Post Game Notes
9/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 11, 2010
Recap | Final Stats | Quotes | Photo Gallery 
GROUND DEFENSE: Alabama controlled the Penn State rushing game and extended to 36 games the streak in which the Crimson Tide has not allowed a 100-yard rusher, dating back to Oct. 13, 2007, when Mississippi's BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for 131 yards. That is the longest streak in the nation, 11 games more than second-place Ohio State (25 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 and Kentucky, Mississippi State and Auburn in 2009 able to crack the 100-yard barrier as a team.
| Team | Consecutive Games | Last Time It Happened (Opponent) |
| Alabama | 36 | Oct. 13, 2007 (Mississippi) |
| Ohio State | 25 | Sept. 13, 2008 (USC) |
NO. 1 ROLLS ON: The Crimson Tide entered the Penn State game with a No. 1 ranking in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls while Penn State was 18th by AP and No. 14 in the coaches' poll. With Alabama's win over 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 Florida in 1994.
BRYANT-DENNY STADIUM STREAK: With the win over Penn State, 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. 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.
Longest Winning Streaks at BDS
| Wins | Date Started | Date Ended |
| 57 | Oct. 26, 1963 | Nov. 13, 1982 |
| 20 | Nov. 1, 1941 | Nov. 11, 1950 |
| 18 | Sept. 28, 1929 | Sept. 28, 1935 |
| 16 | Nov. 23, 1957 | Oct. 12, 1963 |
| 16 | Sept. 6, 2008 | Present |
| 15 | Nov. 9, 1935 | Oct. 12, 1940 |
26 CONSECUTIVE REGULAR SEASON WINS: With the win over Penn State, Alabama has reeled off 26 consecutive regular-season wins dating 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 28-2 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 player 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.
ALABAMA TIED FOR MOST WINS SINCE 2008: With the win over Penn State, Alabama has won 28 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 2-0 start in 2010. Alabama is joined by Florida with 28 wins over the past two years.
TOTAL WINS (2008-present)
| Team | Wins | 2008/2009/2010 |
| Alabama | 28 | 12/14/2 |
| Florida | 28 | 13/13/2 |
| Boise State | 27 | 12/14/1 |
| Texas | 27 | 12/13/2 |
| TCU | 25 | 11/12/2 |
| Utah | 24 | 12/10/2 |
| Cincinnati | 24 | 11/12/1 |
| Penn State | 23 | 11/11/1 |
ALABAMA-PENN STATE SERIES: With the victory on Saturday night, Alabama now leads the series with Penn State by an 9-5 margin, including a 2-2 split in the four games in Tuscaloosa. Alabama's previous win over the Nittany Lions in Tuscaloosa came in a 6-0 win in 1984.
ALABAMA VS. THE BIG TEN: With the win over Penn State, Alabama owns a 14-9 (.609) record against the programs that currently make up the Big Ten Conference. Saturday's game marked the Crimson Tide's first regular season game against a Big Ten opponent since Oct. 27, 1990, when Penn State beat Alabama, 9-0, in Tuscaloosa.
SABAN VS. THE BIG TEN: With the victory over Penn State, Alabama head coach Nick Saban has compiled a 25-17-1 (.593) record against Big Ten opponents. Since leaving Michigan State Saban has only faced a Big Ten opponent three times (twice at LSU, once at Alabama), defeating Illinois 47-34 in the 2002 Sugar Bowl and losing to Iowa 30-25 in the 2005 Capital One Bowl prior to Saturday's game.
SABAN VS. PENN STATE: The win over Penn State evened Alabama head coach Nick Saban's personal record with the Nittany Lions at 3-3 through six games. While at Michigan State, Saban compiled a 2-3 (.400) record against the Nittany Lions of Penn State, an impressive mark considering Michigan State has only beaten Penn State a total of four times in program history.
ALABAMA'S TV RECORD: With the win over Penn State, Alabama has compiled a 172-122-4 all-time record in 298 televised games. This does not include pay-per-view, tape-delayed or closed circuit telecasts.
ALABAMA 31-1 UNDER SABAN WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF: With the win over Penn State, the Crimson Tide is 31-1 when leading at halftime under head coach Nick Saban, including a 24-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.
