2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Team

The 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 117th overall and 78th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and its 20th within the SEC Western Division. The team was led by head coach Nick Saban, in his fifth year, and played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of twelve wins and one loss (12–1 overall, 7–1 in the SEC) and as consensus national champions.

After the completion of the 2010 season, the Crimson Tide signed a highly rated recruiting class in February 2011 and completed spring practice the following April. With seventeen returning starters from the previous season, Alabama entered their 2011 campaign ranked as the number two team in the nation and as a favorite to win the Western Division and compete for the SEC championship. However, Alabama lost to the LSU Tigers in their regular season matchup, and as a result did not qualify for the 2011 SEC Championship Game. Despite not winning their conference championship, when the final Bowl Championship Series rankings were released, Alabama had the number two ranking to qualify for the 2012 BCS National Championship Game. In the rematch against LSU, the Crimson Tide defeated the Tigers 21–0 to capture their second BCS Championship in three years.

At the conclusion of the season, the Alabama defense led the nation in every major statistical category, and was the first to do so since the 1986 season. Additionally, several players were recognized for the individual accomplishments on the field. Barrett Jones won both the Wuerffel Trophy and the Outland Trophy; and Trent Richardson won the Doak Walker Award, was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy and was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year. Also, seven players were named to various All-America Teams with Dont'a Hightower being a consensus selection and Mark Barron, Jones and Richardson each being unanimous selections. In April 2012, eight members of the 2011 squad were selected in the NFL Draft, with an additional six signed as undrafted free agents to various teams.

Before the season

After winning the BCS National Championship in 2009, Alabama fell short of preseason expectations in 2010 and finished with a record of nine wins and three losses at the conclusion of the regular season. However, they finished with a 49–7 victory in the 2011 Capital One Bowl against Michigan State, and secured Alabama's third straight ten-win season and their third bowl win in four seasons.

In February 2011, Alabama signed the No. 1 recruiting class according to Rivals and the No. 7 recruiting class according to Scout. Spring practice began on March 21 and concluded with the annual A-Day game on April 16. Televised live by ESPNU, the Crimson team of offensive starters defeated the White team of defensive starters by a final score of 14–10 before 92,310 fans in Bryant–Denny Stadium. For their performances, Barrett Jones earned the Dwight Stephenson Lineman of the A-Day Game Award and Trent Richardson earned the Dixie Howell Memorial Most Valuable Player of the A-Day Game Award.

In the weeks after the conclusion of spring practice, a pair of tragedies occurred that directly impacted the team. On April 27, 2011, an EF4 rated tornado devastated Tuscaloosa. As a result of the storm, long snapper Carson Tinker suffered a broken wrist with his girlfriend being one of the 43 fatalities attributed to the storm in Tuscaloosa. On May 12, 2011, offensive lineman Aaron Douglas was found dead in Fernandina Beach, Florida. The cause of death was subsequently ruled accidental as a result of multiple drug toxicity. After transferring to Alabama from Arizona Western College, Douglas struggled with off-field issues including a DUI charge following a December 2010 arrest. He started his career as a freshman All-America at Tennessee, before the Volunteers' new head coach Derek Dooley granted him a release from the program in Spring 2010.

By August, Alabama had a combined 31 players on 12 different preseason award watch lists. These included Mark Barron, Dont’a Hightower, Dre Kirkpatrick, Robert Lester and Courtney Upshaw for the Chuck Bednarik Award; Duron Carter, Darius Hanks and Marquis Maze for the Fred Biletnikoff Award; Hightower, Nico Johnson and Upshaw for the Butkus Award; Lester and Trent Richardson for the Walter Camp Award; Hightower, Barrett Jones, Upshaw and William Vlachos for the Lombardi Award; Michael Williams for the John Mackey Award; Richardson for the Maxwell Award; Barron, Hightower, Kirkpatrick, Lester and Upshaw for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy; Jones and Vlachos for the Outland Trophy; Vlachos for the Rimington Trophy; Barron, Kirkpatrick and Lester for the Jim Thorpe Award; and Richardson for the Doak Walker Award.

