Alabama wins 13th championship in unruly fashion

It has been almost nine years, and Greg McElroy still has not lost a football game. The Alabama quarterback led his team to the 2010 BCS national championship, beating the Texas Longhorns 37-21 Thursday night, and he did it the hard way.

McElroy was sacked five times against the Longhorns while completing only 6-of-11 passes.

Though it was a tough night for the McElroy in the passing game, he left the dirty work up to his running game. Powered by a 116-yard, two-touchdown performance from Mark Ingram, Alabama dominated the Texas on the ground for 205 total rushing yards.

As far as normality goes, don’t look to this game for a good example of such. On the game’s first possession, Alabama faked a punt from its own 20-yard line. Punter P.J. Fitzgerald lofted an underthrown pass towards an open receiver, and Blake Gideon intercepted it at the Alabama 37-yard line.

It was a bit of ironic redemption for Gideon, whose dropped interception in the Longhorns’ loss to Texas Tech in 2008 eventually cost them a chance to play in last year’s title game.

Fans barely had a chance to discuss one of the most questionable play calls in BCS history before the biggest play of the night would take place. Colt McCoy kept the ball on an option play, but was stopped for no gain. At the end of the play, McCoy took a hit to the right shoulder from Tide defensive linemen Marcell Dareus.

McCoy, who has been the face of Texas football for the last four seasons, left the field in apparent pain. In one of the most unceremonious ends to a star quarterback’s career ever, McCoy would never return to the game.

In came Garrett Gilbert, a true freshman who was ranked the second-best quarterback recruit in the country in 2009. Despite all of the high regard, he had attempted just 26 passes all season.

How’s this for a welcome-to-college-football moment? Gilbert took over the reigns for a living legend in Texas lore, not to mention facing the task of beating the nation’s top-ranked defense in the national championship game.

Alabama seized its golden opportunity. With the Texas offense flustering, the Tide grabbed a 17-6 lead with less than a minute to play in the second quarter. Texas faced a second down with half a minute remaining, when Mack Brown outcoached Saban in a bad way, topping the questionable fake punt call with a risky shovel pass.

Gilbert’s shovel bounced off of several players in a cluttered play, when Dareus eventually grabbed the ball in midair and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown. All of a sudden, a 17-6 deficit that still seemed to have a breath of hope turned into a 24-6 nightmare. The rout was on.

At least that’s what the Tide seemed to believe. In an uninspired third quarter for the Tide, Gilbert slowly gained the confidence of his coaches and of himself, leading a touchdown drive late in the quarter to draw the ‘Horns within 11 points.

It’s never easy for a team that feels comfortable with a sizable lead to revitalize itself if the lead shrinks. Alabama spent the beginning of the fourth quarter adjusting to the idea that the game was once again competitive.

Texas recovered an onside kick following the touchdown, but was held to a three-and-out. Alabama held strong, but failed to deliver on the following drive. Thanks to two 15-yard penalties by the Texas defense, Alabama drove to the Texas 35-yard line before being held to a fourth down.

With a two-possession lead and facing an unproven quarterback, Saban could have very easily elected to try to punt the ball and pin Texas deep in its own territory. Instead, he turned to the program’s all-time leading scorer Leigh Tiffin for a 52-yard field goal. He narrowly missed the kick wide left, opening the door for another Texas scoring drive.

Gilbert delivered just that. In a nine-play succession, he instantly went from overwhelmed rookie to Tom Brady in a burnt orange uniform. Texas never took the ball out of Gilbert’s hands on the drive in which he completed 7-of-8 passes for 64 yards, culminated by a 28-yard touchdown strike to Jordan Shipley.

He wasn’t quite done, either. Trailing 24-19, Gilbert stepped back on the field for a two-point conversion. He delivered a laser to a smothered Dan Buckner in the back of the end zone to draw Texas within a field goal of the lead.

With six minutes and some change left to play, a game that at one point looked to be a snoozefest all of a sudden had the chance to be an all-time great.

Texas’ defense, led by end Sergio Kindle’s fierce pass rush, allowed the Tide only one first down before forcing a punt.

