've folded after a major momentum swing. ...
And so ends the bizarre, disappointing season of Alabama's Ken Darby, who only
gained 15 yards on ten carries. The aggressive OSU defense did a great job of
getting into the backfield, and even though there were only two sacks, the
consistent pressure made a difference. ... Bama's offense needs more explosion.
It has the receivers and John Parker Wilson has the potential to be a
more-than-solid passer. The first thing the new coach has to do it find the pop.
When offensive tackle Andre Smith is your most dangerous option in the red zone,
there's a problem.
Nov. 18
Auburn 22 ... Alabama 15
David Irons picked off a John Parker Wilson pass on the Auburn
39 to seal the Tigers' fifth straight win over Alabama. Brad Lester and Kenny
Irons ran for touchdowns in the second quarter capitalizing off turnovers, and
Prechae Rodriguez caught a 22-yard scoring pass in the third to go ahead for
good. The Tiger defense forced four turnovers, but gave up a 52-yard touchdown
catch from Nikita Stover and a 13-yard Travis McCall score to take a 15-14 lead
in the third quarter. Alabama outgained Auburn 364 yards to 261. Player of the game ... Auburn DE Quentin Groves made seven tackles, two
sacks, and forced two fumbles. Stat Leaders: Auburn- Passing: Brandon Cox, 6-14, 137 yds,
1 TD Rushing: Kenny Irons, 19-85 Receiving:
Rodgeriqus Smith,
3-55 Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson,18-33, 252 yds, 2 TD,
1 INT
Rushing: Ken Darby, 16-48 Receiving: Nikita Stover, 5-101, 1
TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Alabama's
offense moved the ball well against Auburn with John Parker Wilson having a nice
day, especially on third downs, but the turnovers were killers. The defense had
a nice game, but it couldn't force the Tigers to kick field goals off the
mistakes and allowed touchdowns. Even so, the secondary did a fantastic job and
the defensive front seven kept Kenny Irons in check. Now the heat will really be
on Mike Shula. Yes, he took the program from ground zero after all the
controversies and had a few solid years, but Bama coaches who lose four straight
to Auburn don't last long. He'd better hope the team doesn't get bounced out of
a bowl game by some 7-5 team.
Nov. 11
LSU 28 ... Alabama 14
LSU got a near-perfect day from QB JaMarcus Russell with three
touchdown passes along with a 38-yard Keiland Williams touchdown run to dispose
of the Tide. The Bama offense got a 29-yard Ken Darby touchdown run in the first
and a six-yard Nikita Stover scoring grab in the second, and then the LSU
defense took over bending, but not breaking in the second half. The Tigers
managed a 17-yard Jacob Hester touchdown catch in the third quarter to put it
away. Player of the game ... LSU QB JaMarcus Russell completed 18 of 21 passes
fro 207 yards and three touchdowns and ran seven times for 36 yards Stat Leaders: LSU- Passing: JaMarcus Russell, 18-21, 207
yds, 3 TD Rushing: Keiland Williams, 9-79, 1 TD Receiving: Early
Doucet, 7-101, 1 TD Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 22-35, 291 yds, 2
TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ken Darby, 13-36 Receiving: D.J. Hall, 8-142 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Moral
victories don't mean much, but Bama played well against LSU. The passing game
was effective and occasionally explosive, but there wasn't nearly enough of a
running game, or big plays in the second half once the team got into scoring
range, to overcome the effectiveness of the LSU offense. D.J. Hall continues to
be unstoppable; LSU didn't have an answer for him. The task against Auburn might
be to figure out even more ways to get the ball in his hands needing at least 15
touches.
Nov. 4
Mississippi State 24 ... Alabama 16
Mississippi State stunned Alabama as Quinton Culberson took an
interception 51 yards for a touchdown and the defense held Alabama to two field
goals in the second half and kept the Tide offense out of the end zone. For the
second straight year, Alabama didn't get an offensive touchdown against MSU with
Jeffery Dukes scoring on a 24-yard interception return in the second quarter.
