ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (5-0, 2-0 SEC) vs. GEORGIA BULLDOGS (4-1, 1-1 SEC)

 

POST-GAME NOTES – ALABAMA 41, GEORGIA 30

 

Saturday, September 27, 2008

 

Sanford Stadium (92,746) – Athens, Ga.

 

 

 

CRIMSON TIDE SETS MARK FOR MOST POINTS VS. GEORGIA

 

Alabama's 41 points tonight against Georgia is the most ever scored by a Crimson Tide team in the 65-game series against the Bulldogs that began in 1895.  The total eclipses the previous Alabama high of 36 points, achieved in a 36-0 win at Birmingham in 1905 and in another 36-0 win at Birmingham in 1923.

 

 

ALABAMA-GEORGIA SERIES

 

With tonight’s victory, Alabama leads the Georgia series 36-25-4, including a 12-7 edge for the Crimson Tide in Athens. Before Saturday night, Alabama’s last win in Athens came in 1995, a 31-0 Alabama victory.  The Georgia series is the third-oldest in Alabama history, dating back to 1895.

 

 

CRIMSON TIDE GAMES IN GEORGIA

 

With tonight’s victory, Alabama is 29-27-3 all-time in games played in the state of Georgia. The Crimson Tide owns a 16-15-3 record in the city of Atlanta, including a 34-10 win over Clemson in the 2008 season opener. Alabama is 13-10 in games played in Athens. Alabama is 0-2 in games played in Columbus.  Alabama has played two regular season games in the state of Georgia this season, against Clemson and Georgia. The 2008 season marks the third time in school history Alabama has played two regular season games in the state of Georgia. The Crimson Tide played at both Georgia and Georgia Tech in 1912 and 1942.

 

 

TOP 10 MATCHUPS

 

The Alabama-Georgia game was the 53rd time in school history the Crimson Tide has played a game when both teams were ranked in the Top 10.  The Crimson Tide has gone 29-23-1 in those games.  The Georgia game was the 32nd regular-season matchup in school history between Top 10 teams, including the third time Alabama and Georgia have both met as Top 10 teams.  The Crimson Tide is 19-12-1 in regular season games against opponents ranked in the Top 10.  Alabama’s resounding 34-10 win over then-No. 9 Clemson in the Georgia Dome on Aug. 30 was the Crimson Tide’s first win over a top 10 opponent since downing No. 5 Florida 31-3 in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 1, 2005.

 

 

FAST-STARTING TIDE

 

Alabama scored 31 first half points Saturday at Georgia and has outscored its opposition this season a combined 133-20 in the first half this season, including a 74-0 edge in the first quarter of its first five games. Alabama has shutout Clemson (13-0), Tulane (13-0), Western Kentucky (17-0), Arkansas (21-0) and Georgia (10-0) in the first period this year, and has a 59-20 edge in second-quarter scoring this season, outscoring Georgia 17-0 in the second frame tonight.

 

 

Alabama’s First-Half Scoring Advantage

 

Game                                     1st Quarter           Halftime

 

Clemson                                 13-0                         23-3

 

Tulane                                    13-0                         13-3

 

Western Kentucky                17-0                         31-0

 

Arkansas                                21-0                         35-7

 

Georgia                                  10-0                        31-0

 

Totals                                    74-0                        133-20

 

 

 

ANOTHER EXPLOSIVE FIRST HALF

 

The 31 points scored by the Crimson Tide in the first half on Saturday ranks among the most by Alabama under the direction of head coach Nick Saban.  The top scoring halves for Alabama under second-year head coach Nick Saban:

 

35            at Arkansas                            Sept. 20, 2008 (1^st Half)

 

31            at Georgia                              Sept. 27, 2008 (1^st Half)

 

31            Western Kentucky                                Sept. 13, 2008 (1^st Half)

 

28            Western Carolina                 Sept. 1, 2007 (2^nd Half)

 

27            Colorado                                                Dec. 30, 2007 (1^st Half)

 

24            Tennessee                              Oct. 20, 2007 (2^nd Half)

 

24            Western Carolina                 Sept. 1, 2007 (1^st Half)

 

 

ALABAMA SCORED ON ALL 5 OFFENSIVE POSSESSIONS OF THE FIRST HALF

 

Scoring on their first five possessions of the game, Alabama stormed to a 31-0 lead at halftime.  That continued a trend of quick starts by the Crimson Tide in 2008.  Tonight, Alabama took its first possession of the game in for a touchdown following the opening kickoff.  The opening-drive score was Alabama’s fourth this season in five games.