Between the conclusion of the 2010 season and the beginning of summer practice in August 2011, seven players transferred from the Crimson Tide. Those who transferred included Robby Green ( California University of Pennsylvania), B.J. Scott (South Alabama), Demetrius Goode (North Alabama), Petey Smith (Holmes Community College), Brandon Moore (East Mississippi Community College), Corey Grant ( Auburn) and Keiwone Malone (Memphis).

Coaching staff

Alabama head coach Nick Saban entered his fifth year as the Crimson Tide's head coach for the 2011 season. During his previous four years with Alabama, he led the Crimson Tide to an overall record of 38 wins, 11 losses (38–11) and the 2009 national championship. In the weeks after the Capitol One Bowl victory, several changes were made to the Alabama coaching staff. Defensive line coach Bo Davis resigned his position to serve as the defensive tackles coach for Texas, and the next day Chris Rumph was hired from Clemson, to replace him as the defensive line coach. On January 12, assistant head coach and offensive line coach Joe Pendry announced his retirement, and the following day former Miami interim head coach Jeff Stoutland was hired to replace him as offensive line coach. On January 21, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Curt Cignetti resigned his position to accept the head coaching job at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and on February 7, Mike Groh was hired as his replacement as wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator.

Analysts

;Offensive analysts
*Billy Napier
* Jeff Norrid
* Jody Wright
;Defensive analysts
* Dean Altobelli
* Russ Callaway
; Special teams analysts
* Joe Judge

Graduate assistants

*Derrick Ansley
*Glenn Schumann
* Kevin Garver

Roster

Returning starters

Alabama had 17 returning starters from the previous season, including ten on defense and seven on offense. The most notable departures from the previous year were defensive end Marcell Dareus, left tackle James Carpenter, tight end Preston Dial, quarterback Greg McElroy, wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Mark Ingram II

Offense

Defense

Special teams

Depth chart

Starters and backups.

Recruiting class

Alabama's recruiting class included eleven players from the "ESPN 150": No. 3 Cyrus Kouandjio (OT); No. 19 Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix (S); No. 22 Xzavier Dickson (DE); No. 38 Trey DePriest (OLB); No. 41 Bradley Sylve (WR); No. 53 Jeoffrey Pagan (DE); No. 75 Marvin Shinn (WR); No. 79 Demetrius Hart (RB); No. 82 Malcolm Faciane (TE); No. 137 Danny Woodson, Jr. (WR); and No. 140 Brent Calloway (ATH). Alabama signed the No. 1 recruiting class according to Rivals and the No. 7 recruiting class according to Scout. The football program received 14 letters of intent on National Signing Day, February 2, 2011. Prior to National Signing Day, three high school players and three junior college transfers of the 2011 recruiting class enrolled for the spring semester in order to participate in spring practice. These early enrollments included: nose guard Quinton Dial, offensive lineman Aaron Douglas and nose tackle Jesse Williams from junior college and linebacker Trey DePriest, quarterback Phillip Ely safety Vinnie Sunseri from high school.

Schedule

The 2011 schedule was officially released on October 19, 2010. In accordance with conference rules, Alabama faced all five Western Division opponents: Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss. They also faced three Eastern Division opponents: official SEC rival Tennessee, Florida, and Vanderbilt. Alabama did not play SEC opponents Georgia, Kentucky or South Carolina. The contest against Vanderbilt served as the 2011 homecoming game.

Alabama played four non-conference games. The game against Penn State was originally scheduled to be played as part of the 2004 season, however the series was moved back to this season at the request of Alabama due to fallout from NCAA sanctions being levied on the program. The non-conference schedule also included games against Kent State of the Mid-American Conference, North Texas of the Sun Belt Conference and Georgia Southern of the Southern Conference. Alabama had one bye week after the Tennessee game and prior to the first LSU game. On December 4, 2011, the final Bowl Championship Series standings were unveiled with a rematch between No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game. The Sagarin computer ratings calculated Alabama's 2011 strength of schedule to be the fifteenth most difficult out of the 246 Division I teams. The Cosgrove Computer Rankings calculated it as the twenty-ninth most difficult out of the 120 Division I FBS teams in its rankings.

