![2010 BCS Champ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/2010_BCS_Champ.jpg)
The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game was a
college football bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivi ...
to determine the national champion of the
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Arabic digit
In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...
, and was played between the
Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...
and the
Alabama Crimson Tide
The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...
. It was hosted by the
Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association
Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, created by the efforts of Charles Frederick Holder and Francis F. Rowland, is the non-profit organization that has annually produced the New Year's Day Rose Parade since 1890 and the Rose Bowl since 190 ...
at the
Rose Bowl Stadium
The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium located in Pasadena, California. Opened in October 1922, the stadium is recognized as a National Historic Landmark and a California Historic Civil Engineering landmark. At a modern capacity of an all ...
in
Pasadena, California, January 7, 2010. It was the 12th
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college fo ...
, and the second consecutive year the champion of the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...
(SEC) was matched against the champion of the
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
. Alabama got the win over Texas, 37-21, to complete a perfect 14-0 season and clinch the school's 13th national championship.
The game was the ninth meeting of Texas and Alabama, though the first since the
1982 Cotton Bowl Classic
The 1982 Cotton Bowl Classic was the 46th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Friday, January 1. Part of the 1981–82 bowl game season, it matched the third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide ...
. Prior to the game, Texas led the all-time series with a 7–0–1 record, with the first meeting in 1902.
The match-up was the third game in which the Tournament of Roses hosted the BCS National Championship game in Pasadena, and the fifth time, overall, that it has hosted a No. 1 versus No. 2 match-up. However, this was the first time the Tournament of Roses hosted the game as a separate event from the
Rose Bowl Game. They had previously hosted BCS Championship games in the
2006 and
2002 Rose Bowls, and pre-BCS No. 1 versus No. 2 match-ups in the
1969
This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon.
Events January
* January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco.
* January 5
**Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...
and
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...
Rose Bowls.
With the win, Alabama became only the third team to complete a 14-0 season (after Ohio State in 2002, and Boise State just three nights earlier in the
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been pla ...
).
ABC televised the game, as well as the
Rose Bowl;
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
televised the remainder of the BCS. The match-up was the final BCS game to air on broadcast television, with cable network
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
taking over all Bowl Championship Series telecasts starting in 2011. Following the game in June, Citi decided to end the sponsorship of any future Rose Bowl games, including the National Championship game.
Pregame ceremonies
Audra McDonald
Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four act ...
performed ''
America the Beautiful
"America the Beautiful" is a patriotic American song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two neve ...
'' prior to the teams taking the field, while
Flea
Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, a ...
,
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, wi ...
performed the
Star-Spangled Banner.
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and U ...
parachute jumpers,
Wings of Blue, dropped in before the National Anthem and 4 F-18 Super Hornets flew over at the conclusion.
Keith Jackson, long-time ABC Sports college football play-by-play announcer, performed the coin toss.
Teams
Texas wore its white jerseys and was situated on the east sideline, and Alabama wore its crimson jerseys and used the west bench at the Rose Bowl stadium.
The two programs that played in this game had won a combined eleven poll-era national championships. Texas had won four, most recently in 2005, and Alabama had won seven, most recently in 1992. Texas had participated in three previous BCS Bowl games and was only one of two teams who were undefeated and had played in at least three BCS Bowls. Alabama had played in two previous BCS Bowl games,
2009 Sugar Bowl
The 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 75th annual edition of the annual college football bowl game that is part of the 2008–09 bowl season of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The game was played on F ...
and
2000 Orange Bowl
The 2000 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Alabama Crimson Tide on January 1, 2000, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Michigan defeated Alabama 35–34 in a ...
losing both.
Texas was leading the all-time series with Alabama by a 7–0–1 count (2–0 in Austin, 2–0 in Dallas, 1–0 in Miami, 1–0 in New Orleans, 1–0 in Tuscaloosa, 0–0–1 in Houston).
Following this appearance by Texas, the next Big 12 team to reach a national championship game was the
2022 TCU Horned Frogs, in the
2023 edition of the championship.