 

 

TIDE CONTROLS POSSESSION IN EARLY STAGES

 

An Alabama trademark this season has been its ability to control the line of scrimmage offensively and, consequently, control the tempo of the game.  This has been particularly evident in games with Clemson, Arkansas and tonight against Georgia.  In the first quarter of tonight’s game, Alabama outgained Georgia, 89-30 in total yards while controlling the ball for 11:19 of the period and garnering 10 first downs to Georgia’s 2.  Alabama had 18 offensive plays to Georgia’s 7 in the first quarter.

 

 

STINGY TIDE ALLOWS FIRST RUSHING TD OF SEASON – FIRST SINCE ’07 AT AUBURN

 

A 2-yard run by Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno with 1:16 left in the third quarter ended a stretch of 26 quarters of action without yielding points on the ground, spanning all four and one-half games this season and last year’s Independence Bowl victory over Colorado.  Moreno’s rush to the left corner of the end zone was the first rushing touchdown by an Alabama opponent was scored by Auburn on a one-yard plunge by quarterback Brandon Cox with 3:58 left in the fourth quarter on November 24, 2007 at Auburn.

 

 

PUNT BLOCK FIRST ALLOWED BY TIDE SINCE OLE MISS IN ‘07

 

Georgia’s Zack Retter partially blocked a P.J. Fitzgerald punt late in the third quarter, the first punt block allowed by the Tide since Mississippi’s Dustin Mouzon blocked an Alabama punt on October 13, 2007, at Oxford.

 

 

GEORGIA PUNT RETURN TD FIRST BY ALABAMA FOE SINCE 1996

 

The first play of the fourth quarter was a 92-yard punt return for a touchdown by Georgia’s Prince Miller, the first punt return TD allowed by Alabama since Vanderbilt’s Alvin Duke took one 88 yards for a score on September 14, 1996.

 

 

WILSON BEGINS GAME BY COMPLETING FIRST 7 PASS ATTEMPTS

 

Senior quarterback John Parker Wilson started tonight’s game with a hot hand, completing his first 7 pass attempts before an incompletion with 7:37 left in the second quarter.  Wilson was 7-for-7 for 100 yards to start the game.  Adding a touchdown pass to Julio Jones late in the second period, Wilson had completed 10 of 11 for 139 yards and a touchdown through halftime.

 

 

JONES SETS FRESHMAN RECEIVING TD RECORD

 

Freshman receiver Julio Jones hauled in a John Parker Wilson touchdown pass with 1:25 left in the second quarter tonight, his fourth touchdown catch of the season.  That sets an Alabama record for touchdown catches by a freshman.  The previous mark of 3 was shared by David Palmer (1991) and A.C. Carter (1999).

 

 

INGRAM SCORES 5^th RUSHING TD OF SEASON TO PUT ALABAMA UP 7-0

 

Freshman running back Mark Ingram opened the scoring Saturday with a 7-yard run for a touchdown with 8:28 remaining in the first quarter, capping an 80-yard, 11-play drive that consumed 6:28 following the opening kickoff.  The touchdown run was Ingram’s fifth of the season.  The Alabama record for touchdown runs by a freshman is 8 by Terry Grant, set last year.

 

 

TONIGHT’S CAPTAINS           

 

The game captains for Alabama tonight were tight end Nick Walker, safety Rashad Johnson and offensive lineman (center/guard) Antoine Caldwell.

 

 

ALABAMA’S TV RECORD

 

With tonight’s victory, Alabama has compiled a 170-113-5 (.599) all-time record in 288 televised games. This does not include pay-per-view, tape-delayed or closed circuit telecasts. The Crimson Tide owns a 145-95-3 (.603) record in 243 regular season televised games.

 

 

ALABAMA AS A RANKED TEAM

 

With tonight’s victory, Alabama has compiled a 358-127-10 (.733) all-time record when ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Tide’s initial appearance in the AP poll came during the poll’s inaugural year in 1936 when the 14th-ranked Crimson Tide beat No. 10 Tulane 34-7 in Legion Field.

 

 

ALABAMA VS. RANKED TEAMS

 

With tonight’s victory, Alabama’s all-time record against teams ranked in the Associated Press rankings (poll in existence since 1936) at game time is 111-112-7.  This includes records of 50-52-4 at home, 37-45-2 at road sites, 1-0 at non-bowl game neutral sites, 23-15-1 at bowl games and 56-65-0 against teams ranked in the top 10.  Alabama is 82-66-3 as a ranked team playing ranked teams.

 

 

NEXT GAME

 

Alabama returns to the friendly confines of Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, October 4, to face the Kentucky Wildcats. It will be the Crimson Tide’s first home SEC game after opening conference play at Arkansas and Georgia. Alabama owns a 33-2-1 lead in the series and has won two straight in the series (2003 & 2004). The Wildcats’ last victory over Alabama was a 40-34 overtime win in 1997.  The Alabama-Kentucky game will be televised nationally by CBS with kickoff scheduled for 2:37 p.m. CDT.

 

 

 -UA-