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Sept. 20, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Top-ranked Alabama opens Southeastern Conference play with a visit to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to take on the No. 10/11 Arkansas Razorbacks at 2:30 p.m. (CDT) on Saturday, Sept. 25, at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. It will be the 21st meeting between the two schools and the eighth trip to Fayetteville. The Razorbacks are 3-0 on the season after a final-minute touchdown pass gave them a 31-24 win at Georgia last Saturday. The game will be televised on CBS with Verne Lundquist calling the action, Gary Danielson as the color analyst and Tracy Wolfson reporting from the sideline. Eli Gold and Phil Savage will handle the radio call on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Barry Krauss on the sidelines. ESPN Radio will also carry the game to a national audience.
HEAD COACH Nick Saban: Alabama head coach Nick Saban (Kent State, 1973) is in his fourth season with the Crimson Tide. He was named the school's 27th head coach on Jan. 3, 2007. Saban has compiled a 31-8 record (36-8 before five vacated wins in 2007) at Alabama while leading the Tide to two SEC Western Division championships, one conference title and one national championship. Saban holds a career record of 122-50-1 (127-50-1) as a collegiate head coach, while also serving at Toledo, Michigan State and LSU. Saban won his first national championship as head coach of the LSU Tigers in 2003, guiding the Tigers to a 13-1 record that season. Overall, Saban has coached four conference championship teams (1990 Mid-American, 2001 SEC, 2003 SEC and 2009 SEC) and 10 of his 13 teams have played in postseason bowl games with the Tide appearing in a bowl game each year under Saban's direction. Saban is also one of two coaches (Urban Meyer, Florida) to win two BCS National Championships and the first to accomplish the feat at two different schools.
RANKINGS: Alabama opened the 2010 season ranked first in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches' preseason polls and have maintained that ranking through the first three polls of the season. The preseason No. 1 ranking was just the third such honor in school history (1966, 1978 & 2010). Arkansas enters this Saturday's contest ranked 10th in the Associated Press poll and 11th in the USA Today Coaches rankings.
ARKANSAS SERIES: Alabama leads the series 10-8 (13-7 without NCAA rulings) after a dominating 35-7 win over the Razorbacks last season in Tuscaloosa. The Tide has now won three straight in the series and four of the last five contests. Alabama's last visit to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium came in 2008, a commanding 49-14 Alabama victory. The Crimson Tide is 5-4 against Arkansas on the road, including a 3-4 record at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville and a 2-0 mark at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The two schools met two times before Arkansas joined the SEC in 1992 with the Crimson Tide defeating the Razorbacks in both the 1962 and 1980 Sugar Bowl games.
NEXT GAME: Alabama opens its SEC home schedule on October 2 with a visit the from the No. 9/8 Florida Gators. The Crimson Tide and Gators have hooked up in the last two SEC Championship Games with UF winning in 2008 and UA in 2009. Both teams followed up those SEC title game wins with national championships. It is the first time for the Gators to visit Tuscaloosa since the Tide's 31-3 victory in 2005. The last regular season meeting between the two schools was a 28-13 UF victory in 2006 in Gainesville. Alabama leads the series 21-14 overall and 6-5 in Tuscaloosa. ALABAMA DEGREES: Alabama's success on the field over the past two seasons under the direction of head coach Nick Saban has also coincided with the Crimson Tide's success in the classroom. After playing the 2010 BCS National Championship Game with 21 players that already had their degrees, the 2010 Crimson Tide begins the season with four players that already have degrees in hand, including Earl Alexander (financial planning), Greg McElroy (business marketing), Brian Motley (general studies) and David Ross (consumer affairs). Over the past three seasons (2008-10) the Crimson Tide has seen 31 players compete for the Crimson Tide after having already graduated.
STADIUM RENOVATION: The latest expansion project for Bryant-Denny Stadium raised seating capacity to 101,821, making it one of the five largest on-campus football stadiums in the nation. The expansion is the fourth expansion of the stadium since 1988 and the seventh expansion in the stadium's history. It consists of roughly 9,600 additional seats, 1,700 South Zone Club seats, two corner video boards, an upper concourse with concessions and restrooms, 36 skyboxes, the Crimson Tide Foundation offices, a Donor Hall of Recognition and an outdoor market featuring Zoe's Kitchen, Yogart Lab and a new university admissions office welcome center. UA's season-opening crowd of 101,821 set a new record for the school and was the most to ever watch a football game in the state of Alabama.
