Alabama vs. Wisconsin - Postgame Notes
9/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
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GAME CAPTAINS: Alabama's captains for tonight's AdvoCare Classic were seniors Ryan Kelly and Reggie Ragland along with junior A'Shawn Robinson. The Badgers won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. Alabama received the opening kickoff.
FIRST TIME STARTERS: The Crimson Tide had seven students make their first career start in tonight's game, including three on defense and four on offense. The defensive players were Marlon Humphrey, Darren Lake and Shaun Dion Hamilton. The offensive players were Ross Pierschbacher, Dominick Jackson, Jake Coker and Robert Foster.
FIRST TIME PLAYERS: The Crimson Tide had some new faces on the field this evening. True freshmen Calvin Ridley, Ronnie Harrison, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Daron Payne, Shawn Burgess-Becker, Damien Harris, Lester Cotton and Dallas Warmack all saw action. In addition, redshirt freshmen Marlon Humphrey, Christian Miller and Keith Holcombe saw their first action. Transfer Richard Mullaney made his first appearance in a Crimson Tide uniform.
FIRST HALF POINTS: Following Derrick Henry's touchdown run of 37 yards, the Crimson Tide has scored in the first half of the last 104 games played, which is the longest streak in the nation. The last time UA failed to score in the first half was Sept. 29, 2007, when Alabama and Florida State headed into halftime tied, 0-0. The Seminoles won that game, 21-14. The Crimson Tide owns an 89-15 record during the streak.
SCORING STREAK CONTINUES: With Derrick Henry's 37-yard rush into the end zone on Alabama's second offensive drive of the AdvoCare Classic, the Tide has now scored in 184 consecutive games - the longest streak in program history.
ALABAMA'S TV RECORD: Alabama has compiled a 226-130-4 (.633) all-time record in 359 televised games (not including pay-per-view, tape-delayed or closed circuit telecasts).
79 NATIONAL TV APPEARANCES IN 95 GAMES: Following tonight's AdvoCare Classic matchup with Wisconsin, Alabama has participated in 79 nationally televised games since the start of the 2008 season, including every contest in 2014.
ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY: Alabama made its 33rd appearance on College GameDay and now owns a 21-12 record all-time when being featured on the popular pregame show. Under head coach Nick Saban, the Tide owns an 18-6 mark. The 24 appearances under Saban are four better than Oregon for the most College GameDay appearances since 2007.
BEATING THE BEST: With tonight's win over Wisconsin, the Crimson Tide is 32-11 (.744) against the Associated Press top 25, including a 17-6 (.739) mark against AP top-10 teams since the start of the 2008 season.
NEUTRAL SITES: With tonight's win over Wisconsin, Alabama is 77-48-4 (.613) in neutral site contests. The Crimson Tide played three neutral site games last season against West Virginia, Missouri in the SEC Championship and Ohio State in the College Football Playoff Semifinal game.
DOME OPENERS: Under head coach Nick Saban, Alabama has played in six season-opening games inside a domed stadium. In those six contests, the Crimson Tide is a perfect 6-0 record and a 212-98 scoring advantage over its opponents. Alabama has played two season openers inside AT&T Stadium, with the first game coming against Michigan in 2012 when the Crimson Tide rolled to a 41-14 win over the then-No. 8 Wolverines.
DOME SWEET DOME: With tonight's win over Wisconsin, the Crimson Tide is 18-7-1 (.731) in domed stadiums, including a 9-2 mark since 2009 and 10-4 in Coach Saban's tenure.
ALABAMA VS. WISCONSIN: The Alabama Crimson Tide and Wisconsin Badgers have played twice in the history of the two storied programs. The series is now set at 1-1 after tonight's 35-17 win by Alabama. The original matchup came in 1928, with the Badgers claiming a 15-0 shutout win in Madison.
ALABAMA VS. THE BIG TEN: After Saturday's game with Wisconsin, the Crimson Tide has played in 38 games in program history against the current members of the Big Ten Conference and owns a 25-13 (.658) record all-time in those contests.
SEASON OPENERS: With the win over Wisconsin, Alabama has compiled a 97-21-3 (.814) all-time record in season openers and is in the midst of a 14-game winning streak. Dating back to the 1977 season, Alabama is 35-4 in its last 39 openers and the Tide has posted a 22-2 opening day record since 1991. Tonight's game marked the 16th straight year the Crimson Tide has opened the season with a non-conference opponent.
OPENING DAY SUCCESS UNDER SABAN: Alabama has been dominant in season openers under head coach Nick Saban. The Tide is a perfect 9-0 under the ninth-year Alabama head coach and has won in impressive fashion. Alabama has outscored opponents 359-114 in those games and has outgained the opposition, 4,242-1,997. UA has averaged 39.9 points per opening contest under Saban and given up an average of just 12.7 total points per contest. Alabama has amassed 471.3 total yards per opener and surrendered only 221.9 yards per matchup.