Fitzgerald, who played a great game when he was left to his normal punting duties, pinned Texas back at its own 7-yard line.

The stage was then set for potentially the most memorable drive in college football history. On the same field just four years earlier Vince Young led Texas back from certain defeat to win one of the most memorable championship games in history.

Garrett Gilbert had a chance to out-Vince Young Vince Young. The odds were against him, but it’s not like he’d been playing with house money to that point in the game. He took the snap on the first play and came up with an incomplete pass, but before the ball hit the turf, a yellow flag beat it to the punch.

Defensive holding against Alabama gave the Longhorns some breathing room out to their own 17-yard line.

On the following play, Gilbert returned to earth when he held onto the ball in the pocket one second too long. Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart came with a blitz from Gilbert’s blind side and rocked the young quarterback, knocking the ball loose. The ball rolled free before Alab Courtney Upshaw at the three-yard line for the Tide.

That’s as close as Gilbert came to college football immortality. The Tide took three plays to punch the ball into the end zone and seal their 13^th national championship in program history.

11 of the 25 incomplete passes Gilbert threw were dropped by his receivers, including two of his interceptions. The final interception came on a deflected pass down field that bounced off his receivers’ chest, which was not the quarterback’s fault.

Alabama was given the biggest break they ever could have received with the loss of McCoy, and they still had to work hard for the victory.

What they did instead was nearly commit the most monumental collapse in championship game history, before reawakening at the last possible moment to claim the victory.

McElroy, meanwhile, curiously represented the team he led to the win Thursday night. He was not spectacular, and he left the door for a Texas comeback wide open, but in the end, he just doesn’t lose.

Alabama 24, Texas 6 – Halftime

James Cameron could not have written a more unpredictable script to Thursday night’s national championship game.

Alabama, facing a third-and-18 from its own 20-yard line, faked a punt on its first possession. Blake Gideon intercepted the pass, and Texas took over on the Tide 37.

On third down, Colt McCoy suffered an apparent shoulder injury.

Garrett Gilbert entered, and the drive ended with a field goal. Thanks to a recovered pooch kick by Texas on the ensuing kickoff, Gilbert had another chance to lead the offense. He failed to produce a first down, and Texas kicked another field goal.

Greg McElroy, the Alabama quarterback, was sacked three times in nine plays.

The second quarter provided much more glory for the Tide. Thanks to dominant running from Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, not to mention an interception return by a defensive lineman, Alabama is in control 24-6.

Trailing 17-6 with under a minute to play, it looked like Texas had done enough to stay within striking distance going into halftime. Although the offense had failed to move the ball very well, the defense was doing all it could to keep the ‘Horns in the game.

Then Gilbert threw a shovel pass into a crowd of linemen. The ball was batted around before defensive tackle Marcell Dareus took the ball in midair, and rumbled 28 yards for the final score in the half.

McCoy’s injury is undisclosed at the moment, but nothing short of a miracle will let Texas win this game even if he returns. Texas’ running game has been as successful as possible when they have absolutely no threat to pass the ball, running for 86 yards on 18 carries.

Gilbert is 1-for-10 passing for minus-4 yards and two interceptions. Late in the half, offensive coordinator Greg Davis opened up his playbook slightly and allowed Gilbert to make a few throws downfield. He had a touchdown pass knocked away, intended for Malcolm Williams. It was a very good throw, and the defensive play on the ball was simply spectacular.

Trailing 14-6, Gilbert lofted a fade pass to a wide-open Jordan Shipley, but it fell just out of reach.

Mark Ingram is on his way to the best performance for a Heisman winner in the national title game since Matt Leinart in the 2004-05 season. He has 90 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown so far.

Gilbert, a true freshman and the Gatorade athlete of the year in 2008, will have brighter days, but tonight’s task is simply over his head.

Texas 6 Alabama 0: end of first quarter

So there you have it. It’s been 32 days since Alabama and Texas were selected to play in the national championship game. Those days have been filled with bookoos of prognostication and predictions.