BEATING THE BEST: Alabama is 10-2 against the Associated Press Top 25 over the past three seasons and 6-2 against AP top 5 teams. The Crimson Tide's 37-21 win over No. 2 Texas in the Citi BCS National Championship Game was the Tide's sixth win over a top-10 team dating back to the start of the 2008 season. Alabama is 1-0 against the AP Top 25 this season.
STREAKING AT BRYANT-DENNY: Alabama has won 16 consecutive games at Bryant-Denny Stadium dating back to the home opener against Tulane in 2008. It is tied for the fourth-longest streak in school history at Bryant-Denny Stadium and is just two shy of the third-place streak. The longest winning streak at Bryant-Denny Stadium is 57 games from Oct. 26, 1963, to Nov. 13, 1982. During the current streak, the Crimson Tide is 8-0 against SEC competition and 3-0 against top 25 teams.
27 STRAIGHT REGULAR-SEASON WINS FOR TIDE: Alabama has reeled off 27 consecutive regular-season victories. The win streak dates back to the 2008 season opener against Clemson. UA's last regular-season loss came at Auburn on Nov. 24, 2007. During that stretch, the Crimson Tide boasts a 29-2 overall record with its only losses coming to Florida in the 2008 SEC Championship Game and Utah in the 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl. The Tide is also a perfect 16-0 in SEC play over the last two years, becoming just the second team (Florida - 1995 & 1996) in conference history to post back-to-back undefeated 8-0 records since the league split into a divisional format in 1992.
NO. 1 ROLLS ON: With the Crimson Tide's 24-3 win over then-No. 18/14 Penn State, in the last 15 years the Associated Press's No. 1-ranked team is 27-0 on its home field against a ranked opponent. That streak dates back to a 36-33 Auburn win at No. 1 Florida in 1994.
TOUGH SLATE: Alabama once again has one of the most difficult schedules in the nation with five games against teams ranked in the USA Today Coaches' Poll Preseason Top 25. The Tide beat then-No. 14 Penn State on Sept. 11 and travels to No. 11 Arkansas on Sept. 25. Alabama then welcomes No. 8/9 Florida to Tuscaloosa on Oct. 2 and then travels to No. 12/15 South Carolina on Oct. 9. RETURNING SUCCESS: Much of the talk in the preseason was about Alabama`s high-powered offense, and the offensive side of the football is where the Crimson Tide returns the biggest portion of its players from last year's BCS National Championship team. UA features 10 total returning starters and 39 lettermen this season, but eight of those returning starters are on the offensive side of the football with two on defense. The offense returns 84 percent of the rushing yards from last season (2,526 of 3,011). Greg McElroy, who took 94 percent of the snaps at quarterback last season, returns with five of his top six receivers from 2009 (Jones, Ingram, Maze, Hanks and Richardson).
TIDE PLAYERS EARN EARLY ACCOLADES: Ten Alabama players were named to 15 different preseason awards watch lists prior into the 2010 season. The players were recognized before the start of the 2010 season as potentially the top players at their position nationally.
Mark Barron, Marcell Dareus, Dont'a Hightower and Greg McElroy appeared on four watch lists. Barron, Dareus and Hightower were on the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player), as well as the Bronko Nagurski Award (defensive player of the year). McElroy was named to every major quarterback award watch list announced, including the Manning Award (top quarterback), Davey O'Brien Award (top quarterback) and the Unitas Golden Arm Award (top senior quarterback). McElroy was also named to the Maxwell Award (most outstanding player) watch list.
Crimson Tide offensive stars Mark Ingram and Julio Jones were prominent in watch lists as well. Jones appeared on the lists for the Biletnikoff Award (best receiver) and the Maxwell Award, while Ingram appeared on watch lists for the Walter Camp Award (player of the year), the Maxwell Award and the Doak Walker Award (best running back). Last year as a sophomore, Ingram ran for a school single season record 1,658 yards in route to winning the school's first ever Heisman Trophy.
TWO TIDE PLAYERS NAMED PLAYBOY ALL-AMERICANS: Alabama landed two players on the 2010 Playboy Magazine annual preseason College Football All-America Team. Mark Ingram was selected as a running back and Julio Jones was picked at wide receiver. Alabama has now had six Playboy All-Americans in the last three years after Andre Smith was chosen in 2008 and Rolando McClain and Javier Arenas were selected in 2009. This is Julio Jones' second straight year on the Playboy All-America team.