In addition to the weekly television coverage, radio coverage for all games was broadcast statewide on The Crimson Tide Sports Network (CTSN).''2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book'', p. 207 The radio announcers for the 2011 season were Eli Gold with play-by-play, Phil Savage with color commentary, and Chris Stewart with sideline reports.

*Source: Rolltide.com: 2011 Alabama football schedule

Game summaries

Kent State

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The Crimson Tide opened the 2011 season at home against Nick Saban's alma mater, the Kent State Golden Flashes of the Mid-American Conference. In the meeting that was the first all-time against the Golden Flashes, the Crimson Tide won 48–7. After holding the Golden Flashes to a three-and-out on the opening possession, Trent Richardson scored the Crimson Tide's first touchdown on a one-yard run to give Alabama a 7–0 lead. After holding Kent State again to a three-and-out, Alabama responded with a four-play, 74-yard touchdown drive that featured a 48-yard Eddie Lacy reception and a 24-yard Marquis Maze touchdown reception from A. J. McCarron to take a 14–0 lead. The Tide scored their final points of the first quarter on a one-yard Richardson run to take a 21–0 lead into the second quarter. After only scoring on a 36-yard Jeremy Shelley field goal in the second quarter, Alabama led 24–0 at the half.

On the second Crimson Tide possession of the third quarter, Phillip Sims threw an interception to Norman Wolfe that was returned to the Alabama three-yard line. Two plays later, Kent State scored their only points of the game when Spencer Keith connected with Justin Thompson for a three-yard touchdown reception to cut the lead to 24–7. The Crimson Tide responded with touchdowns on the next two consecutive drives. Richardson and Lacy both scored on one-yard runs to extend Alabama's lead to 38–7 entering the fourth quarter. In the fourth, the Tide scored their final touchdown of the afternoon on a 49-yard Jalston Fowler run and their final points on a 32-yard Shelley field goal to make the final score 48–7. For the game, Alabama's defense was dominant in allowing −9 yards rushing and 90 yards of total offense against Kent State in the contest. On offense, the Crimson Tide had 482 total yards with three different running backs scoring touchdowns and Maze totaling 118 yards receiving on eight catches with one touchdown.

Penn State

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In what was the second consecutive meeting between the Crimson Tide and the Penn State Nittany Lions, and first at Happy Valley since 1989, Alabama won 27–11. Penn State took the opening possession down the field and recorded a 43-yard field goal by Evan Lewis to take an early 3–0 lead by using all 3 of their timeouts. Alabama took a 7–3 lead later in the first quarter after A. J. McCarron connected with Michael Williams for a five-yard touchdown reception to cap an 11-play, 69-yard drive. A 22-yard Jeremy Shelley kick extended the Crimson Tide lead to 10–3 early in the second quarter. Then after trading punts, Dre Kirkpatrick forced Andrew Szczerba to fumble the ball that was recovered by Alabama's DeQuan Menzie. Ten plays later, the Crimson Tide led 17–3 after a three-yard Trent Richardson touchdown run.

In the third quarter Shelley connected on an 18-yard field goal and Richardson scored his second rushing touchdown of the game midway through the fourth on a 13-yard run to give Alabama a 27–3 lead. The final points of the game came late in the fourth when Silas Redd scored on a one-yard touchdown for the Nittany Lions, and Rob Bolden converted the two-point conversion to bring the final score to 27–11.

Trent Richardson ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns while Eddie Lacy ran for 85. A. J. McCarron threw for 163 yards and a touchdown. For his seven tackles, interception and fumble recovery, Mark Barron was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week. The 107,846 fans in attendance were the most to ever see an Alabama squad compete on the gridiron, and the victory improved their all-time record against the Nittany Lions to 10–5. The outcome was also noted as the final career loss for Joe Paterno as the Nittany Lions' head coach.