Game summary
Alabama won the coin toss and elected to receive the kickoff. The Longhorns forced a three-and-out. Alabama attempted a fake punt, but
P.J. Fitzgerald
* Pajamas, or PJs
Arts and entertainment
* ''P.J.'' (film), a 1968 film starring George Peppard
* P.J. (Disney), Pete Junior, a Disney cartoon character
* P.J. (comics), a character in ''The Family Circus'' comic strip
* PJ (singer), Paris Ale ...
was intercepted by
Blake Gideon
Blake Gideon (born July 25, 1989) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently Special teams coordinator coach at the University of Texas. As a player, Gideon started all 52 games at safety during his college football career a ...
at the Alabama 36. Texas drove to the Alabama 11, but on 1st down,
Colt McCoy
Daniel "Colt" McCoy (born September 5, 1986) is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas, where he won several awards and honors as a senior in 2009. McC ...
(2008 Heisman trophy runner-up and 2009 Heisman Trophy finalist) was hit on QB option run by sophomore defensive lineman
Marcell Dareus, pinching a nerve in McCoy's throwing shoulder and leaving him unable to throw the ball accurately. McCoy was replaced by true freshman
Garrett Gilbert and would be ruled out for the remainder of the game. Texas reached the 1-yard line, but was held to an 18-yard field goal for an early 3–0 lead.
Julio Jones
Quintorris Lopez "Julio" Jones Jr. (; born February 8, 1989) is an American football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, and was drafted by the Atlanta Falco ...
muffed the following kick-off (a surprise short one), with Texas recovering at the Alabama 30. Texas was unable to get a first down, but chalked up a 42-yard field goal, giving Texas a 6–0 lead.
On the other hand, Alabama started working their offense. Alabama's offensive line was able to create holes in the Texas defense. Behind Alabama's offensive line, Alabama running back
Mark Ingram II
Mark Valentino Ingram II (born December 21, 1989) is an American football running back for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he was the first Alabama player to win the Heis ...
(2009 Heisman trophy winner) moved almost at will against a Texas defense. The power offense resulted in Alabama taking a lead it would never relinquish on the first play of the second quarter.
Mark Ingram II
Mark Valentino Ingram II (born December 21, 1989) is an American football running back for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he was the first Alabama player to win the Heis ...
scampered into the end zone for a touchdown behind the block of 360-pound defensive lineman
Terrence Cody
Terrence Bernard Cody, Jr. (born June 28, 1988) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football for the University of Alabama.. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft and pla ...
, who was routinely used by Alabama as a blocker when Alabama was close to the goal-line. This touchdown would give Alabama a lead it would not relinquish for the rest of the game.
Alabama took control of the game midway through the second quarter and Alabama's offensive line allowed freshman running back
Trent Richardson
Trenton Jamond Richardson (born July 10, 1990) is an American football running back for the Caudillos de Chihuahua of Fútbol Americano de México. He played college football for the University of Alabama, was recognized as an All-American, an ...
to shoot straight down the middle of the field for a 48-yard touchdown run. The PAT made the game 14–6 in favor of the Crimson Tide. McElroy was sacked four times by the Texas defense in the first half, but with Ingram II and Richardson both gaining yards steadily on the ground, Alabama rarely needed to pass.
The last few minutes of the first half were dominated by the Alabama defense.
Javier Arenas intercepted Gilbert to end one drive and Alabama's
Leigh Tiffin
Van Leigh Tiffin, Jr. (born August 3, 1988) is a former American football kicker. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Alabama. Named for his father, he is called Leigh to distin ...
added a field goal off the interception. After the ensuing kickoff, Dareus intercepted Gilbert with 12 seconds left in the half on a bobbled "shovel pass" and the 300-pounder returned the interception for a touchdown, with the point after giving Alabama a commanding 24–6 lead going into halftime.
In the second half, the Texas combination of Gilbert and Shipley, and a Longhorns defense that shut down Alabama in the second half cut the Crimson Tide's lead to 24-21 with six minutes to play in the game. However, the Crimson Tide's first sack (by
Eryk Anders
Eryk Ryan Anders (born April 21, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former American football linebacker. He competes in the Middleweight division of the UFC. He played college football at the University of Alabama.
Early ...
) led to a fumble recovery by
Courtney Upshaw
Courtney Tremaine Upshaw (born December 13, 1989) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama.