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: The Crimson Tide had six players earn preseason All-America accolades from various publications prior to the 2010 campaign. The list includes Mark Barron, Marcell Dareus, Dont'a Hightower, Mark Ingram, Barrett Jones and Julio Jones. Both Ingram and Julio Jones were selected to the Playboy Preseason All-America Team.
McELROY WINS ANSON MOUNT: Senior quarterback Greg McElroy was selected as the winner of the Anson Mount Student-Athlete Award by Playboy when the publication named its preseason All-America team. Playboy will send a check for $5,000 to the University of Alabama's general scholarship fund in McElroy's name.
SABAN AMONG THE BEST: Head coach Nick Saban's arrival in Tuscaloosa led to the Crimson Tide's rapid rise up the national rankings. That success in such a short period of time has impacted the Tide's record book. Saban produced the largest win increase from year one to year two in school history as Alabama went from seven wins in 2007 to 12 wins in 2008. He now has won 17 straight games with the Tide. Saban is one of two coaches (Bob Stoops, Oklahoma) in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) to have coached 10 years and never suffered through a losing season. Saban achieved more firsts in 2009 with back-to-back 10-win seasons and his first undefeated campaign. He ranks fourth in winning percentage (70.8 percent) among active coaches who have coached at least 10 years of FBS football. Saban is also one of two coaches (Urban Meyer, Florida) to win two BCS National Championships and the first to accomplish the feat at two different schools.
ALABAMA TIED FOR MOST WINS SINCE 2008: Alabama has won 29 games dating back to the start of the 2008 season, which is tied for the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Crimson Tide won 12 games in 2008, followed that with a perfect 14-0 record in 2009 and is off to a 3-0 start in 2010 after a win at Duke. Alabama is joined by Florida with 29 wins over the past two-plus years.
FIRST-TIME STARTERS FOR THE CRIMSON TIDE: A total of 19 Alabama players have made their first collegiate starts this season - 14 positional starters and 5 specialists. Three first-time starters have been on offense: LG Chance Warmack, RT DJ Fluker, RB Trent Richardson. There have been 11 first-time starters were on defense: DE Damion Square, DE Luther Davis, NG Kerry Murphy, Sam LB Chavis Williams, Will LB Jerrell Harris, Jack LB Ed Stinson, CB Dre Kirkpatrick, CB DeQuan Menzie, CB DeMarcus Milliner, FS Robert Lester and CB Phelon Jones. Five more have made starting debuts on special teams: deep snapper Carson Tinker, kickoff specialist and distance field goal kicker Cade Foster, punter Cody Mandell and placekicker Jeremy Shelley.
2010 OFFENSE PUTTING UP NUMBERS: Alabama returned eight starters from the 2009 offense that put together one of best seasons in school history. The Crimson Tide set a school-record with 5,642 yards of total offense, including 3,011 rushing yards (11th in school history) and 2,631 passing yards (5th in school history). The Tide also scored the second-most points in the 115-year history of the program with 448 (32.1 points per game).However, the 2010 Crimson Tide offense is off to an even better start. Alabama is averaging 542.0 yards of total offense per game to rank fourth nationally and first in the SEC. The rushing offense is ranked 13th at 250.67 yards per game (2nd in the SEC) while the passing offense is 19th at 291.33 yards per game (also 2nd in the SEC). The Crimson Tide is scoring 44.67 points per game to lead the conference and rank ninth nationally.
MILESTONES - POINTS, VICTORY MARGIN & TOTAL YARDS: Alabama's 62 points scored vs. Duke is the most in a game since a 62-0 win over Tulane on Oct. 12, 1991, and the most in a road game since a 62-27 win over Mississippi on Oct. 7, 1989. The 49-point margin of victory is the largest for Alabama since a 52-0 win over Western Carolina on Sept. 18, 2004. Alabama amassed 626 yards of total offense (315 rushing, 311 passing) against Duke, the most since gaining 644 against LSU in Baton Rouge on Nov. 11, 1989 (257 rushing, 387 passing). The 45 points scored in the first half by Alabama was the most scored by the Crimson Tide in any half since Sept. 15, 1973, when Alabama scored 45 points in the second half of a 66-0 victory over California at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.