North Texas

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In their meeting against the North Texas Mean Green, Alabama outgained their opponent 586 to 169 yards of total offense in Alabama's 41–0 victory. After a 26-yard Jeremy Shelley field goal gave the Crimson Tide a 3–0 lead, Trent Richardson scored their first touchdown of the evening on Alabama's second offensive possession to give them a 10–0 lead at the end of the first period. The Crimson Tide extended their lead to 20–0 by halftime after a 43-yard Eddie Lacy touchdown run and a 37-yard Shelley field goal in the second quarter.

North Texas opened the second half with a nine-play, 54-yard drive to set up a 42-yard Zach Olen field goal attempt. However, the kick was blocked by Robert Lester to preserve the shutout. Alabama extended their lead to 27–0 by the fourth quarter after Richardson scored his second touchdown of the evening on a 58-yard run. After Shelley missed a 42-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter, Richardson scored again with a 71-yard touchdown run on Alabama's next offensive possession to extend their lead to 34–0. Lacy scored the final points of the game midway through the fourth with his second touchdown of the evening on a 67-yard run to give Alabama the 41–0 victory.

Trent Richardson ran for a career-high 167 yards and three touchdowns and Eddie Lacy ran for 161 yards and two touchdowns and became the first pair of running backs to each run for 150 yards in a game. The shutout was the Crimson Tide's first since they defeated Chattanooga 45–0 in 2009 and improved Alabama's all-time record against the Mean Green to 4–0.

Arkansas

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After three consecutive victories to start the season, the Crimson Tide opened conference play against the Arkansas Razorbacks, and defeated them 38–14 at Bryant–Denny Stadium. Alabama scored first with a trick play on their opening possession. After driving to the Arkansas 37-yard line, Cade Foster lined up for a 54-yard field goal attempt. Alabama quarterback A. J. McCarron received the snap as the holder, and proceeded to throw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Michael Williams to give the Crimson Tide a 7–0 lead. The Razorbacks tied the game at 7–7 late in the first quarter when Tyler Wilson threw a ten-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Johnson. After an Arkansas goal line stand, Jeremy Shelley connected on a 20-yard field goal to give Alabama a 10–7 lead. On the ensuing Arkansas possession, the Crimson Tide scored when DeQuan Menzie intercepted a Wilson pass and returned it 25-yards for a touchdown to give Alabama a 17–7 lead at the half.

After holding Arkansas scoreless on their first possession of the third quarter, Alabama's Marquis Maze returned a Dylan Breeding punt 83-yards for a touchdown and a 24–7 Crimson Tide lead. On Alabama's next possession, Trent Richardson caught a screen pass from McCarron and ran it 61-yards for a touchdown and extended the Alabama lead to 31–7. The Razorbacks scored on the following possession when Wilson threw his second touchdown pass of the afternoon after he connected on a 19-yard pass to Cobi Hamilton. Eddie Lacy then scored the final points of the game late in the third on a four-yard touchdown run to give the Crimson Tide the 38–14 victory. The Alabama defense only allowed 17 rushing and 226 of total offense to the Razorbacks in the victory. For his 235 all-purpose yards and touchdown reception, Trent Richardson was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against the Razorbacks to 12–8 (15–7 without NCAA vacations and forfeits).

Florida

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In what was the first meeting as opposing head coaches between Nick Saban and his former assistant coach from both LSU and the Miami Dolphins, Will Muschamp, the Crimson Tide defeated the Florida Gators, 38–10 at ''The Swamp''. After receiving the opening kickoff, Florida scored their only touchdown of the game on their first offensive play from scrimmage. The Gators took an early 7–0 lead when John Brantley threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Andre Debose. Alabama responded on the following drive with Jeremy Shelley connecting on a 32-yard field goal to cut the Florida lead to 7–3. The Gators responded with what turned out to be their final points of the game when Caleb Sturgis connected on a 21-yard field goal. Alabama's Marquis Maze then returned the ensuing kickoff 70-yards to the Florida 29-yard line and the Crimson Tide tied the game at 10–10 seven plays later on a five-yard Trent Richardson touchdown run.