MSU's offense was held to 274 yards and didn't score in the second half, but it
got two Michael Henig touchdown passes in the first half throwing 25 yards to
Tony Bucks and 13 yards to Jamayel Smith. Player of the game ... Mississippi State LB Quinton Culberson led the
team with ten tackles with a tackle for loss and an interception Stat Leaders: Mississippi State- Passing: Michael Henig,
9-23, 143 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 25-121 Receiving: Jamayel Smith,
2-54, 1 TD Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 19-39, 187 yds, 2
INT
Rushing: Ken Darby, 13-54 Receiving: D.J. Hall, 10-125 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
mediocre all-around play of the offense finally jumped up to bite the Tide.
Ken Darby and the running game, which haven't been
able to get going all season long, was stuffed by Mississippi State for only 101
yards, while John Parker Wilson wasn't able to come up with enough good throws
on third down. Even with all the problems, the defense did a good job of
tightening up in the second half to keep the team into the game. To have a
chance against LSU or Auburn over the next two weeks, the passing game needs
someone other than D.J. Hall to produce, and Darby has to be more of a threat.
Oct. 28
Alabama 38 ... FIU 3
Alabama went through the motions offensively against a FIU
team depleted from suspension from the Miami fight. The Golden Panthers gained
just 175 yards of total offense, but scored first on a 37-yard Dustin Rivest
field goal for a 3-0 lead after the first quarter. Bama scored the final 38
points getting help from all areas. Le'Ron McClain caught a nine-yard touchdown
pass, Javier Arenas returned a punt 65 yards for a score, and Ramzee Robinson
picked off a Josh Padrick pass for a touchdown. The Tied emptied the bench in
the fourth quarter and got a six-yard Jimmy Barnes touchdown pass to Matt
Caddell. Player of the game ... In a losing cause, FIU LB Keyonvis Bouie made 20
tackles and broke up a pass Stat Leaders: FIU- Passing: Josh Padrick, 8-24, 134 yds, 1
INT Rushing: Chance Attaway, 13-23 Receiving: Jeremy Dickens,
4-100 Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 8-13, 72 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Ken Darby, 10-70 Receiving: Matt Caddell, 3-29, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... There was
never any threat of Alabama losing to FIU, but it would've been nice if the team
had played a bit better. The running game didn't blow the Golden Panthers away,
and the passing attack took it easy on the FIU secondary. It was a nice time to
get the backups some work and get some big plays out of the special teams and
defense, but there will need to be much more overall production, especially on
third downs to handle LSU and Auburn after next week's battle with Mississippi
State. Backup QB Jimmy Barnes played well in mop-up duty.
Oct. 21
Tennessee 16 ... Alabama 13
In a defensive battle, Tennessee overcame three Erik Ainge
interceptions and a 13-6 deficit late in the fourth quarter to get a 27-yard
James Wilhoit field goal and a one-yard Arian Foster touchdown dive giving UT
its first lead of the game. Alabama's offense went nowhere on its final drive.
The Tide got up in the first half on two Jamie Christensen field goals, with the
second coming after a Simeon Castille interception on the way to a possible
touchdown, but Ainge was able to shove Castille out of bounds at the eight. UT
outgained Alabama 359 yards to 211.
Player of the game ... Tennessee LB Jerod Mayo made
12 tackles, one sack, and two tackles for loss Stat Leaders: Tennessee- Passing: Erik Ainge, 28-46, 302
yds, 3 INT Rushing: Arian Foster, 11-34, 1 TD Receiving: Bret Smith,
7-95 Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 13-29, 158 yds
Rushing: Jimmy Johns, 3-37 Receiving: D.J. Hall, 7-102 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Alabama
showed how limited it currently is on offense against Tennessee even though D.J.