RETURNING HEISMAN WINNER: Alabama running back Mark Ingram returned for his junior season after capturing the school's first Heisman Trophy on the 75th anniversary of the award in 2009. He missed the Crimson Tide's opening two games after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on Tuesday, August 31, just prior to UA's season opener but returned last Saturday at Duke. Ingram rushed for 1,658 yards and 20 total touchdowns in 2009 to become the first Heisman Trophy winning running back to also help his team win the national championship in the same season since Tony Dorsett in 1976. Ingram is also one of just six players to win the Heisman Trophy and a national championship in the same season since 1950. He is also the first Heisman Trophy winning running back to return the following season since Oklahoma's Billy Sims returned for his senior year in 1979. Sims won the 1978 Heisman Trophy, but finished second to Charles White of Southern California in 1979.
McELROY'S SENIOR SEASON STARTING RIGHT: Senior quarterback Greg McElroy has gotten off to a great start in 2010, showing a commanding presence as both a leader and playmaker for the Crimson Tide. The Southlake, Texas, native has completed 71.7 percent of his passes for 705 yards and six touchdowns with one interception while leading the nation in passing efficiency at 200.03.
Although McElroy's streak of 149 consecutive pass attempts without an interception ended last Saturday against Duke -- the third-longest streak in school history -- he has still thrown just six interceptions in 405 career pass attempts. That comes out to one interception every 67.5 pass attempts, which is the best mark in SEC history (Tim Tebow of Florida, 1:62.2).
McELROY EXTENDS STREAK: Greg McElroy has yet to lose a game as a starting quarterback at the University of Alabama. With the win over Duke, the Southlake, Texas, native has a perfect 17-0 mark over the last two seasons as a starter. In fact, dating back to his senior year at Southlake Carroll High School, McElroy has started 33 consecutive games and walked off the field as a winner each time. McElroy's last loss as a starting quarterback was in the eighth grade. McElroy's 17-0 start to his career is the second best in school history and he is currently the only Alabama quarterback to have never lost during his career as a starter (minimum 10 starts). It also ranks as the second-longest streak of consecutive wins by a starting quarterback in school history. Jay Barker owns both records, winning the first 22 games of his career from 1991-93.
INGRAM IMPRESSIVE IN RETURN: Junior running back Mark Ingram -- the returning Heisman Trophy winner -- quickly announced his presence in his first action of the season last Saturday at Duke. After missing the first two games of the season because of arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on August 31, Ingram tore off a 48-yard run around right end, shedding a tackler and stiff-arming his way down the sideline on the first play of the game. The native of Flint, Mich., had cracked the 100-yard mark on his third rush from scrimmage and finished with 151 yards on only nine carries while scoring two touchdowns.
Ingram's two rushing touchdowns against Duke gave him 31 rushing touchdowns in his career at Alabama. He is currently fourth in school history behind Shaun Alexander (41, 1996-99), Johnny Musso (34, 1969-71) and Bobby Humphrey (33, 1985-88).
INGRAM SURPASSES 2,500 CAREER RUSHING YARDS: Junior running back Mark Ingram rushed for 151 yards against Duke, moving him up the Alabama career rushing yards chart into 7th place with 2,537 yards in his career. Shaun Alexander (1996-99) is the Alabama career rushing yards record holder with 3,565 yards.
SCORING DEFENSE: The Alabama defense replaced nine starters from its 2009 national championship-winning defense that finished second nationally in all major defensive categories. The process, although still far from complete, has been a success to this point. The Crimson Tide ranks second nationally once again in scoring defense, surrendering just 6.33 points per game or 19 total points in three games. The 19 points is the fewest points allowed to open a season since Alabama's 1979 defense gave up only nine points in its first three games against Georgia Tech (30-6), Baylor (45-0) and Vanderbilt (66-3). The secondary, which was forced to replace 3 of 4 starters and six of its top seven players, has also fared well in the national rankings with the No. 2 pass efficiency defense (73.66) and the No. 11 pass defense (132.67 ypg). The rush defense has not put up the numbers of the past two seasons, but still is just allowing 120.67 yards per game, while the total defense is ninth nationally at 253.33 yards per game.GROUND DEFENSE: The Crimson Tide has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in an astonishing 37 games, dating back to Oct. 13, 2007, when Mississippi's BenJarvus Green-Ellis went for 131 yards. That is the longest streak in the nation, 11 games more than second-place Ohio State (26 games). Alabama was one of three teams not to allow a 100-yard rusher in 2009 and is the only team not to surrender a 100-yard rusher in 2008 or 2009. Over the 2008 and 2009 seasons, the Crimson Tide held 24 opponents to under 100 yards rushing with only LSU and Florida in 2008, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Auburn in 2009 and Penn State in 2010 able to crack the 100-yard barrier as a team.