Alabama extended their lead to 24–10 at halftime with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns. Courtney Upshaw scored a defensive touchdown early in the quarter after he intercepted a Brantley pass and returned it 45-yards for the score. A. J. McCarron scored later in the quarter on a one-yard quarterback sneak to cap a ten-play, 61-yard drive. Late in the quarter, the Gators did have a scoring opportunity by driving to the Alabama 13-yard line. However, the Alabama defense sacked Brantley on consecutive snaps for a loss of 22-yards and knocked Brantley out of the game with an injury. Sturgis then missed a 52-yard field goal attempt and Alabama led 24–10 at the half.

After a scoreless third quarter, a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns gave Alabama the 38–10 victory. Richardson scored his second touchdown of the game with 12:25 remaining on a 36-yard run and Eddie Lacy scored the final points of the game on a 20-yard run. For the game, Alabama's defense was dominant in only allowing 222 total yards of offense, with the 15 rushing yards being the fewest ever allowed against Florida in their all-time series. Trent Richardson established a new career high for rushing yards in game with his 181 yards on 29 attempts. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against the Gators to 22–14 (23–14 without the NCAA vacation of the 2005 victory).

Vanderbilt

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For the 91st homecoming football game in Alabama history, the Crimson Tide defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 34–0 who made their first visit to Bryant–Denny Stadium since the 2006 season. After a three-and-out on their opening drive, Alabama scored their first touchdown of the evening on a six-yard A. J. McCarron touchdown pass to Brad Smelley to complete a ten-play, 77-yard drive. On the following drive Vanderbilt had an opportunity to cut into the lead, but Carey Spear missed a 47-yard field goal to keep the Alabama lead at 7–0. Spear missed a second field goal later in the second quarter from 38-yards, and the Crimson Tide responded with their second touchdown drive of the game. McCarron threw his second touchdown pass of the game to DeAndrew White on a five-yard reception to give Alabama a 14–0 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, Trent Richardson scored first on a one-yard touchdown run followed by a 39-yard McCarron touchdown pass to White on consecutive possessions. Following an unsuccessful extra point by Jeremy Shelley, Alabama led 27–0 entering the fourth quarter. Early in the fourth, DeMarcus Milliner intercepted a Jordan Rodgers pass and returned it 37-yards to the Commodores' 20-yard line. Three plays later, McCarron threw a 17-yard touchdown pass, his fourth of the day, to Darius Hanks to make the final score 34–0.

For the game, Trent Richardson ran for 107 yards to extend his streak of consecutive games rushing for at least 100 yards to five games. The defense was dominant in completing their second shutout of the season and only allowing Vanderbilt 190 yards of total offense. The victory improved Alabama's all-time homecoming record to 77–13–1 and their record against the Commodores to 59–19–4 (61–18–4 without the NCAA vacations and forfeits).

Ole Miss

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After Ole Miss took an early 7–0 lead, the Crimson Tide scored 52 unanswered points in their 52–7 victory over the Rebels at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium. The Rebels scored their only points of the game on their first possession. Jeff Scott scored on a one-yard touchdown run to cap a 5-play, 72-yard drive to give Ole Miss their only lead of the game at 7–0. Alabama responded on the following drive with the first of four Trent Richardson touchdowns of the evening on an eight-yard run to tie the game at 7–7. The Crimson Tide added ten points in the second quarter to take a 17–7 halftime lead. Richardson scored on a seven-yard touchdown and after Cade Foster missed a 53-yard field goal attempt, Jeremy Shelley connected for 24-yard field goal.

