2008 Alabama FB Game Notes
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2008 CRIMSON TIDE FOOTBALL 92 All-Americans ALABAMA12 National Championships 21 Conference Championships ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (10-0) vs. MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS (3-6) GAME INFORMATION Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008 - 6:45 p.m. (CST) - ESPN Bryant-Denny Stadium (92,138) - Tuscaloosa, Ala. Opponent: Mississippi State Bulldogs TODAY’S GAME: The University of Alabama football team returns home to begin a two-game Site: Bryant-Denny Stadium (92,138) homestand that will close out the 2008 regular season. The top-ranked Crimson Tide host the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a SEC West showdown at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game is Series: Alabama leads, 71-18-3 slated to kickoff at 6:45 p.m. (CST) and will be televised nationally by ESPN with Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge and Holly Rowe calling the action. The Bulldogs are 3-6 on the season and Tickets: Sold Out coming off of a bye week after a 14-13 loss against Kentucky on Nov. 1. TV: ESPN HEAD COACH NICK SABAN: Alabama head coach Nick Saban (Kent State, 1973) is in his second season with the Crimson Tide. He was named the school’s 27th head coach on Jan. 3, 2007. Mike Patrick, Todd Blackledge Saban has compiled a 108-48-1 (.691) record as a collegiate head coach, including an 17-6 (.739) & Holly Rowe mark at Alabama and a 10-0 record in 2008. He captured his 100th career victory in week two against Tulane and coached his 150th game as a collegiate head coach in week three vs. West- Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network ern Kentucky. Saban led LSU to a 13-1 record and the BCS National Championship in 2003. WFFN-FM (95.3) (Tuscaloosa) Overall, Saban has coached three conference championship teams (1990 Mid-American, 2001 Eli Gold, Tom Roberts & Barry Krauss SEC and 2003 SEC) and nine of his 12 teams have played in post-season bowl games and his 2008 team is qualifi ed for a bowl. Saban is the only current Football Bowl Subdivision coach to coach for at least 10 years and have never suff ered a losing season. For more information on XM/SIRIUS Satellite Radio Coach Saban, please see pages 12-13 of this notes package. Channel (XM: TBA; SIRIUS: TBA) RANKINGS: Alabama remains No. 1 in this week’s Associated Press poll and USA Today Coaches Internet: www.RollTide.com poll after the Crimson Tide recorded a 27-21 overtime win over No. 15 LSU in Baton Rouge. The Tide also held their top spot in the Bowl Championship Series standings. Alabama’s cur- Auburn - Nov. 29, 2008 rent stint at No. 1 in the Associated Press football poll is the fi rst since the fi nal AP poll of the Up Next: 1992 season after the Crimson Tide knocked off Miami 34-13 in the 1993 Sugar Bowl. The last Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala. time the Crimson Tide was ranked atop the AP poll during the regular season (prior to the LSU game) was the ninth week (Oct. 26-Nov. 1) of the 1980 regular season. UA has a 20-5 (.800) all- What’s Inside: time record as the nation’s top-ranked team. General Game Information 1 Alabama Media Services 2 MISSISSIPPI STATE SERIES: Alabama holds a 71-18-3 (.788) all-time lead over Mississippi State in a series that dates back to the 1896 season. The Mississippi State series is the longest run- Alabama Game Notes 3-13 ning series in the Alabama record book. The two border rivals, whose campuses are just 82 Alabama Pronunciation Chart 10 miles apart, are meeting for the 93rd time this weekend in Tuscaloosa. Alabama has played Head Coach Nick Saban 14-15 more games (92) and has more wins (71) against Mississippi State than any other opponent on Alabama Participation 16 record. The 2008 season will mark the 61st consecutive year these two teams have met on the gridiron, having played every year since 1948. History / Bryant-Denny Stadium 17-18 Crimson Tide Sports Network 19 NEXT GAME: Alabama closes out the 2008 regular season with in-state rival Auburn at Bryant- Last Time it Happened 20-22 Denny Stadium on Nov. 29. The SEC Western Division Champion Crimson Tide will then Rosters 23-24 participate in their fi rst SEC Championship Game since 1999. The Tide will face Florida on Dec. 6 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Depth Chart 25 ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (10-0, 6-0 SEC) MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS (3-6, 1-4 SEC) Date Opponent Site TV Result Date Opponent Site TV Result Aug. 30 vs.Clemson (9/9) Atlanta, Ga. ABC W, 34-10 Aug. 