Hall is one of the SEC's best receivers and John Parker Wilson is an emerging
quarterback. When the running game was completely shut down, the passing game
couldn't pick up the slack and there wasn't anything in the fourth quarter to
turn things around once Tennessee got momentum. The Vol defensive line dominated
late, but Bama was able to show that it could hang tough when everything wasn't
going well. Now the offense has to use the scrimmage against FIU, and the almost
sure win against Mississippi State, to get geared up for the battle at LSU.
Oct. 14
Alabama 26 ... Ole Miss 23 OT
Le'Ron McClain caught a two-yard pass touchdown pass in
overtime to put away a game Ole Miss team. The Rebels scored first
in OT on a 37-yard Joshua Shene field goal, but the D couldn't hold.
The Rebels battled with a two-yard BenJarvus Green-Ellis touchdown
run and got a 55-yard Mike Wallace touchdown catch midway through
the fourth quarter. Bama, which outgained Ole Miss 434 yards to 287,
got a 39-yard D.J. Hall touchdown catch to start off the scoring,
and capped off an 80-yuard drive in the fourth with a two-yard Tim
Castille run. Player of the game ... Alabama RB Ken Darby ran 25
times for 162 yards and caught two passes for 17 yards Stat Leaders: Alabama- Passing: John
Parker Wilson, 16-28, 206 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Kenneth Darby, 25-162 Receiving:
D.J. Hall, 5-119, 1 TD Ole Miss - Passing: Brent Schaeffer,
13-20, 163 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, 21-56, 1 TD. Receiving:
Mike Wallace, 3-86, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Either
Ole Miss came up with a nice offensive day by sheer luck, or there's
reason to worry about the Bama defense. Even though the Rebels only
gained 287 yards, it came up with timely plays and a few nice
drives. Sometimes, you have to come up with wins even when
everything isn't going perfectly, and that's what Bama did with Ken
Darby running like Ken Darby again and John Parker Wilson have an
efficient day. Simeon Castille was a monster for the Tide D. A win
is a win, but the team has to be sharper on both sides of the ball
to hang with Tennessee next week.
Oct. 7
Alabama 30 ... Duke 14
It took a bid second half from the defense with two
interceptions and 20 points from the offense, but Alabama finally
put Duke away. The Tide got a nine-yard touchdown catch from Keith
Brown to take the lead, and then put the game away with a two-yard
Jimmy Johns run. Lionel Mitchell sealed the win with a 50-yard
interception return for a score to make it look better than it
actually was. Duke held a 14-10 halftime lead thanks to a nine-yard
catch from Eron Riley and a five-yard run from QB Thaddeus Lewis,
but the offense couldn't do anything in the second half. Player of the game ... Alabama WR D.J. Hall caught
seven passes for 124 yards and a touchdown Stat Leaders: Alabama- Passing: John
Parker Wilson, 18-30, 220 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Kenneth Darby, 18-115 Receiving:
D.J. Hall, 7-124, 1 TD Duke - Passing: Thaddeus Lewis, 7-18, 74
yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Re'quan Boyette,
9-97. Receiving: Eron Riley, 2-44, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The win
over Duke was hardly confidence inspiring. The defense turned it up
when it had to against a bad offense, and Ken Darby ran as well as
he had all season long, but it took way too gone to put the game
away. Penalties, ineffectiveness on third downs, and not nearly
enough big plays until the second half made it more interesting than
it should've been. On the plus side, D.J. Hall once again showed why
he deserves to be considered among the SEC's best receivers with a
nice seven-catch day. Now comes a walk in the park against Ole Miss.
If the Tide doesn't turn the ball over, it'll be 5-2 going into the
showdown at Tennessee.
Sept. 30
Florida 28 ... Alabama 13
Florida broke open a tight game late in the fourth quarter on
a 21-yard touchdown catch from Dallas Baker and sealed it with a 70-yard
interception return for a touchdown from Reggie Nelson. Alabama took an early
10-0 lead on a 50-yard fumble return for a score from Prince Hall and a 21-yard
field goal from Jamie Christensen, but the Gators came back with a two-yard Tim
Tebow touchdown run late in the first half to cap off a 12-play, 94-yard drive.
