Alabama Football: 30 Greatest Games in Crimson Tide History
By Ronald Evans
Alabama Football Greatest Game
January 7, 2010 – BCS Championship in Rose Bowl vs. Texas
The Crimson Tide win over Florida staked a claim. The proof came in a place steeped in Alabama Crimson Tide lore. There could not have been a better setting for Nick Saban to return the Crimson Tide to its accustomed glory.
In the spring of 2007, Alabama-born author, Rick Bragg penned a piece for Sports Illustrated. Bragg’s eloquent prose was prescient. He did not predict exactly when, but Bragg was clear Nick Saban was up to the expectations of Tide fans.
"It may take two years, three, more, to be in the discussion again when people talk about the best teams in college football. But they (Crimson Tide fans) know he (Saban) will take them home."
Home in January 2010, was the venerable old stadium situated with gorgeous, late afternoon views of the San Gabriel Mountains – Pasadena’s Rose Bowl.
Texas fans are still fantasizing over what might have happened had Marcel Darius not ( cleanly) removed Longhorn QB, Colt McCoy from the game. Crimson Tide fans know a healthy McCoy would not have changed the outcome.
On that January night in the Rose Bowl, the Alabama Crimson Tide was a much better team than the Texas Longhorns.
A more detailed game summary is available here. In short, the Longhorns No. 1 ranked rushing defense was supposed to slow down Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson. It didn’t. Texas took a 6-0 lead on two first-quarter field goals. Then it was all Crimson Tide. The Tide exploded for 24 second-quarter points and the game was over. The rushing attack that was shut down belonged to the Longhorns. The Tide scored four rushing touchdowns and so controlled the line of scrimmage, Greg McElroy needed to complete only six passes on just 11 throws.
At the end, Crimson Tide radio broadcaster, Eli Gold offered a simple line of which Rick Bragg would have been proud, “and the roses at the grand old stadium are once again Crimson.”