Alabama’s Championship Season Revisited: Part Two
By Tony Breland
In honor of Alabama’s 14th national title, we’re taking a look back at the 2011 season in several parts. In part one, we covered the first four weeks of the season. This week, we examine Weeks Five through Eight of the 2011 campaign.
The nation would be zeroed in on Gainesville, Florida for Week Five as the third-ranked Crimson Tide traveled to the Swamp to take on the No. 12 Gators and their SEC-leading 259 yards rushing per game. This game would be billed as the Gators’ speed vs. Alabama’s power and pitted Tide Coach Nick Saban against former assistant and first year head coach Will Muschamp.
Florida’s renowned speed attack and offensive “mastermind” Charlie Weis would prove to be trouble for all of one play, as Gator receiver Andre Dubose raced past Dre Kirkpatrick for a 65-yard touchdown catch on the first play of the game. Florida drew first blood, but went on to amass a school-low 15 yards rushing on the ground, en route to an embarrassing 38-10 beatdown at the hands of the Tide. Florida would also lose its starting quarterback for the rest of the year with a knee injury, when Courtney Upshaw sacked John Brantley in the second quarter. Maybe Coach Petrino wasn’t so crazy for pulling his quarterback the week before after all.
* * * *
Following the thrashing of the Gators, in which sophomore quarterback AJ McCarron began to take on a significant leadership role for the offense, the Tide was on a collision course with SEC West rival LSU, and moved to number two in the polls behind the Bayou Bengals. Before that epic showdown, Alabama played host to the Commodores.
Vanderbilt and their newly acquired swagger under first-year coach James Franklin, came to Tuscaloosa in Week Six. McCarron continued his progression, with four touchdown passes on the day and the Tide defense recorded its second shutout on the year in a 34-0 drumming of the Commodores. Alabama’s defense proved lethal once again, knocking Vandy’s starting quarterback out of the game, making him the fifth signal caller to fall victim to injury at the hands of the Tide defense in the last seven games.
Trent Richardson was the story in Week Seven as the Tide carried their No. 2 ranking into Oxford, Mississippi to take on the Ole Miss Rebels in what would be a career day for the Tide running back. Richardson amassed 183 yards on the ground, including an awe-inspiring 76-yard touchdown scamper which made highlight reels all over the country.
Richardson also tied Shaun Alexander’s all-time Alabama record for consecutive 100-yard games with six. With Alabama running back Eddie Lacy nursing a turf toe injury, sophomore running back Jalston Fowler joined in the fun with a 69-yard touchdown run, giving Tide fans a taste of the future at the tailback position. McCarron once again surpassed the 200-yard passing mark, with 226 yards in the air and a touchdown in the 52-7 win over the Rebels.
Week Eight found the Crimson Tide sitting at No. 2 in the polls and hosting the second team coached by a Nick Saban disciple in the Tennessee Volunteers. The Tide defense was tops in the nation, and seemed to improve by the week, and McCarron was coming into his own as Alabama’s first year starter.
Fresh off a beating at the hands of LSU the week before, the Volunteers vowed to stop the Tide rushing attack and stacked the box with eight to nine players throughout the course of the game. Alabama would not flinch however, taking to the air and leaning on the arm of McCarron. Alabama threw for 284 yards and one touchdown in a 37-6 rout of the Volunteers.
On Friday, we’ll continue this look at the Tide’s magical 2011 campaign by reliving the Game of the Century and the Iron Bowl.