Three minutes had not gone by in tonight’s game before it was all for naught. Colt McCoy, the Texas quarterback, better known as the Longhorns’ Only Hope, left the game with an apparent shoulder injury and has not returned.

Garrett Gilbert is McCoy’s backup, and he took over on the first drive, leading Texas to a field goal.

Too bad Nick Saban can not see into the future. The usually conservative coach called a fake punt on fourth down with 18 yards to go from his own 20-yard line. The pass was intercepted by Blake Gideon at the 37.

It was a ironic redemption play for Gideon, who dropped an easy interception last year against Texas Tech, ultimately costing Texas an undefeated season and spot in last year’s national championship game.

After the Hunter Lawrence field goal, Alabama muffed a pooch kick and the Longhorns recovered. That was perfect for Gilbert, who was limited to mostly handoffs on the drive. Texas added another field goal after failing to convert a first down.

Alabama responded with a drive down to the Texas 3-yard line as the quarter came to an end. They seem poised to score a touchdown and take a 7-6 lead.

The Crimson Tide’s offense struggled prior to this most recent drive. Greg McElroy was sacked three times in nine plays and was clearly rattled in the pocket. If he settles down, and the Tide commit to running the ball down Texas’ throats, it’s highly unlikely the Longhorns’ offense can keep up if McCoy does not return.

Texas needs big plays from its defense and special teams to have a chance. Turnovers and field position become the biggest factors, bar none.

On the Docket - BCS National Championship Game: Alabama (13-0) vs. Texas (13-0)

Synopsis:

For the fourth consecutive season, the SEC champion will play for the national championship. The Crimson Tide marched through their schedule with relative ease, dominating most of its foes along the way. Texas, meanwhile, underachieved as much as a 13-0 team can. The Longhorns failed to blow people away on offense much of the season, save for about a three-game stretch mid-season.

Both teams are led by respective Heisman finalists. Colt McCoy is in his fourth season as Texas’ starting quarterback. A national championship would go a long way in cementing his place as one of the all-time greats.

The Tide’s Mark Ingram busted onto the scene this season with a 150-yard, two-touchdown performance against Virginia Tech, and only improved as the season unfolded. Ingram is a powerful back that wears down defenses with his physical style until they simply can’t bring him down by the end of the game.

When Alabama has the ball:

The key matchup will be quarterback Greg McElroy’s handling of the Texas secondary. Earl Thomas is one of the best safeties in the country, and he is only a sophomore. His eight interceptions are among the best in the country.

Texas’ defense has played well for the most part this season, allowing only 15 points per game. The only team to score more than 24 points against the Longhorns was Texas A & M. No teams have been able to run the ball effectively against the Big 12 champions, but no team has had a running back like Ingram.

When Texas has the ball:

The Tide's defense is unquestionably the best in the country. Terrance Cody is a 350-pound run-stuffing machine at defensive tackle. Butkus Award winner Rolando McClain controls the second level of defense at middle linebacker. Javier Arenas is one of the most versatile cornerbacks at the collegiate level.

It’s going to be tough sledding for McCoy, who has struggled against the better defenses he’s faced this season. In the games against Oklahoma and Nebraska, he was a combined 54 percent on completions with one touchdown and four interceptions.

If McCoy does have success throwing the ball, it will be because his All-American wide receiver Jordan Shipley is catching passes. Shipley is a deceptively fast receiver with great hands. Think Wes Welker in burnt orange.

Unsung hero:

Leigh Tiffin is Alabama’s all-time leading scorer, and the most reliable kicker in the country. He has been the difference between winning and losing for the Tide several times in his four-year career. This season, he is 27 for 31 on field goals. In a game that will be controlled by defense, Tiffin’s leg could very well bring the national championship home to Tuscaloosa.

Who has the edge?