FORCING TURNOVERS: Alabama's ability to produce turnovers in recent years has fueled the Crimson Tide's success. The Crimson Tide is off to a decent start in 2010 with six turnovers and five giveaways in the first three games. UA has intercepted five passes and recovered on fumble for a +0.33 turnover margin that ranks tied for 50th nationally. Alabama has forced 86 turnovers in 44 games under head coach Nick Saban (an average of 1.95 per game) while forcing 37 turnovers over the last 17 games. The Tide finished the 2009 season ranked fourth nationally in turnover margin at plus-19 (1.36 per game). The UA offense only turned the ball over 12 times (5 interceptions, 7 fumbles) in 2009. Alabama forced 24 turnovers in 2007 for a plus-4 turnover ratio and then recorded 25 turnovers and ended the season with a plus-6 turnover margin in 2008. Alabama has recorded at least one turnover in 39 of 44 games under Saban. UA is 33-6 under Saban when gaining at least one turnover. Alabama is 3-2 in games without a turnover over the last three seasons.
DEFENSE TOUGH ON THIRD DOWN: Third down defense has been crucial for Alabama over the past two-plus seasons. The Crimson Tide defense was strong on third down in 2009, ranking sixth nationally and allowing a 29.90 conversion rate (58 for 194). The Crimson Tide finished third nationally in third down conversion defense in 2008, holding opponents to a 28.14 percent (56 of 199) conversion rate. Alabama is strong once again in 2010, allowing just 13 third down conversions in 46 attempts (28.26 percent) to rank 19th nationally.
POINTS HARD TO COME BY AGAINST TIDE: Alabama has surrendered only one touchdown in 2010 and a total of 19 points in 12 quarters this season (three games). The Tide allowed a field goal to both San Jose State in the opener and to Penn State on Sept. 11 before giving up 13 points (all in the second quarter) at Duke. The Crimson Tide is second nationally in scoring defense at 6.33 points per game in 2010 after finishing second in scoring defense last season at 11.7 points per game. Over the last 31 games (start of the 2008 season), UA has allowed just 383 points or 12.35 points per game.
HIGHTOWER RETURNS: Sophomore linebacker Dont'a Hightower returns for his third season at the Capstone as the man in the middle of Alabama's complex defensive scheme. Hightower received a medical redshirt for the 2009 season after suffering a torn ACL in the fourth game of the season against Arkansas. An amazingly quick recovery returned him to the practice field with full contact during spring drills. Hightower, who played will linebacker during his first two years at UA, has moved over to fill the Mike linebacker role left by the departed Buktus Award winner Rolando McClain, who was the eighth overall pick of the 2010 NFL Draft. Hightower should also see time with his hand in the dirt on passing downs to take advantage of his pass-rushing skills. The Lewisburg, Tenn., native has 96 career tackles with 6.5 tackles for loss and nine quarterback hurries. Hightower has a team-high 16 tackles, a pass breakup and one quarterback hurry in 2010.
BARRON MAKING PRESENCE KNOWN: Safety Mark Barron is one of the most prominent safeties in the nation. The Mobile, Ala., native was a first-team All-SEC player a year ago, leading the league with seven interceptions while garnering third-team All-America honors. He registered 76 tackles to rank second on the Alabama defense in 2009. Barron led the SEC -- along with teammate Marquis Johnson -- in passes defended with 18 (11 PBU, 7 INT) and ranked tied for sixth nationally with 1.29 passes defended per game.
In 2010, Barron is off to a strong start as the leader of the Crimson Tide secondary. He is fourth on the team in tackles with 12 while recording one interception, one forced fumble, one quarterback hurry and one pass breakup.