TIDE 85-6 UNDER SABAN WHEN LEADING AT THE HALF: With the win over Wisconsin, the Crimson Tide is 85-6 when leading at halftime under head coach Nick Saban. Alabama had converted 36 consecutive halftime leads into wins before falling at Auburn on Nov. 30, 2013. The Crimson Tide had also converted 28 consecutive halftime leads into victories before seeing that streak snapped in 2010 against LSU.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
HOLDING OPPONENTS UNDER 300: Alabama held Wisconsin to 268 yards of total offense on Saturday. In head coach Nick Saban's 109-game tenure at Alabama, the Crimson Tide has limited opponents to under 300 yards of total offense 67 times.
RAGLAND STAYS CONSISTENT: Senior starter Reggie Ragland led the Crimson Tide defense with 12 tackles, the fifth time in his career that he has led the team in tackles. His other five games all came last season, including his career high of 13 which he put together in the overtime matchup with LSU in Baton Rouge.
ALLEN RECORDS CAREER MARK IN SACKS: Junior defensive end Jonathan Allen finished tonight's game two sacks, a new career high. His previous mark was 1.5 that he collected last season in the 59-0 blowout against Texas A&M.
HAMILTON SETS CAREER HIGH IN TACKLES: Sophomore linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton set a career high with six tackles on the evening. His previous high was two against Texas A&M a season ago. Hamilton also started his first career game this evening.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
HENRY PASSES THE CENTURY MARK AGAIN: Derrick Henry's 147-yard performance against Wisconsin pushed him past the century mark for the sixth time in his career. Last season, he rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries against Missouri in the SEC Championship. He also went for 111 on 20 carries with a score against Florida and 113 on 17 carries with a touchdown against West Virginia. As a freshman, Henry put together a Sugar Bowl game against Oklahoma that saw the first-year back go for 100 yards on eight attempts with a touchdown, while also collecting 111 yards on six carries with a score against Arkansas.
RUNNING BACKS MOVING UP IN RECORD BOOK: Both Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake made moves following their performances in tonight's contest against Wisconsin. Henry, who led the Tide with 147 rushing yards, jumped to 27th on the UA all-time list with 1,519 yards passing Dixie Howell (1,508 from 1933-34). With 77 rushing yards, Drake rose from 49th to 43rd on the UA all-time career rushing yards list with 1,164 yards.
CAREER HIGHS FOR HENRY: The three total touchdowns by Derrick Henry in tonight's contest mark his career high. His previous mark was two, which he had accomplished three times and most recently against Missouri in the SEC Championship. He also recorded 147 yards, eclipsing his previous high of 141 that he put together against Missouri in last year's SEC Championship.
HENRY DOMINANT IN LAST THREE GAMES: Junior tailback Derrick Henry has been impressive in his last three contests, all inside domes. Including tonight's games, he has amassed 383 yards on 46 carries for an 8.3 yards per carry average, while adding six rushing touchdowns in his last three outings. He has also collected 66 yards on four total receptions.
HENRY'S THRIVING IN DOMES: Derrick Henry has been on a tear inside domed stadiums during his career. He finished tonight's contest with 147 yards. For his career, he has compiled 593 yards on 72 carries with eight touchdowns on the ground, while also adding five receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown. Last season, he put together 95 yards rushing on 13 carries with one rushing touchdown. He also added two receptions for 54 yards in that contest with the Buckeyes. Prior to that, he put together a 20-carry, 141-yard performance with two touchdowns in the SEC Championship game against Missouri. Henry opened the 2014 season against West Virginia, putting together 113 yards on 17 carries with one touchdown. He ended his freshman campaign with 100 yards on eight carries and one TD while also adding one reception for a 61-yard touchdown in the Sugar Bowl against Oklahoma. He began his career inside a dome, rushing just once for -3 yards against Virginia Tech in the 2013 season opener.
HENRY SETTING ADVOCARE RECORDS: Junior running back Derrick Henry's 56 yard scamper to the end zone in the third quarter was the longest rush in the seven-year history of the AdvoCare Classic.
COKER SETS CAREER HIGHS: Senior Jake Coker started tonight's game and finished with a career-high in yards while tying his career high for completions. He accumulated 213 yards passing to move past his former high of 202 yards against Florida Atlantic last season. His 15 completions tied his previous high which also came against the Owls.
STARTING QUARTERBACK DEBUT: Jake Coker's 213 yards is the 10th-most by a Tide quarterback in a starting debut.