Alabama silenced all the doubters in its 32-13 win against Florida in the SEC title game. The Tide will be prohibitive favorites heading into the game, which is being played in Pasadena. The Tide defense could be mistaken for an NFL unit. If they get pressure on McCoy early and often, Texas will struggle. If McCoy is able to throw comfortably from the pocket, the ‘Horns have a chance. Last time Texas played for the national title, it was 4 years ago in…you guessed it, Pasadena. They were underdogs to USC in that game, and…you guessed it, they won the game. The Texas faithful are hoping for a similar result this time around. Sadly for them, it’s not meant to be.

Prediction:

Alabama 33

Texas 17

Race for the Heisman - Ndamukong Suh

Season statistics: 70 tackles, 16 TFL, 7.5 sacks, 10 pass break-ups, 22 hurries.

Why he deserves to win: He is the most dominant force on the defensive line this side of Warren Sapp in college football. Defensive tackles with 10 pass break ups and nearly 30 visits to the backfield (from sacks/hurries) come around as rarely as a solar eclipse.

Suh rendered double-team blocking schemes obsolete this season. Instead, he would often attract three offensive linemen struggling to keep him off their quarterback. Just ask Colt McCoy if you want to know what kind of difference Suh can make in a game.

Why he wouldn’t win: A defensive tackle…hell, a full-time defensive player has never won this award (Charles Woodson played both ways when he won in 1997). Though he may be the most dominant player the sport has seen in 30 years, it’s going to be difficult for Suh to dissipate tradition and earn the most votes.

Besides, the trophy depicts a running back carrying the football, striking a stiff-arm pose, not a defensive tackle leaving offensive linemen in his wake.

Best game of 2009:

There was a certain level of buzz surrounding Suh the second half of the season. That buzz turned into full-fledged hype after Suh sacked Colt McCoy 4.5 times last Saturday in the Big 12 Championship.

The Husker offense managed only 106 yards of total offense, yet only lost on a last-second field goal. The talent disparity between the Longhorns’ offense and the Huskers’ was enormous, but Suh, in large part helped Nebraska stifle Texas all night.

Had Hunter Lawrence’s field goal as time expired taken a flight path of about three feet more to the left, Nebraska would have clinched the conference title, and Suh’s odds would have instantly doubled at the least. 

Race for the Heisman – Colt McCoy

Season statistics: 330-468 (70.5% completion percentage), 3,512 yards, 27 touchdowns, 12 interceptions.

Why he deserves to win: There is no Deadly Accurate Tree from which quarterbacks grow, so McCoy is a rare breed. For the second straight season, his completion percentage broke 70 percent; a remarkable statistic given how much Texas relies on its passing game.

McCoy has led the Texas Longhorns to the BCS national championship game and a 13-0 record. History is on his side. Three of the past five Heisman winners were quarterbacks gearing up for the title game that year.

Why he wouldn’t win: It’s tough to envision McCoy winning the award for a couple reasons. For one, his production in 2008 was unparalleled, and this year he simply did not live up to that standard he set for himself.

Second, in the two games the Longhorns played in with the biggest national audience, McCoy floundered. Against Oklahoma and Nebraska, he completed only 54 percent of his passes, and the offense only scored an average of 14.5 points per game. For many voters around the country, those two games may have been their only chance to see McCoy play this year.

Because the Nebraska game was this past Saturday, and fresh on the voters’ minds as they turned in their ballots Sunday afternoon, it puts McCoy in a tough spot. He will probably lose a lot of votes in the Big 12 area to Nebraska’s Ndamokung Suh, who outplayed McCoy by miles on Saturday.

Best game of 2009:

The week before the Nebraska debacle, McCoy had seemingly put himself in the forefront of the race with the most complete performance of his season against Texas A & M.

Early on in the game, McCoy dashed 65 yards for a touchdown, setting the tone for a big game.

He would throw for 304 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions….and that’s not all. He also ran for 175 yards on 18 carries in the ‘Horns 49-39 win. Had he not flopped the following week in the championship game, this would have easily been his signature Heisman-winning moment.

Fifth Down Heisman poll is now open!

I want to know what the people think. 

Using the poll feature on the right-hand side of the page, please vote on who YOU would vote for to win the Heisman Trophy next Saturday. Voting will be open until Dec. 11, encourage anyone and everyone to stop by and vote! Would love to see a good number of people contribute. Thanks for reading, everyone. 