Florida took the lead for good on a controversial play with Andre Caldwell
taking a short pass 16-yard for a touchdown, but he lost the ball diving across
the goal line. After a review, the play stood as called. Player of the game ... Florida DE Jarvis Moss made
seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, and had another quarterback hurry Stat Leaders: Alabama- Passing: John
Parker Wilson, 21-40, 240 yds, 3 INT Rushing: Kenneth Darby, 14-76 Receiving:
D.J. Hall, 6-117 Florida - Passing: Chris Leak, 14-20, 174
yds, 2 TD
Rushing: DeShawn Wynn, 12-50. Receiving: Andre
Caldwell, 5-33, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Alabama battled hard playing strong D holding the
Florida offense to 330 yards, but this was the first game John Parker Wilson
played like a rookie. Even with the 240 passing yards, he forced a few too many
throws and wasn't able to lead the way to any key drives in the final ten
minutes to stop the Gator momentum. Even though Ken Darby only put up 75 yards,
he ran as well as he had all year with a few good moves against the aggressive
Florida front. Jamie Christensen hit two short field goals, but his knuckle-ball
51-yard miss might mean there's still a little reason to worry about the kicking
game. With Duke and Ole Miss coming up, everything can be tuned up before facing
Tennessee.
Sept. 23
Arkansas 24 ... Alabama 23 2OT
Arkansas got an 11-yard Ben Cleveland touchdown catch in the
second overtime, and won on the Jeremy Davis extra point. Alabama
scored on a one-yard touchdown run on its possession in the second
overtime, but Leigh Tiffin missed the extra point on his fourth
wide-right miss of the game. Alabama had a chance to win in the
first overtime following an interception of Arkansas QB Mitch
Mustain, but Tiffin missed from 37 yards out. Tiffin was able to
connect on a 46-yard field goal on the last play of the first half
for a 10-7 lead, but Arkansas took the lead in the third quarter on
a three-yard Darren McFadden touchdown run and a 39-yard fumble
recovery for a score from Randy Kelly. Alabama answered with two of
John Parker Wilson's three touchdown passes. Wilson also connected
with D.J. Hall on a 78-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Player of the game ... Arkansas RB Darren McFadden ran
25 times for 112 yards and a touchdown and caught one pass for one
yards along with a two-point conversion. Stat Leaders: Arkansas- Passing:
Mitch Mustain, 7-22, 97 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT Rushing: Darren McFadden, 25-112, 1 TD. Receiving:
Marcus Monk, 2-53 Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson,
16-20, 243 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Ken Darby, 26-64. Receiving: Keith Brown,
7-97, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Certain
to be known as the Leigh Tiffin game, Alabama has to quickly put the
devastating loss to Arkansas in the past as soon as possible with a
trip to Florida coming up next week. On the positive side, John
Parker Wilson was fantastic throwing the deep ball (the long scoring
strike to D.J. Hall was a thing of beauty, and he also showed he can
be effective and efficient in a pressure packed situation on the
road. The offensive line continues to struggle to get a push for the
running game.
Sept. 16
Alabama 41 ... UL Monroe 7
The Alabama running game got 219 yards and three touchdowns
from nine different runners on the way to an easy win. John Parker Wilson threw
two touchdown passes highlighted by a 43-yard scoring play to D.J. Hall, and Roy
Upchurch ran two one-yard scores in the fourth quarter. UL Monroe stayed alive
for almost a half on a two-yard Kinsmon Lancaster touchdown run, but Bama
answered with a six-play drive culminating in a three-yard Tim Castille
touchdown run. Player of the game ... Alabama QB John Parker Wilson
completed 13 of 21 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: UL Monroe- Passing:
Kinsmon Lancaster, 10-20, 73 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 16-118. Receiving:
Zeek Zacharie, 3-32 Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson,
13-21, 210 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Ken Darby, 14-79. Receiving: Keith Brown,
5-82 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Oh yeah,
the running game. After doing nothing against Hawaii and Vanderbilt, the Tide
rolled over UL Monroe just in time for the SEC road dates against Arkansas and
Florida over the next two weeks. Ken Darby had his most effective game yet, and
QB John Parker Wilson was sharp. Of course, this came against UL Monroe. There
had better be more of a pass rush on Mitch Mustain and Chris Leak if the Tide
wants to keep its winning streak going.
