Alabama Football: 30 Greatest Games in Crimson Tide History
By Ronald Evans
Alabama Football Greatest Game
January 9, 2012 – BCS Championship (New Orleans) vs. LSU
After the joy of returning to college football glory, the Alabama Crimson Tide was slapped in the face in the 2010 season. Most vivid in the memories of Tide fans is losing to Auburn in Tuscaloosa after leading 21-0. But the biggest damage had come in October, losing by two touchdowns to South Carolina. With the one-point loss to Auburn, the defending National Champions went from an undefeated to a three-loss season,
A hard road back took the Tide to 8-0 in November 2011. Next up was No. 1 LSU, in Tuscaloosa. The No. 2 ranked Tide lost to the Bengal Tigers 9-6 in an overtime game. With the loss, the Crimson Tide dropped to No. 4, with a slim chance to make the BCS title game.
The Tide kept winning while a couple of other favorites faded. Alabama climbed back to No. 2 and solidified that ranking with a 42-14 thumping of the defending National Champion, in Auburn. Once again a No. 2 Crimson Tide would take on a No. 1 LSU for the national title.
Most of college football was livid that the Tide, without a conference championship, would play for the title in an SEC rematch game. The pushback strengthened the resolve for the current four-team, College Football Playoff.
The BCS Championship game was in LSU’s backyard, the Superdome in New Orleans. Crimson Tide fans flocked to the Crescent City to even the crowd odds.
The game was such a mismatch, had the contest continued until dawn on the bayou, LSU still would not have scored. In three quarters the Bengal Tigers gained a total of 55 yards. It was not until the fourth quarter that LSU’s offense crossed midfield. That drive, all the way to the Tide’s 32-yard line, ended in LSU losing a fumble on a 4th-and-18 play at the Tide 40.
The Alabama football defense had 11 tackles for a loss, four sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery. The Bengal Tigers managed just 92 yards of offense. Trent Richardson ran for a touchdown, but the game was decided 10 minutes into the first quarter with a Jeremy Shelley field goal. Shelley finished the game with five field goals.