What happened: The Tide’s season began without Heisman Trophy running back Mark Ingram in the backfield and without star defensive lineman Marcell Dareus. The Tide junior was out with a knee injury and Dareus was suspended by the NCAA for receiving improper benefits from an agent. Despite two of its biggest stars not on the field, the Tide dominated, rolling up 591 offensive yards. Eddie Lacy led the running attack with 111 yards and two touchdowns. Julio Jones made the play of the year with a one-handed grab in the end zone on a pass by A.J. McCarron for a touchdown. With a 31-3 halftime lead, the Tide was able to sit the starters and put in the backups for the majority of the second half.
Key stat: Greg McElroy was 13-for-15 passing with one touchdown. He was 8-for-9 in the first quarter.
Key player: There were several stars for this game, but third-string running back Lacy took control of the running attack and scored two touchdowns with 111 yards on just 13 carries.
They said it: “I think the real emphasis with our team all along has been to develop an identity for this team for 2010 and focus on the things that we need to do to create that in terms of the effort and toughness and discipline to execute. I was pretty pleased with that.” — Alabama coach Nick Saban
What happened: A matchup of two storied and championship programs didn’t exactly result in a classic game everyone was hoping for. The Crimson Tide offense was efficient and ran the ball extremely well with Trent Richardson accounting for 144 of the Tide’s 180 rushing yards. Greg McElroy passed for 229 yards and two touchdowns. It was the defense, however, that made the difference. Alabama got three turnovers inside the Nittany Lions’ red zone, including one wild play where Robert Lester returned a fumble 89 yards, but was stripped from behind by Derek Moye. The ball rolled to the Nittany Lions’ 2-yard line, where it was recovered by Penn State. Kevin Norwood scored the first Alabama touchdown on a 36-yard reception. Preston Dial caught a 14-yard pass from McElroy in the second quarter and Richardson had a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter. Jeremy Shelley had a 31-yard field goal.
Key player: Richardson was the workhorse for the Tide, rushing for 144 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown. He had 92 yards in the first quarter.
They said it: “Have you ever seen anybody just run as hard as he does. The passion with which he runs, you see that as an offensive lineman and it makes you want to work even harder for the guy.” — Tide offensive lineman Barrett Jones on Trent Richardson
What happened: Mark Ingram returned to the field after sitting out the previous two games with a knee injury. And what a return it was. Ingram rushed for 151 yards on just nine carries, including a 48-yard run on his first carry. He topped the 100-yard mark on just his third carry. Alabama scored 28 first-quarter points before Duke even knew what was happening. Darius Hanks got the scoring going on a 9-yard touchdown catch. Julio Jones, who had 106 receiving yards, caught a 18-yard touchdown pass from Greg McElroy, who was 14 of 20 for 258 yards. Ingram scored the next two touchdowns, one on a 1-yard run and the other on a 17-yard run. Also scoring for the Tide was Preston Dial (15-yard reception), Trent Richardson (91-yard kickoff return and a 45-yard run) and Eddie Lacy (1-yard run). Cade Foster booted a 21-yard field goal.
Key stat: The Tide had 626 total yards of offense, including 315 rushing yards.
Key player: Ingram. His 151 yards in his first game of the season provided an emotional boost, which the Tide needed against a non-competitive opponent.
The said it: “It felt great just to be back out there again. It hurt me just being able to (only) stand on the sideline, not being able to contribute while my team was out there.” — Mark Ingram
What happened: The Tide left Fayetteville feeling pretty lucky to come out with a victory. Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett gave all the Tide it could handle and dominated the air to the tune of 357 passing yards. But two mistakes by Mallett turned the game around. First, with Arkansas leading 20-17 late in the fourth quarter, Robert Lester intercepted a Mallett pass and returned it 33 yards to help set up a Mark Ingram 1-yard touchdown run to give the Tide the 24-20 lead with 3:18 remaining. Mallett then threw an interception to Dre Kirkpatrick and that sealed the win for Bama. Mallett got the Razorbacks off to a strong start, scoring on the game’s second play. Alabama answered on a 54-yard run by Ingram. Arkansas scored 13 straight points to take a 20-7 lead in the third quarter. Trent Richardson’s 20-yard touchdown reception from Greg McElroy cut into the lead to make it 20-14 entering the fourth quarter. Jeremy Shelley’s 36-yard field goal made it 20-17.
Key stat: Despite airing it out against the Tide for 357 yards, Mallett was held in check for the fourth quarter and was just 4 of 10 for 44 yards with two interceptions.
Key player: Ingram. When the Tide needed a yard to score the go-ahead touchdown, he found the end zone. He rushed for 157 yards on 24 attempts and scored two touchdowns.
