Football Hosts Chattanooga in Final Home Game of 2013
11/18/2013 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 18, 2013
RANKINGS: Alabama enters week 13 of the 2013 season ranked first in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings, the Associated Press and USA TODAY Coaches polls. Chattanooga is ranked 18th in the FCS Coaches poll.
CHATTANOOGA: The Mocs enter the game with an 8-3 overall record and a 6-2 mark in Southern Conference play. Chattanooga is led by fifth-year head coach Russ Huesman and is coming off of a 17-14 overtime loss against Samford in Birmingham last weekend. Jacob Huesman is Chattanooga's starting quarterback and leads the team with 1,637 yards passing and 894 yards rushing. He is averaging 230.1 yards of total offense per game while accounting for 25 touchdowns, 16 through the air. The Mocs running back Keon Williams is next with 687 rushing yards and nine scores. Faysal Shafatt is the team's leading receiver with 308 yards on 33 receptions with six touchdowns.
ALABAMA-CHATTANOOGA SERIES: Alabama has won all 11 meetings with Chattanooga, including a 45-0 conquest in 2009 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The series dates back to the 1908 season with the Crimson Tide taking the inaugural game 23-6 on Oct. 31, 1908. The Tide notched four straight shutout wins over the Mocs in 1914 (63-0), 1929 (46-0), 1931 (39-0) and 1950 (27-0). Alabama's 46-0 win over Chattanooga on Oct. 12, 1929, was the third game ever played at the Tide's Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Mocs were also coached that day by Harold "Red" Drew, who later served as Alabama's head coach from 1947-54. Drew compiled a 13-5-2 record in 1929-30 at Chattanooga. He was 54-28-7 in his tenure with the Crimson Tide. The 1950 game was the first game in the series to be played at Birmingham's Legion Field. The Tide posted a 42-28 win in 1952 and a 21-14 victory in 1953. The Tide added another shutout with the win in 1959. The two teams also met at Legion Field in 1991 and 1994, with the Tide posting a 53-7 win over Chattanooga in 1991 and 42-13 in 1994.
HISTORICAL CONNECTIONS: Harold "Red" Drew is one of three former Alabama players or coaches to coach at Chattanooga. Frank Thomas, who led Alabama to a 146-115-24 record and two national championships from 1931-46, also coached the Mocs from 1925-28 and compiled a 26-9-2 record in four seasons. Drew and Thomas led the Mocs to three consecutive Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) championships in 1927, 1928 and 1929. Another former UA player and assistant coach Bill Oliver was the head coach at Chattanooga from 1980-83, where he compiled a 29-14-1 record. Thomas, Drew and Oliver are the three winningest coaches in Chattanooga history, in terms of winning percentage. In addition, Thomas is among seven coaches who have coached for and against Alabama in their careers. The complete list includes Eli Abbott, Paul "Bear" Bryant, Bill Curry, "Red" Drew, G.H. Harvey, Nick Saban and Stallings.
NEXT GAME: Alabama travels to The Plains to face sixth-ranked Auburn (9-1, 6-1 SEC) in the regular-season finale. The top-ranked Tide has won two straight in the series, two straight in Auburn and four of the last five meetings. The winner will clinch the SEC West title and advance to the SEC Championship game in Atlanta.