Sept. 9
Alabama 13 ... Vanderbilt 10
Alabama forced four turnovers and kept Vandy off the
scoreboard in the second half while the offense scored on a 31-yard D.J. Hall
catch and a 47-yard Leigh Tiffin field goal for the second half points needed to
pull off the win. Vanderbilt got its touchdown with :14 to play in the first
half on a six-yard Earl Bennett catch, but failed to keep the ball moving in the
second half holding on to it for fewer than nine minutes. Jonathan Goff made 13
tackles and forced two fumbles for the Commodores. Player of the game ... Alabama DB Simeon Castille made
four tackles, half a tackle for loss, and intercepted two passes Stat Leaders: Vanderbilt- Passing: Chris
Nickson, 15-23, 140 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT Rushing: Cassen Jackson -Garrison, 9-42. Receiving:
Earl Bennett, 5-45, 1 TD Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson,
18-29, 207 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ken Darby, 21-65. Receiving: Keith Brown,
8-99 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
running game still isn't there, the passing game is spotty at best, the punting
game stunk, and there wasn't nearly enough offensive explosion, but Bama is 2-0
after an underwhelming performance against Vanderbilt. Ken Darby didn't have
enough holes to run through and did the best with what he had to work with
despite being less than 100%. John Parker Wilson didn't put many points on the
board, but he was effective at keeping the chains moving helping the Tide to
have the ball for over 36 minutes. The offense has to average more than 3.3
yards per carry to beat the better SEC teams.
Sept. 2
Alabama 25 ... Hawaii 17
Alabama survived a late scare as Hawaii's comeback attempt was
halted by a Lionel Mitchell interception in the end zone with no time left on
the clock. After a rough first half, Hawaii and QB Colt Brennan got red-hot
throwing two touchdown passes including a 31-yard strike to Ryan Grice-Mullen to
put the pressure on the Tide. Alabama had a nightmare of a time running the
ball, but QB John Parker Wilson had a great first game throwing a touchdown pass
to Keith Brown. Leigh Tiffin kicked three field goals for the Tide. Player of the game ... In a losing cause, Hawaii QB
Colt Brennan completed 30 of 44 passes for 350 yards and two touchdowns with one
interception. Stat Leaders: Hawaii- Passing: Colt
Brennan, 30-44, 350 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Nate Ilaoa, 4-27. Receiving:
Davone Bess, 8-74 Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson,
16-29, 253, yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jimmy Johns, 8-58. Receiving: Keith Brown,
6-132, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Give the
Alabama defense credit for withstanding the storm that is the Hawaii passing
game, but this game has to scare Tide fans. The offense never got the running
game going while the defense struggled to come up with a big play in the second
half until the game-sealing interception on the final play. On the plus side, QB
John Parker Wilson was solid showing a good deep arm. This was a team that
needed a week to shake off the rust, so it'll be interesting to see how sharp it
is against Vanderbilt next week.
Good teams make their own breaks, but Alabama had a perfect
convergence of everything going right in one year from a nice
schedule that brought Florida and Tennessee to Tuscaloosa, to a
senior dominated defense that hit its peak at the perfect time, to
having a veteran leader at quarterback like rodie Croyle. Throw in
clutch kicking from Jamie Christensen and several great strokes of
luck, many of them happening against Tennessee, and the Tide had a
tremendous season.