They said it: “The first half, they were kind of picking at me. I’m not used to that. I’m glad (Mallett) did, though. He did a great job. I just had to overcome, and I overcame.” — Tide defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick on his interception
What happened: In a showdown of two top-10 teams, the Tide delivered a knockout performance against the Gators. Alabama’s defense set the tone on the Gators’ first possession. After moving the ball down to the Tide 2-yard line, Gator quarterback Trey Burton attempted a jump pass over the line of scrimmage, but Nico Johnson intercepted the pass and ended the Gator scoring attempt. Bama then scored 21 straight points to put the game away. First, Ingram scored on runs of 6 and 1 yards in the second quarter and Marquis Maze lined up at quarterback in the wildcat formation and tossed a touchdown pass to Michael Williams to make it 24-0. Florida added two field goals to make it 24-6. C.J. Mosley put the game away with a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Key stat: Florida’s running back Jeff Demps has held to just 47 yards and the Gators had just 79 total rushing yards.
Key player: Nico Johnson set the tone for the Tide defense with his interception. Burton tried his best Tim Tebow impersonation, but Johnson sniffed it out and got the pick, which gave Alabama an emotional burst while at the same time deflating any momentum the Gators had.
They said it: “My assignment was to take the free man, and luckily he threw it right before I got there. It was like everything slowed down. He jumped up and he was in the air forever. I read it and luckily I came down with it.” — Alabama linebacker Nico Johnson
What happened: South Carolina had a perfect game plan against Alabama and dominated in every phase. The Gamecocks bolted out of the gate on its first possession and scored on a 9-yard reception by freshman sensation Marcus Lattimore. The Gamecocks scored again in the first quarter on a catch from one of the SEC’s best receivers, Alshon Jeffery. He scored again in the second quarter on a 15-yard reception. Julio Jones got Bama within striking distance with an 8-yard touchdown catch just before halftime to make it a 21-9 game. Alabama actually got off to a hot start in the second half, recording a safety, then getting a field goal on the following possession to make it 21-14. But the Tide had no answer for quarterback Stephen Garcia, who was 17 of 20 for 201 yards with three touchdowns. He picked apart the Tide secondary and led the Gamecocks into the red zone, where Lattimore took over. Lattimore scored two times in the second half to put the game out of reach. Darius Hanks had a 51-yard touchdown reception for the Tide’s only other points.
Key stat: Alabama was held to just 36 rushing yards.
Key player: Lattimore. The big freshman ran over the Tide defense for 93 yards and two touchdowns.
They said it: “You’ve got to be able to punch them in the first round. You can’t counter punch them and think that you’re always going to be able to make it right, and it caught up to us today.” — Saban
What happened: After a tough loss to South Carolina, the Tide responded with a sluggish effort against Ole Miss. The Tide won, but not convincingly. Alabama capitalized on a roughing the kicker call and a few plays later scored on a Greg McElroy to Preston Dial pass. Alabama got a 19-yard field goal from Jeremy Shelley and a 44-yard field goal from Cade Foster at the end of the second quarter to put the Tide on top, 16-3. Trent Richardson caught a screen pass deep in Tide territory and turned it into an 85-yard touchdown play to make it a 23-3 lead.
Key stat: Alabama’s defense limited Ole Miss to just 110 passing yards and 133 rushing yards.
Key player: Trent Richardson. The Tide offense needed a boost after settling for three straight field goals and the sophomore running back provided it with his 85-yard reception on a screen pass for a touchdown.
They said it: “We don’t have any rhythm on offense. We need to throw the ball more effectively. We struggled a little bit offensively. We’ve struggled for three years in a row offensively against these guys. We’ve got to execute. At times we did, and at times we didn’t.”— Saban
What happened: The Tide’s game in Knoxville was basically a Julio Jones highlight reel. The Tide junior caught a career-high 12 receptions for a career and school record 221 yards. He had three big catches of 42, 38 and 47 yards and even made an acrobatic one-handed grab inside the UT 10 that helped set up a Bama touchdown. Tennessee actually led in the first quarter thanks to Taurean Poole’s 59-yard touchdown run. The Tide answered with a field goal and with a 1-yard Greg McElroy run. The Tide led 13-10 at the half. Bama finally made its big push in the third quarter. A big Jones catch put the Tide in business to start the quarter and Mark Ingram capped the drive on a 1-yard touchdown run. Later, Trent Richardson ripped off a 65-yard touchdown run to put the Tide ahead 27-10. Still in the third quarter, Jones made another big catch and helped the Tide get down to the UT 1-yard line where Ingram scored to make it 34-10. Jones hauled in a 47-yard catch from A.J. McCarron to put the Tide in Tennessee territory again in the fourth quarter. That set up Richardson’s 5-yard touchdown catch.
Key stat: Alabama had 200 total yards in the third quarter and scored three touchdowns.
Key player: Jones. He had his best game in an Alabama uniform and made some big catches just when the Tide needed them.
What happened: The loss sealed the Tide’s fate in regard to any chance of playing in a BCS Bowl game. After a low-scoring first three quarters, the game turned LSU’s way in the fourth. The Tigers trailed 14-10 and made it 14-13 on a field goal early in the fourth quarter. Later, facing a fourth-and-one, LSU went for it and got a 23-yard gain on a reverse, which set up a Stevan Ridley 1-yard run to give the Tigers a 21-14 lead midway through the fourth. On its next series, Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy had the ball stripped, which LSU recovered. The Tigers kicked a field goal to make it 24-14 with 5:34 remaining. Alabama drove 74 yards on its next possession and Julio Jones caught a 9-yard touchdown pass to make it a 24-21 game with 3:23 left. Alabama opted not to try an onsides kick and gave LSU possession. On third-and-13 LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee hit Rueben Randle for a 47-yard gain and ended any chance for a Bama comeback.