30 at Louisiana Tech Ruston, La. ESPN2 L, 14-22 Sept. 6 Tulane Tuscaloosa PPV W, 20-6 Sept. 6 Southeastern Louisiana Starkville W, 34-10 Sept. 13 Western Kentucky Tuscaloosa PPV W, 41-7 Sept. 13 *Auburn (9/9) Starkville ESPN2 L, 2-3 Sept. 20 *at Arkansas Fayett eville, Ark. Raycom W, 49-14 Sept. 20 at Georgia Tech Atlanta, Ga. Raycom L, 7-38 Sept. 27 *at Georgia (3/3) Athens, Ga. ESPN W, 41-30 Sept. 27 *at LSU (5/6) Baton Rouge, La. ESPN2 L, 24-34 Oct. 4 *Kentucky Tuscaloosa CBS W, 17-14 Oct. 11 *Vanderbilt (13/14) Starkville PPV W, 17-14 Oct. 18 *Mississippi Tuscaloosa CBS W, 24-20 Oct. 18 *at Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn. PPV L, 3-34 Oct. 25 *at Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn. ESPN W, 29-9 Oct. 25 Middle Tennessee Starkville ESPNU W, 31-22 Nov. 1 Arkansas State Tuscaloosa PPV W, 35-0 Nov. 1 *Kentucky Starkville L, 13-14 Nov. 8 *at LSU (15/15) Baton Rouge, La. CBS W, 27-21 (OT) Nov. 15 *at Alabama (1/1) Tuscaloosa, Ala. ESPN 6:45 p.m. Nov. 15 *Mississippi State Tuscaloosa ESPN 6:45 p.m. Nov. 22 *Arkansas Starkville TBA Nov. 29 *Auburn Tuscaloosa TBA Nov. 28 *at Mississippi Oxford, Miss. Raycom 11:30 a.m. *Conference Game - All Times Central *Conference Game - All Times Central WWW.ROLLTIDE.COM SEC WESTERN DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP: Alabama’s 27-21 victory over LSU clinched Alabama’s fi rst SEC Associated Press Top 25 Western Division championship for Alabama since 1999. The victory secures a berth in the 2008 South- Rk Team Record Pts PVS eastern Conference Championship Game in Atlanta, scheduled for Saturday, December 6, with kickoff 1. Alabama (44) 10-0 1604 1 slated for 3 p.m. (CT). CBS will televise the SEC Championship Game to a national audience. The West- 2. Texas Tech (21) 10-0 1574 2 ern Division Championship by Alabama is the Crimson Tide’s sixth since expansion created the divi- 3. Florida 8-1 1467 4 sional format in 1992. Alabama also won division titles in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1999. 4. Texas 9-1 1437 5 5. Oklahoma 9-1 1375 6 JOHNSON NAMED NATIONAL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Alabama senior safety Rashad Johnson was 6. USC 8-1 1311 7 named the Walter Camp Foundation National Defensive Player of the Week, after a school-record ty- 7. Penn State 9-1 1161 3 ing three interceptions in a 27-21 overtime win over LSU in Baton Rouge Saturday. Johnson fi nished 8. Utah 10-0 1157 10 the game with four tackles, three interceptions and one tackle for loss. He had 64 yards in interception 9. Boise State 9-0 1110 9 returns, including a 54-yard touchdown that tied the game at 14-14 in the second quarter. He tied an 10. Ohio State 8-2 1009 12 Alabama single-game record for interceptions with three vs. LSU, equaling the mark held by Bobby 11. Oklahoma State 8-2 963 8 Wilson vs. Georgia in 1951, Dicky Thompson vs. Mississippi in 1966, Jeremiah Castille vs. Tennessee in 12. Missouri 8-2 913 13 1982 and Kevin Jackson vs. Georgia in 1995. All three interceptions directly led to points. His fi rst inter- 13. Georgia 8-2 880 14 ception, on LSU’s third off ensive play at the Tigers’ 15-yard line, led to a 1-yard sneak by quarterback 14. Ball State 9-0 677 16 John Parker Wilson. Johnson also intercepted a third-down pass in the end zone in overtime to set up 15. TCU 9-2 623 11 the Tide’s game-winning drive. 16. Brigham Young 9-1 602 17 17. North Carolina 7-2 597 19 NEW BCS RANKINGS OUT: Alabama garnered the No. 1 position in the Bowl Championship Series stand- 18. Michigan State 9-2 584 18 ings for the second straight week on Sunday, Nov. 9, when the fourth BCS rankings of the season were 19. LSU 6-3 552 15 released. The Crimson Tide have a BCS average of .9814 with Texas Tech (.9715) ranked second and Texas 20. Florida State 7-2 380 24 (.8798) ranked third. The Tide is No. 1 in the Harris Interactive poll, the USA Today Coaches poll and 21. Pittsburgh 7-2 318 25 second in computer rankings. 22. Cincinnati 7-2 269 NR 23. Oregon State 6-3 124 NR Team Harris Average USA Today Average Computer Average BCS Average 24. South Carolina 7-3 117 NR Alabama .9853 .9889 .970 .9814 25. Tulsa 8-1 84 NR Texas Tech .9712 .9633 .980 .9715 Texas .8670 .8525 .920 .8798 Others Receiving Votes: California 73, Virginia Florida .8881 .8839 .820 .8640 Tech 44, Air Force 40, Georgia Tech 29, Arizona Oklahoma .8516 .8616 .820 .8444 7, Oregon 6, Western Michigan 6, West Virginia 5, Central Michigan 5, Iowa 5, Miami 5, HARRIS INTERACTIVE POLL RANKING: Alabama remained at the top of the seventh Harris Interactive Col- Northwestern 3, Boston College 3, Maryland 3, lege Football Poll that was released on Sunday, Nov.