THE ALABAMA/ARKANSAS SERIES: Alabama opens SEC play this week with a visit to Fayetteville, Ark., to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Crimson Tide lead the all-time series 10-8 (13-7 without NCAA rulings) after a dominating 35-7 win over the Razorbacks last season in Tuscaloosa. The Tide has now won three straight in the series and four of the last five contests. Alabama's last visit to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium came in 2008, a commanding 49-14 Crimson Tide victory. The Tide is 5-4 against Arkansas on the road, including a 3-4 record at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville and a 2-0 mark at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.ARKANSAS SERIES IN THE SABAN ERA: The Crimson Tide have been successful against the Razorbacks since head coach Nick Saban's arrival in Tuscaloosa. Many of the series highs for Alabama have come in the past three years under Saban. The Tide's aerial attack in the classic 2007 game posted series highs in passing yards with 327 from John Parker Wilson, receiving yards (172) and catches (9) from DJ Hall. In 2008, Saban's first and only trip to Fayetteville to date (LSU played Arkansas in Little Rock during his time in Baton Rouge), the Crimson Tide posted a series-high 49 points, in large part because of dominance on the ground with the Tide picking up a series-high 328 rushing yards. The Alabama defense was successful last season in making the Razorbacks' offense one-dimensional by holding Arkansas to a series-low 63 rushing yards while the Tide's Greg McElroy threw for a career-best 291 yards and three touchdowns. During Saban's three games against the Razorbacks while at Alabama, the Tide has a huge edge on the scoreboard with 125-59 edge.
SABAN VS. ARKANSAS: Alabama head coach Nick Saban is 6-2 all-time against Arkansas, with his only two losses coming in his first three years at Louisiana State. Both of Saban's losses to Arkansas came in War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Saban has never lost a game to Arkansas in Baton Rouge, Fayetteville or Tuscaloosa.
COACHING STAFF PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: The Alabama coaching staff recognized eight players of the week following a 62-13 win at Duke. Left guard Chance Warmack, running back Mark Ingram and wide receivers Julio Jones and Darius Hanks selected on offense while Dont'a Hightower and Nico Johnson garnered defensive accolades. Trent Richardson and Wesley Neighbors were the special teams player of the week.Warmack led an offensive line that cleared a path for 626 yards of total offense, including 315 rushing yards. Ingram led that rushing attack with 151 yards on nine carries for 16.8 yards per carry and two touchdown. He cracked the 100-yard mark on his third carry of the game after runs of 48, 3 and 50 yards. Jones spearheaded the passing game with five catches for 106 yards and a score while Hanks added three grabs for 51 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, linebackers Hightower and Johnson combined for 14 tackles while helping the Tide defense limit Duke to 13 points. Hightower had a team-high eight stops while Johnson has six.
Richardson returned Alabama's first kickoff for a touchdown since 2004 with a 91-yard burst in the second quarter. Neighbors, playing in just his second career game registered two solo tackles on special teams.
Trent Richardson and Julio Jones lead the way through three games with three player of the week awards.
SEC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Trent Richardson's 144-yard effort in Alabama's 24-3 win over No. 18/14 Penn State earned him SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors in week two. It is the only SEC Player of the Week honor for the top-ranked and undefeated Crimson Tide.
23 NATIONAL TV GAMES IN LAST 32 GAMES: The Arkansas game will be broadcast on CBS and will be the Crimson Tide's 23rd nationally televised game since the start of the 2008 season. In 2010, Alabama has had one game on ESPN and one on ABC. In 2009, UA played two games on ABC, including the BCS National Championship Game, and six games on CBS while ESPN broadcast two more Crimson Tide games. In 2008, Alabama had 10 of its 14 games broadcast nationally, including five games on CBS, three games on ESPN, one on ABC and one on FOX.
ALABAMA 32-1 UNDER SABAN WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF: With the win over Duke, the Crimson Tide is 32-1 when leading at halftime under head coach Nick Saban, including a 25-game winning streak. The only loss came against LSU in 2007 when UA held a 20-17 halftime lead before losing, 41-34, on Nov. 3, 2007, at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Crimson Tide is 2-5 under Saban when trailing at halftime and 2-2 when tied at halftime. The two wins when trailing at the half came in a 34-24 win over No. 7 Virginia Tech on Sept. 5 in Atlanta and a 24-15 victory over No. 9 LSU on Nov. 7. Alabama's two wins when tied at halftime came at LSU (Nov. 8, 2008) with a 27-21 victory and at Auburn with a 26-21 win on Nov. 27, 2009.