Key stat: LSU rushed for 225 yards, keyed by Ridley’s 88-yard effort.
Key player: Randle. LSU’s receiver came up big with a 75-yard touchdown catch in the first half and sealed the win for the Tigers with his 47-yard catch on a critical third-down play.
They said it: “We were moving the ball pretty well, but at times we just didn’t execute. We don’t have anybody to blame but ourselves.” — Alabama’s Mark Ingram
What happened: The theme for this game was big plays. Three of them helped the Tide secure the win against the Bulldogs and all of them happened on three straight offensive plays. Marquis Maze got the show started in the second quarter with a 45-yard touchdown catch from Greg McElroy to put Alabama ahead 13-3. On Bama’s first play from scrimmage on its next possession, Mark Ingram caught a swing pass from McElroy and raced 78 yards for another Tide touchdown. The previous play, Maze scored on an 80-yard punt return, but it was called back. On the Tide’s first offensive play after Ingram’s score, Julio Jones took a handoff on a speed reverse and went 56 yards for the Tide’s third touchdown to make it a 27-3 lead. With the one run, Jones led the Tide in rushing.
Key stat: Robert Lester had two interceptions, which brought his season total to seven.
Key player: Marquis Maze provided the Tide offense with a spark on his 45-yard touchdown reception and electrified the crowd with his punt return for a score, even though it didn’t count.
They said it: “We want to make explosive plays. I thought we made some in the passing game. We’ve got some guys who can make explosive plays and we want to put the ball in their hands.” — Saban
What happened: At first glance, it’s easy to think the offense dominated this game. It did. But, the Tide defense stepped up big as well, coming away with four interceptions (one for a touchdown), two sacks, one fumble recovery, four tackles for a loss, a blocked punt (for a touchdown) and also limiting Georgia State to 165 total yards. Julio Jones scored first with an 8-yard reception from Greg McElroy. Mark Ingram scored the next touchdown on a 1-yard run to make it 14-0. The Tide exploded for 28 second-quarter points to put the game away. C.J. Mosley returned an interception 41 yards for a Crimson Tide score. Jones caught a 10-yard pass for another score. Brandon Gibson scooped up a blocked punt by Chavis Williams and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown. Eddie Lacy scored the final touchdown of the second quarter on a 3-yard run. In the third, Chris Underwood caught a 7-yard pass from A.J. McCarron and Demetrius Goode scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter. Jalston Fowler scored Alabama’s final touchdown on a 36-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Key stat: As mentioned before, the Tide defense held Georgia State to just 165 total yards.
Key player: It’s hard to find one player who dominated in lopsided games such as this one, but Julio Jones caught two touchdown passes and had 86 receiving yards to lead the Crimson Tide.
They said it: “A lot of guys got to play out there. We played as many as we possibly could.” — Saban
What happened: Alabama stormed out of the gate against Auburn and its high-powered offensive machine led by Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton. Alabama marched down the field on its first possession and capped the drive on a Mark Ingram 9-yard touchdown run for an early 7-0 lead. Alabama forced a three-and out by Auburn and got the ball back and went back to work. On Alabama’s second offensive play, Greg McElroy hit a wide open Julio Jones, who raced 68 yards untouched for a touchdown and a 14-0 Tide lead. Still in the first quarter, Tide receiver Darius Hanks made an over-the-shoulder catch in the end zone for another Tide touchdown to make it 21-0. Alabama added a field goal in the second quarter before Newton and the Tigers finally got on track. Newton hit Emory Blake for a 36-yard touchdown pass to cut the Tide’s lead to 24-7 before halftime. On the Tigers second play of the third quarter Newton connected with Terrell Zachery for a 70-yard touchdown catch to make it a 24-14 Tide lead. Later in the third, Newton scored on a 1-yard run to make it 24-21. Jeremy Shelley extended the Tide’s lead to 27-21 with a 32-yard field goal, but Newton answered with a touchdown strike to Phillip Lutzenkirchen for the game-winning score. The Tide lost three chances to score touchdowns. First, Ingram broke loose on a 41-yard reception, but fumbled the ball, which rolled out the back of the end zone for a touchback. Second, McElroy fumbled after taking a hard hit inside the Tigers’ 10-yard line and Auburn recovered. Later, Trent Richardson was wide open on a play at the goal line and would have had an easy touchdown, but he dropped the short screen pass and the Tide settled for a field goal.
Key stat: The Tide shut down Cam Newton’s running ability, but was not able to stop him from passing for 216 yards and three touchdowns.
Key player: Alabama’s Courtney Upshaw played a phenomenal game in the loss. He sacked Newton twice, had three tackles for a loss, forced a fumble on a punt return and had 10 total tackles.
They said it: “The second half, we went back to that inconsistency, had a lot of mistakes and that’s what hurt us. It stung the way it came out.”
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