SABAN ERA 100-YARD RUSHERS AND RECEIVERS: With Trent Richardson's performance against Penn State, Alabama has had 23 100-yard rushers and eight 100-yard receivers over the last three-plus seasons since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa. Junior running back Mark Ingram has recorded 10 100-yard rushing games during his career while Trent Richardson has three 100-yard rushing efforts and Eddie Lacy one. Junior Julio Jones is the only current player on the roster with a 100-yard receiving game. Under Saban, Alabama has gone 20-1 in those 21 games (both Ingram and Richardson went for 100 yards against Texas). The LSU game on Nov. 7, 2009, marked the fourth time under Saban that Alabama has had a 100-yard rusher and receiver in the same game. The Texas game also marked the first time under Saban that Alabama has had two 100-yard rushers in the same game. It was just the 11th time in school history two players rushed for 100 yards in the same game and the first time since Kenneth Darby and Ray Hudson did it against Utah State on Sept. 4, 2004.
100-Yard Rushers (22-1)
| 246 by Mark Ingram vs. South Carolina (Oct. 17, 2009) | W |
| 218 by Glen Coffee vs. Kentucky (Oct. 4, 2008) | W |
| 173 by Terry Grant at Vanderbilt (Sept. 8, 2007) | W |
| 172 by Mark Ingram at Mississippi (Oct. 10, 2009) | W |
| 162 by Glen Coffee at Arkansas (Sept. 20, 2008) | W |
| 150 by Mark Ingram vs. Virginia Tech (Sept. 5, 2009) | W |
| 149 by Mark Ingram vs. Mississippi State (Nov. 14, 2009) | W |
| 144 by Mark Ingram vs. LSU (Nov. 7, 2009) | W |
| 144 by Glen Coffee vs. Auburn (Nov. 29, 2008) | W |
| 144 by Trent Richardson vs. Penn State (Sept. 11, 2010) | W |
| 140 by Mark Ingram at Kentucky (Oct. 3, 2009) | W |
| 134 by Terry Grant vs. Western Carolina (Sept. 1, 2007) | W |
| 126 by Glen Coffee at LSU (Nov. 8, 2008) | W |
| 121 by Glen Coffee vs. Houston (Oct. 6, 2007) | W |
| 118 by Trent Richardson vs. Florida International (Sept. 12, 2009) | W |
| 116 by Mark Ingram vs. Texas (Jan. 7, 2010) (BCS) | W |
| 113 by Mark Ingram vs. Florida (Dec. 5, 2009) (SEC) | W |
| 113 by Mark Ingram vs. Arkansas State (Nov. 1, 2008) | W |
| 111 by Eddie Lacy vs. San Jose State (Sept. 4, 2009) | W |
| 112 by Glen Coffee vs. Florida (Dec. 6, 2008) (SEC) | L |
| 109 by Trent Richardson vs. Texas (Jan. 7, 2010) (BCS) | W |
| 104 by Terry Grant vs. Tennessee (Oct. 20, 2007) | W |
| 102 by Mark Ingram vs. Chattanooga (Nov. 21, 2009) | W |
100-Yard Receivers (7-1)
| 185 by D.J. Hall vs. Tennessee (Oct. 20, 2007) | W |
| 172 by D.J. Hall at Arkansas (Sept. 15, 2007) | W |
| 140 by D.J. Hall at Mississippi (Oct. 13, 2007) | W |
| 128 by Julio Jones at LSU (Nov. 8, 2008) | W |
| 124 by Julio Jones vs. Florida (Dec. 6, 2008) (SEC) | L |
| 103 by Julio Jones at Tennessee (Oct. 25, 2008) | W |
| 102 by Julio Jones vs. LSU (Nov. 7, 2009) | W |
| 100 by Mike McCoy vs. Florida International (Sept. 12, 2009) | W |
100-Yard Rusher/Receiver in Same Game (3-1)
| Tennessee (Oct. 20, 2007) | W | 104 by Terry Grant and 185 by D.J. Hall |
| vs. Florida (Dec. 6, 2008) (SEC Champ.) | L | 112 by Glen Coffee and 124 by Julio Jones |
| Florida International (Sept. 12, 2009) | W | 118 by Trent Richardson and 100 by Mike McCoy |
| LSU (Nov. 7, 2009) | W | 144 by Mark Ingram and 102 by Julio Jones |
TIDE FLAGGED FOR RARE HOLDING PENALTY: Alabama's first scoring drive was briefly hindered by an offensive holding penalty charged to center Chance Warmack, negating a 5-yard run by quarterback Greg McElroy that would have moved the Tide to Penn State's 21 with just under nine minutes remaining in the first quarter. The penalty moved Alabama back to the PSU 36, from where they scored on a pass from McElroy to Kevin Norwood for a 7-0 lead. The penalty marked the first time in 42+ quarters that Alabama had played without being assessed an offensive holding call. Prior to that, the Alabama offensive line's last holding penalty came in the middle of the second quarter of the Kentucky game on Oct. 3, 2009, when left tackle James Carpenter was flagged. The streak spanned 10 complete games and roughly 645 minutes of game action.