High school career
Upshaw a ...
at the Texas three-yard line that tipped the momentum back to the Crimson Tide. After the recovery, Alabama's
Mark Ingram II
Mark Valentino Ingram II (born December 21, 1989) is an American football running back for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he was the first Alabama player to win the Heis ...
added his second
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...
of the night and enabled Saban's team to extend its lead to 31–21. Alabama's defense intercepted Gilbert twice in the ensuing drives and the Crimson Tide's offense added another touchdown from
Trent Richardson
Trenton Jamond Richardson (born July 10, 1990) is an American football running back for the Caudillos de Chihuahua of Fútbol Americano de México. He played college football for the University of Alabama, was recognized as an All-American, an ...
for a final score of 37–21 (Tiffin's extra point attempt was no good). After the ensuing kickoff, Texas tried to mount a comeback drive, but Gilbert threw an errant pass that was deflected off of two Texas players and ultimately intercepted by Alabama
FS Tyrone King, effectively sealing the win and the national championship for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama Head Coach
Nick Saban
Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. (; born October 31, 1951) is an American football coach who has been the head football coach at the University of Alabama since 2007. Saban previously served as head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins ...
won his second BCS Championship, the only coach to do so with two different programs. Alabama also became the third team in Division I FBS history to finish a season 14–0, after
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
in 2002 and
Boise State who did it in the
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been pla ...
three nights earlier.
Pivotal plays
Besides McCoy being taken out of the game, the two most pivotal plays of the game came at the ends of the halves. With 15 seconds to go until halftime and Alabama leading 17–6, Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert tossed a
shovel pass into a crowd of Texas and Alabama linemen which bounced off the hands of Texas running back D. J. Monroe. Alabama defensive lineman Marcell Dareus, the same player who had knocked McCoy out of the game, gathered it in and powered 28 yards for a touchdown to give Alabama a 24–6 lead at halftime.
The other pivotal play was late in the fourth quarter. Texas had closed the Alabama lead to 24–21 on the strength of two touchdown passes caught by senior wide receiver Jordan Shipley and a No. 2 ranked defense that had held Alabama scoreless in the second half. Texas had the ball deep in their own side of the field with 3:04 left to play. Alabama defender
Eryk Anders
Eryk Ryan Anders (born April 21, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former American football linebacker. He competes in the Middleweight division of the UFC. He played college football at the University of Alabama.
Early ...
made his team's first sack, tackling Gilbert hard enough to force a fumble, which was recovered by
Courtney Upshaw
Courtney Tremaine Upshaw (born December 13, 1989) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama.
High school career
Upshaw a ...
at the Texas three-yard line. On the following drive, with 2:01 to go in the 4th quarter, Alabama's Mark Ingram II scored a touchdown to extend the Crimson Tide's lead to 31–21.
On the second play of Texas' next possession, Alabama defensive back
Javier Arenas grabbed his sixth interception of the season, electing to down the ball rather than return it. Alabama's true freshman running back,
Trent Richardson
Trenton Jamond Richardson (born July 10, 1990) is an American football running back for the Caudillos de Chihuahua of Fútbol Americano de México. He played college football for the University of Alabama, was recognized as an All-American, an ...
, gained 27 yards in three plays to score, building Alabama's lead to 37–21 with 47 seconds to play after a missed extra point attempt.
Texas' final drive also ended with an interception which bounced off of several players before ending up in the grasp of Alabama reserve defensive back Tyrone King, a senior who saw little playing time in his career. Alabama QB
Greg McElroy
Gregory Vincent McElroy, Jr. (born May 10, 1988) is an American football commentator and former quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) in the seventh round of ...
would
take a knee to drain the last 0:36 off the clock, handing Alabama its first BCS championship, eighth national title since 1960,
and first ever win over Texas.
Coming into the game, Texas had the top rated rushing defense in college football. However, Alabama's
Heisman Trophy winner
Mark Ingram II
Mark Valentino Ingram II (born December 21, 1989) is an American football running back for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he was the first Alabama player to win the Heis ...
rushed 22 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns, while back-up running back true freshman
Trent Richardson
Trenton Jamond Richardson (born July 10, 1990) is an American football running back for the Caudillos de Chihuahua of Fútbol Americano de México. He played college football for the University of Alabama, was recognized as an All-American, an ...
contributed an additional 109 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy was 6-for-11 for 58 yards and no touchdowns, taking five sacks in the process. It was later revealed that McElroy was playing with broken ribs. Texas' freshman quarterback, Garrett Gilbert, passed for 186 yards and two touchdowns, but also lost a fumble and threw four interceptions, two of which bounced off Texas receivers.
Scoring summary
Statistics
References
{{2009–10 NCAA Division I championships navbox
2009–10 NCAA football bowl games
2010
2010
2010
Sports competitions in Pasadena, California
American football in California
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college fo ...
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college fo ...
21st century in Pasadena, California