College football saves best week for last - part one

To all the die-hards out there: you can finally exhale.

Week thirteen of the college football season brought the most heart-stopping, gut-wrenching clashes of the season. Nobody would have expected anything less on rivalry week.

In a Heisman race as clear as the muddy path that is The Grove at Ole Miss, this weekend was going to help voters make some tough decisions. The picture is getting a tad clearer now.

There was also the curtain call for one all-time great, if not two in Gainesville.

There were the three highest-ranked teams all in action against testy in-state rivals, two of them on the road.

There were coaches across the BCS conferences fighting for their jobs. Some may have won, others may have lost, and in the case of Louisville’s Steve Kragthorpe, some have already packed their bags.

The epic 72 hours that was the final weekend of the regular season is almost worthy of its own book.

Chapter one took place Thanksgiving night in College Station. The Texas Longhorns were aided by Colt McCoy’s best performance of the season in staving off the rival Texas A & M’s upset bid. McCoy both kept his team alive in the national title hunt and improved his Heisman stock in the win.

That was only the beginning. Instead of chapter one, let’s call Lone Star Showdown 2009 the prologue.

Chapter one is highlighted by the illustrious return of Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike. Midway through the year, Pike was an emerging candidate for the Heisman before breaking his arm against South Florida. His replacement, Zach Collaros, kept the Bearcats unbeaten in his absence. There were plenty of people who even dared to say Collaros outperformed Pike when he had the chance.

Head coach Brian Kelly ignored the advice of many people by re-inserting Pike as the starter against Illinois. All Pike did was throw six touchdowns in a 49-36 win. That performance left everyone wondering just how different the Heisman picture would be had Pike remained healthy.

Just as the Bearcats were putting the finishing touches on their win, the Auburn Tigers were jumping all over second-ranked Alabama 14-0 in the first quarter. The Crimson Tide responded to tie the game at 14 by halftime. However, with six minutes to play, Auburn held to a 21-20 lead, when Greg McElroy completed seven consecutive passes, including the game-winner to Roy Upchurch on third-and-goal.

Auburn failed to score after getting the ball back with 1:30 left to play, and the upset bid was thwarted soundly. In the meantime, Mark Ingram lost his loose grip on the Heisman lead with only 30 yards rushing on 16 carries.

Chapter three came that evening, when Pittsburgh and West Virginia met for the annual Backyard Brawl in Morgantown. Thanks to a stellar performance from Noel Devine, and a key third-down conversion from Jarrett Brown late in the game, the Mountaineers edged the ninth-ranked Panthers with a last-second field goal, 19-16.

You could argue there was more suspense in three of those four games than on any one weekend to date this season. The best was still yet to come.

The early kickoffs at noon ET would have made George Bush proud. There was plenty of shock and awe to go around with all the upsets being handed out in the early portion of the day.

Oklahoma, which has been the most inconstant team in the last month, shut out 12^th-ranked Oklahoma State, emphatically slamming the door on the Cowboys’ hopes of an at-large BCS bowl bid.

Meanwhile, North Carolina State was taking on one of the hottest teams in America, the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Wolfpack were playing with heavy hearts as their offensive Coordinator Dana Bible had been diagnose with cancer earlier in the week, and was not with the team. Trailing 24-14 at halftime, the Pack led a furious comeback to take a 28-27 lead.

Casey Barth, the Tar Heel kicker who broke out of his brother Connor’s shadow with a game-winning field goal against Virginia Tech last week, was not as clutch this Saturday. His game-winning field goal attempt was blocked in the final minutes, sealing the emotional upset for the Wolfpack.

If that wasn’t enough chaos for a three-hour period, Clemson was also falling flat on its face against South Carolina. The Gamecocks continued their mysterious home-field dominance in a 34-17 win. The South Carolina team on the field Saturday resembled the one that beat Mississippi at home in September. C.J. Spiller took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown, but after that found it hard to gain any traction against a tough Gamecock defense.