Now the real work begins for Shula as he needs to replace seven
fantastic starters from a defense that was among the best in the
game, has to find a steady starting quarterback, and needs to
quickly develop depth at just about every position. Meanwhile, the
two teams that tagged the Tide last year, LSU and Auburn, appear to
be just as good, if not better, while the tough early road
trips are at play Arkansas, Florida and Tennessee.
Last
year's formula for the Tide worked to near-perfection. Don't screw up on
offense, get rock solid defense, and hope everything turns out right in
the end. The defense was unbelievable allowing a ridiculous 13 points in
the third quarter, but the coaching staff can't rely on the same sort of
production again. The offense has to start producing much, much more
needing better production on third downs, more big plays from the ground
game, and more points after averaging 21.9 points per outing.
The casual college football fan won't be shocked if Alabama is a ten-win
type of team again simply because of the brand name, Alabama is supposed
to be good, but winning double-digit games should put Shula in the mix for
coach of the year honors even though he has a layup of a home slate
(more on that in a moment). Bama is a year away from making an honest
run for the SEC title, but that doesn't mean this can't be
another successful season.
The
Schedule: The Tide might have the easiest home schedule of any big team in
America, at least up until the regular season finale against Auburn.
Hawaii, Vanderbilt, UL Monroe, Duke, Ole Miss, FIU and Mississippi State
will all likely go bowling only if they have a ticket. Unless Bama falls
flat on its face, it has seven wins without breathing hard. That means
ten wins is a good goal needing to win three of the five tough tests
against Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee and LSU on the road and the Auburn
game at home.
Best
Offensive Player: Senior RB
Ken Darby. While not spectacular, Darby is a steady runner who has a
chance to be the first Alabama runner to ever have three straight
1,000-yard seasons. He's a good power runner, but he's not used much
around the goal line with so many strong short yardage backs on the
roster. Don't expect him to bust off many big runs, and don't look for
double-digit touchdowns, but 1,500 yards isn't out of the question with
an improved and more consistent offensive line.
Best
Defensive Player: Senior LB
Juwan Simpson. The lone holdover from one of the nation's best
linebacking corps, Simpson returns for his third season on the weakside
and has to be the leader and top playmaker until the rest of the back
seven develops. He's not a big pass rusher, but he has good range and is
strong against the run.
Key player
to a successful season: Senior DTs Jeremy Clark and Dominic Lee. The Tide succeeded last
year without an offense, but things will be better this year even with
new starter John Parker Wilson under center. The defense is another
story, and it desperately needs strong play from the team's two
300-pound tackles to have any hope of the production not completely
dropping off the map.
The season
will be a success if ... Alabama wins nine games. The home slate is too light to shoot
for anything less, and an upset or two on the road will mean another
double-digit year. Expecting to be a major factor in the SEC West race
is asking for way too much considering all the new starters on defense,
but finishing second is a good goal.
Key game:
Nov. 11 at LSU. Of course the Auburn game is the most important game of
the season, but a win over the LSU version of the Tigers might make the
following week's rivalry game a battle for the SEC West title. A loss at
LSU could mean a rough end to the regular season for the second year in
a row.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- Second half scoring: Alabama 132 - Opponents 43
- Sacks: Opponents 37 - Alabama 28
- Punt average: Opponents 42.4 yards per kick - Alabama 37.2 yards per
kick
The Last Time
Alabama…
…played in a bowl game…2005 (Cotton Bowl vs. Texas Tech)
…missed a bowl game…2003
…pitched a shutout…2005 (Mississippi State)
…was shutout…2000 (Southern Miss)
…scored 50 points…2004 (Western Carolina)
…went undefeated…1992
…won a conference title…1999 (SEC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…never (Brodie Croyle set the school record with
2,499 yards in 2005)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2005 (Kenneth Darby)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…1993 (David Palmer)
…had a first-round draft choice…2000 (OT Chris Samuels and RB Shaun
Alexander)