In the third quarter, Alabama put the game away with four touchdowns. After five consecutive A. J. McCarron passes gained 65-yards, Richardson gained the final eight en route to his third touchdown of the evening. On the next Alabama possession, Richardson gained 16-yards and then scored a touchdown on a 76-yard run, the longest of his career, for a 31–7 lead. On the first play ensuing Rebels possession, Courtney Upshaw forced a Randall Mackey fumble that was recovered by Ed Stinson at the Ole Miss 15-yard line. Two plays later, the Crimson Tide led 38–7 after Jalston Fowler scored on an eight-yard touchdown run. The final points of the quarter came on a ten-yard McCarron touchdown pass to Brandon Gibson, and the final points of the game came in the fourth quarter on a 69-yard Fowler touchdown run to make the final score 52–7.

Alabama's defense again had a strong performance in only allowing the Rebels 141 total yards of offense (28 rushing, 113 passing). Richardson set a new career high with his 183 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. For his performance, Richardson was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week. The 52 total points were the most Alabama had scored in a SEC game since defeating Vanderbilt 59–28 in 1990. The victory was their eighth straight over Ole Miss and improved Alabama's all-time record against the Rebels 45–9–2 (49–8–2 without NCAA vacations and forfeits).

Tennessee

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In the 2011 edition of the ''Third Saturday in October'', Alabama entered the game as a 30-point favorite over the rival Tennessee Volunteers. At Bryant–Denny, the Volunteers were looking for the upset after tying the game 6–6 at halftime; however 31 unanswered points resulted in a 37–6 Crimson Tide victory to extend their overall record to 8–0. The first half was dominated by both defenses with each only allowing a pair of field goals. Mike Palardy connected from 40 and 52-yards for Tennessee and Jeremy Shelley connected from 26 and 29-yards for Alabama.

After holding the Volunteers to a three-and-out to open the second half, the Alabama offensive responded with their first of three third-quarter touchdowns with a two-yard A. J. McCarron touchdown run. On the following Tennessee drive, the Alabama defense stopped quarterback Matt Simms on a fourth-and-one to give the Crimson Tide offense the ball on the Volunteers' 39-yard line. On the next play, McCarron threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Bell to extend the Alabama lead to 20–6. Trent Richardson then scored his first touchdown of the game on the following Alabama possession on a 12-yard run to cap a six-play, 63-yard drive. Cade Foster scored early in the fourth quarter with his 45-yard field goal, and after a Dont'a Hightower interception, Richardson scored his second touchdown of the day on a one-yard run to make the final score 37–6.

In the game, Marquis Maze had 106 yards receiving on five catches and McCarron set a new career high with 284 yards passing. For his defensive performance, Hightower was named both the Lott IMPACT Player of the Week and the SEC Defensive Player of the Week. The victory was Alabama's fifth consecutive over Tennessee and improved their all-time record against the Volunteers to 48–38–7 (49–37–8 without NCAA vacations and forfeits).

LSU

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Coming off their bye and in what was hyped as the latest " Game of the Century" in college football, the LSU Tigers defeated the Crimson Tide 9–6 in overtime. After a scoreless first quarter that saw the Crimson Tide miss two field goals, and another blocked early in the second quarter, Alabama took a 3–0 lead midway through the second on a 34-yard Jeremy Shelley field goal. LSU responded on their following possession by driving to the Alabama two-yard line and kicking a 19-yard Drew Alleman field goal as time expired to tie the game at 3–3 at halftime.

Just as the first half was dominated by both defenses, the second was no different with both Alabama and LSU only managing a pair of field goals. Alabama's came in the third on a 46-yard Cade Foster score and LSU's came in the fourth on a 30-yard Alleman score. In the overtime period, Foster missed a 52-yard field goal attempt and Alleman connected on a 25-yard attempt to give the Tigers the 9–6 victory. Both defenses held each offense to less than 300 yards of total offense with each having a pair of interceptions. With the loss, Alabama dropped to 4–8 all-time in overtime games and brought Alabama's all-time record against the Tigers to 45–25–5.

Mississippi State

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A week after their loss to LSU, Alabama traveled to Starkville and defeated their long-time rival, the Mississippi State Bulldogs