ALABAMA'S TV?RECORD: Alabama has compiled a 173-122-4 (.585) all-time record in 299 televised games. This does not include pay-per-view, tape-delayed or closed circuit telecasts.
OVERTIME RECORD: Alabama is 4-7 (.364) all-time in overtime games. In its last overtime game, the Crimson Tide defeated LSU 27-21 at Tiger Stadium on Nov. 8, 2008. Alabama has lost six of its last nine overtime games. The Crimson Tide is 4-6 (.400) in overtime games against SEC teams. Alabama is 2-4 (.333) in overtime home games. The Crimson Tide is 3-4 (.429) in single-overtime games.
NEW HIRES: The Alabama football staff features a new face in 2010 with the promotion of Jeremy Pruitt to assistant coach of the secondary. Pruitt joined the Alabama staff as Director of Player Development in 2007 after a successful stint as an assistant coach at Alabama high school powerhouse, Hoover. At Hoover, he served for three seasons as defensive backs coach with the final two as the defensive coordinator. He tutored a defense that helped the Bucs reach the Class 6A State Championship in 2004, 2005 and 2006, winning titles in 2004 and 2005. Pruitt served as an assistant coach under his father, Dale Pruitt, at Fort Payne High School from 2001-03.
TOP AIDES: Alabama's coaching staff has a wealth of knowledge across all levels of football. The nine-man Crimson Tide staff features a former head coaches at the Bowl Subdivision level in Bobby Williams (Michigan State). The staff also has six coaches that have spent time as assistant coaches in the NFL in Bo Davis (Dolphins), Jim McElwain (Raiders), Joe Pendry (19 years with multiple teams), Kirby Smart (Dolphins), Sal Sunseri (Panthers) and Bobby Williams (Lions and Dolphins). Alabama's coaching staff boasts 40-plus years of combined NFL coaching experience.
NICK'S KIDS: At Michigan State, head coach Nick Saban and his wife Terry started the "Nick's Kids" Foundation, which the Sabans have continued in Tuscaloosa. Since their arrival at the University of Alabama, the Sabans have helped raise over $1.5 million - including over $450,000 this year - for "Nick's Kids" and made a total of more than 140 donations to children's charities throughout the state of Alabama.
NFL DRAFT: The Crimson Tide saw seven players selected in the 2010 NFL Draft, including first-round picks Rolando McClain (eighth overall to the Oakland Raiders) and Kareem Jackson (20th overall to the Houston Texans). Alabama also had two more second-round picks in cornerback Javier Arenas (Kansas City Chiefs) and nose guard Terrence Cody (Baltimore Ravens). Offensive guard Mike Johnson went in the third round to the Atlanta Falcons while cornerback Marquis Johnson (St. Louis Rams) and Brandon Deaderick (New England Patriots) were taken in the seventh round. The Tide had eight more players sign free agent contracts, including Colin Peek (Atlanta), Eryk Anders (Cleveland), Lorenzo Washington (Dallas), Justin Woodall (Chicago), Cory Reamer (New York Jets), Leigh Tiffin (Cleveland) and P.J. Fitzgerald (New Orleans).
CRIMSON TIDE PLAYERS ON NFL ROSTERS: The Alabama football program was well represented in the NFL during the 2010 season with former players and coaches dotting league rosters. The Tide has 39 former players and coaches working in the NFL this season. Roman Harper is the only Alabama player on the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints. The Crimson Tide has 28 current NFL players. There are 13 former UA players and/or coaches serving as assistant coaches in the NFL this season, including Sylvester Croom (St. Louis), Freddie Kitchens (Arizona) and Richard Williamson (Carolina).
FRESHMAN ACADEMICS: Alabama's 2009 freshman class did more than just excel on the football field, the Crimson Tide placed 12 rookies on the 2010 SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll, by far the highest total in the SEC -- double the second-place team. Mississippi State was second with six while Mississippi had five and Kentucky had four. The Crimson Tide's 12 honorees equaled the total number of Arkansas (3), Tennessee (3), Florida (2), Georgia (2), Auburn (1), Vanderbilt (1) and LSU (0) combined. Alabama freshmen that made the list include: Kenny Bell, Chris Bonds, D.J. Fluker, Nico Johnson, Kendall Kelly, Eddie Lacy, A.J. McCarron, William Ming, Kevin Norwood, Trent Richardson, Chance Warmack and Kellen Williams. 
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