RICHARDSON KEYS RUSHING ATTACK: Sophomore running back Trent Richardson provided a series of explosive, tough runs against Penn State as he accounted for 102 rushing yards on 13 carries before halftime, finishing with a career-high 144 yards on 22 carries while scoring two touchdowns. With those totals, Richardson is the first rusher to eclipse 100 yards on the ground against the Penn State defense since Iowa's Shonn Greene gained 117 yards on 28 carries on Nov. 8, 2008 - a span of 17 games played without the Nittany Lions yielded that to a single back.
LESTER'S LONG FUMBLE RETURN FOR NAUGHT: Sophomore free safety Robert Lester grabbed a Penn State fumble at the Alabama 9-yard line and returned it 75 yards before being stripped of possession at the Penn State 16 before Tide cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick picked up the rolling ball on the PSU two and was stripped of possession there where State recovered with 11:00 left in the second quarter. The play ended up costing PSU 89 yards of field position overall. Lester's return is believed to be the longest fumble return in Alabama history. It is definitely the longest fumble return by a Crimson Tide player since Gerald Dixon returned a fumble 66 yards for a touchdown against Tennessee on Oct. 26, 2002.
NORWOOD MAKES FIRST CAREER CATCH A BIG ONE: Redshirt freshman wide receiver Kevin Norwood made his first collegiate reception a memorable one, grabbing a Greg McElroy pass and turning it into a 36-yard touchdown catch to put Alabama in front of Penn State, 7-0, with 8:35 remaining in the first quarter.
DIAL-ING UP A TOUCHDOWN: Senior tight end Preston Dial caught a 14-yard pass from Greg McElroy to cap a 97-yard drive in nine plays that gave Alabama a 14-0 lead over Penn State with 14:55 left in the second quarter. The play, the first from scrimmage in the second quarter, was Dial's first career touchdown reception and the 20th career touchdown pass for McElroy.
McELROY PASSES 3,000-YARD MARK: Senior quarterback Greg McElroy completed 16 of 24 pass attempts for 229 yards and two touchdowns. That yardage moved McElroy past 3,000 career passing yards at Alabama with 3,151. McElroy is closing in on the top 10 on the Alabama career passing yards list. Tyler Watts (1999-2002) currently ranks 10th on the list with 3,540 career passing yards.
SHELLEY MAKES FIRST FIELD GOAL: Crimson Tide sophomore placekicker Jeremy Shelley's 31-yard field goal with3:54 remaining in the second quarter was the first of Shelley's Alabama career. It gave the Tide a 17-0 lead over Penn State.
LOWREY'S 1ST PICK ENDS PENN STATE THREAT: Sophomore safety Will Lowrey ended a Penn State scoring threat with an interception of a Rob Bolden pass at the Alabama 3-yard line with 3:59 to play in the first period. The theft, Lowrey's first in an Alabama uniform, came on a third-and-8 play from the Tide 20-yard line. Bolden was hurried by a Tide blitz and tossed a floater that Lowrey ran across the field to haul in as he fell to the ground.
NOTABLE: Tonight's Alabama game captains were wide receiver Julio Jones, tight end Preston Dial and linebacker Dont'a Hightower ... Alabama won the opening coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff.
NEXT GAME: Alabama makes its first road trip of the 2010 season with a visit to Durham, N.C., to take on the Duke Blue Devils at 2:30 p.m. (CDT) on Saturday, Sept. 18. It will be the fourth meeting between the two schools but the first trip to Durham for the Tide. UA has won the last two meetings that include a 30-14 win in Tuscaloosa in 2006 and a 35-12 victory in Birmingham in 1972. Duke's only win in the series came at the conclusion of the 1944 season with at 29-26 victory in the 1945 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
