Alabama Football: The 30 Greatest Games in Alabama Football History

Nov 7, 2015; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide place kicker Adam Griffith (99) watches his kick during the third quarter against the LSU Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

2011 BCS National Championship Game – The Rematch of the Century

After losing in overtime in a regular season meeting billed as the “Game of the Century,” Alabama and LSU met again in New Orleans with a crystal football on the line.

Alabama Football had cruised through the regular season outside of the loss to LSU, but the one loss kept the Tide out of the SEC Championship Game. Thanks to late season losses by Oklahoma State and Oregon, Alabama was ranked No.2 and invited to the BCS National Championship Game.

Alabama’s 21-0 win was the only shutout in the history of the BCS National Championship Game. The matchup was the only edition of the game featuring a rematch and featuring two teams from the same conference.

The first game was a defensive showdown and the second started off much the same way. After four quarters and an overtime without a touchdown in November, Alabama took a 9-0 lead off of Jeremy Shelley’s foot into the locker room. Shelley would add two more field goals in the second half, but a Trent Richardson touchdown run with under 5 minutes to go was a breath of fresh air into two games of suffocating defense.

Though Richardson broke through late for a touchdown, Alabama’s defense was the star of the game. LSU only managed five first downs the entire game and were not able to cross midfield until the fourth quarter.

The Tide’s victory marked the sixth straight BCS title by an SEC team.

Next: 2012 SEC Championship