While the outcome of the game had no logistical impact on Clemson’s future, it’s still a tough loss. The Tigers had been red-hot heading into Saturday, and would have loved to carry that momentum into next week’s ACC title game. Instead, Dabo Swinney must go back to the drawing board to inspire his team this week.

Funny to mention Mississippi. The Rebels, fresh off a win against LSU last week, lived up to the name of the game they played in. The “Egg Bowl” pits the Rebels against the Mississippi State Bulldogs every year, and an egg is what they laid Saturday. Jevan Snead was intercepted three times, and the Bulldogs avenged last season’s 45-0 loss to Ole Miss with a 41-27 victory at home. Dan Mullen was the right hire in Starkville. Just wait until he gets his own recruits down there.

Next came the more sentimental moment of the day with the least suspense. Tim Tebow, the Heisman Trophy and national championship-winning Florida quarterback played his final home game in Gainesville. After hearing nothing all week besides the fact it was the last chapter in his career at home, Tebow led his team onto the field and proceeded to stomp the rival Florida State Seminoles 37-10.

It was exactly the performance Tebow needed to keep his hopes of a second Heisman alive. He accounted for all five touchdowns in the win.

In the meantime, it may have also been the final regular season game for legendary Seminole coach Bobby Bowden. School officials have announced that Bowden, 80, and head coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher will meet with administration Monday to discuss his future with the program. It is clear Bowden has fallen behind the times, and the changes to the game in recent years have been too much for his program to keep up with. The embarrassing loss to the in-state rival Gators proves as much.

The final chapter of this great weekend was an epic nightcap. For a recap of the most exciting night of the season, check back later.

Heisman race finally gets interesting

Hello all, and happy Thanksgiving!

I had planned on a great day of eating, watching, and blogging on Thursday. That was until I found out my aunt and uncle had no high-speed internet. So much for that...but here is a quick recap of my thoughts on the weekend.

Jerrod Johnson and Colt McCoy put on one of the most entertaining shows of the season, combining for nine touchdowns in the Longhorns' 49-39 win. The Aggies went down swinging, but they just made too many mistakes in key moments to be able to hang with the third-ranked team in the land.

Johnson's untimely interception in the end zone, along with Christine Michael's fumbled handoff and Marquise Goodwin's kickoff returned for a touchdown cost Texas A & M its fourth victory in four years against Texas. 

As well as the Aggies played, McCoy played even better. His career-high 175 rushing yards included a highlight-worthy 65-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. Every time it seemed the Aggies were making a comeback push, McCoy marched the offense down the field in convincing fashion. 

It was a Heisman-worthy performance, and hopefully set the stage for a huge weekend in deciding who will take home the award this year. 

In the past, the list of potential Heisman winners has been narrowed to three, maybe two, and even sometimes one by the last weekend of the regular season. Instead, this year there are as many as five or six guys still vying for the trophy. 

McCoy showed last night that this weekend is the perfect opportunity for all of the guys in the forefront to make a statement on the national stage. 

Mark Ingram has a chance today to carry the Alabama Crimson Tide to a second straight unbeaten regular season against Auburn. If Ingram steps up in the spotlight as he has all season, he will be a finalist in New York.

Tim Tebow has a great chance as well to keep his name in the mix. All the eyes of college football will at the very least have a peak in on the Florida-Florida State game. It will be Tebow's final home game of his illustrious career, and also a chance for the Gators to finish 12-0 for the second straight year as well. 

Toby Gerhart's dominant season has gone largely unnoticed until his Stanford team's recent upsets of Oregon and USC in consecutive weeks. Now, Gerhart has a chance to face one of the nation's worst rushing defenses in Notre Dame at home in prime-time. 

More than anyone else left with a shot at the Heisman, Gerhart needs a big game to give himself a chance. The beauty of it for Gerhart is, a great game could not only put him in contention, but could be enough for him to sneak away with the award, depending on how the rest of the nation pans out. 

Check back for more later, but if last night is any indication, we're on in for one helluva weekend in college football.