2007 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
2007 Alabama Crimson Tide football | |
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Independence Bowl champion | |
Independence Bowl, W 30–24 vs. Colorado | |
Conference | Southeastern Conference |
Western Division | |
Record | 2–6, 5 wins vacated (1–4 SEC, 3 wins vacated) |
Head coach |
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Offensive coordinator | Major Applewhite (1st season) |
Offensive scheme | Pro-style |
Defensive coordinator | Kevin Steele (1st season) |
Base defense | 3–4 |
Home stadium | Bryant–Denny Stadium (Capacity: 92,138) |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 12 Tennessee xy | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 2 Georgia x% | 6 | – | 2 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 13 Florida | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Carolina | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kentucky | 3 | – | 5 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vanderbilt | 2 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Western Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 1 LSU x$# | 6 | – | 2 | 12 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 15 Auburn | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arkansas | 4 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mississippi State | 4 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alabama | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ole Miss | 0 | – | 8 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Championship: LSU 21, Tennessee 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AP Poll
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The 2007 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama for the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tide was led by its new head coach Nick Saban, the former head coach of rival LSU. Despite a strong 6–2 start, they finished the season by losing four of their final five games. The team closed the regular season at 6–6 (4–4, SEC) and lost for a sixth-straight time to rival Auburn. The Tide defeated Colorado in the 2007 Independence Bowl 30–24 to finish the season at a 7–6. After an investigation by the NCAA, five wins by Alabama were vacated from the 2007 season, adjusting official NCAA records to show the Crimson Tide as having a 2–6 record for the season.
Before the season
The Crimson Tide completed a 6–6 regular season record.[1] Following their loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl, head coach Mike Shula was fired on November 27, after four years.[2] Athletic director Mal Moore announced defensive coordinator Joe Kines as interim head coach for the Independence Bowl,[2] against Oklahoma State, which the Tide lost 34–31, finishing with a 6–7 record.[1]
Returning starters
Eighteen starters returned from the previous season, including nine on offense, five on defense, and four on special teams.[3] The most notable departures were Kenneth Darby and Le'Ron McClain on offense, and Dominic Lee, Jeremy Clark, Juwan Simpson, Terrence Jones, Jeffrey Dukes, and Ramzee Robinson on defense.[3]
The Crimson Tide offense returned all three quarterbacks, including starter
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Fullbacks
Wide receivers
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Tight ends
Offensive line
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Defensive line
Linebackers
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Defensive backs
Safeties
Punters
Kickers
Long snappers
Athletes
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Reference:[4] |
Recruiting class
Alabama's
US college sports recruiting information for 2007 recruits | ||||||
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Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40‡ | Commit date |
Josh Chapman DT |
Hoover, AL | Hoover High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | 4.90 | Feb 6, 2007 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 71 | ||||||
Patrick Crump OL |
Hoover, AL | Hoover High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 285 lb (129 kg) | 5.0 | Sep 13, 2006 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 74 | ||||||
Luther Davis DT |
West Monroe, Louisiana | West Monroe High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 254 lb (115 kg) | 4.8 | Jan 26, 2007 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 79 | ||||||
Jeremy Elder DE |
College Park, Georgia | North Clayton High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 270 lb (120 kg) | 4.9 | Feb 4, 2007 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 73 | ||||||
Nick Fanuzzi QB |
San Antonio, Texas | Winston Churchill High School
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6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 4.6 | Jan 22, 2007 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 78 | ||||||
Tarence Farmer DB |
Houston, Texas | St. Pius X High School
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6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 4.4 | Jan 22, 2007 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 77 | ||||||
Nick Gentry DT |
Prattville, AL | Prattville High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | 4.8 | Aug 6, 2006 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 78 | ||||||
Brandon Gibson WR |
Mobile, AL | UMS-Wright Preparatory School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 4.5 | Feb 7, 2007 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 79 | ||||||
Demetrius Goode RB |
Chatham, Virginia | Hargrave Military Academy | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 4.5 | Jan 28, 2007 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 79 | ||||||
Jeramie Griffin RB |
Batesville, Mississippi | South Panola High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | 4.5 | Jan 28, 2007 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 77 | ||||||
Darius Hanks WR |
Norcross, Georgia | Norcross High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 168 lb (76 kg) | 4.6 | Jan 29, 2007 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 71 | ||||||
Jennings Hester LB |
Atlanta, Georgia | Marist School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 228 lb (103 kg) | 4.7 | Jun 13, 2006 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 72 | ||||||
Kareem Jackson DB |
Fork Union, Virginia | Fork Union Military Academy | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 4.5 | Jan 22, 2007 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 40 | ||||||
Chris Lett DB |
Pensacola, Florida | Pensacola High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 4.5 | May 25, 2006 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 77 | ||||||
Marquis Maze WR |
Tarrant, AL | Tarrant High School | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | 4.4 | Feb 7, 2007 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 79 | ||||||
Rolando McClain LB |
Decatur, AL | Decatur High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | 4.6 | Jun 21, 2006 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 79 | ||||||
Alfred McCullough DT |
Athens, AL | Athens High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 297 lb (135 kg) | 4.9 | Jul 9, 2006 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 76 | ||||||
Kerry Murphy DT |
Hoover, AL | Hoover High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 315 lb (143 kg) | 5.1 | Jan 14, 2007 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 81 | ||||||
Michael Ricks DB |
Booneville, Mississippi | Northeast Mississippi Community College | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 4.4 | Feb 7, 2007 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
Jamar Taylor RB |
Lakeland, Florida | Lakeland Senior High School
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5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 204 lb (93 kg) | 4.7 | Jun 7, 2006 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 75 | ||||||
Chris Underwood TE |
Vestavia Hills, AL | Vestavia Hills High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 202 lb (92 kg) | – | Jan 28, 2007 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 40 | ||||||
William Vlachos OL |
Mountain Brook, AL | Mountain Brook High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 287 lb (130 kg) | 5.1 | Sep 13, 2006 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 80 | ||||||
Alex Watkins DE |
Brownsville, Tennessee | Haywood High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 4.7 | Jun 18, 2006 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 77 | ||||||
Chavis Williams DE |
Dora, AL | Dora High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 4.6 | Feb 2, 2007 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 75 | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 22 Rivals: 10 ESPN: 17 | ||||||
Sources:
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Schedule
The
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, Georgia, and Vanderbilt.[12] Alabama did not play SEC opponents Florida, Kentucky and South Carolina.[12] Alabama also played four non-conference games. The non-conference schedule included games against Western Carolina of the Southern Conference, Florida State of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Houston of Conference USA and Louisiana–Monroe of the Sun Belt Conference.[13] For the 2007 Independence Bowl, Alabama played Colorado of the Big 12 Conference.[14]
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
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September 1 | 6:00 p.m. | Western Carolina* | PPV | W 52–6 (vacated) | 92,138 | ||
September 8 | 11:30 a.m. | at Vanderbilt | LFS | W 24–10 (vacated) | 39,773 | ||
September 15 | 5:45 p.m. | No. 16 Arkansas |
| ESPN | W 41–38 (vacated) | 92,138 | |
September 22 | 6:45 p.m. | No. 22 Georgia | No. 16 |
| ESPN | L 23–26 OT | 92,138 |
September 29 | 4:00 p.m. | vs. Florida State* | No. 22 | CBS | L 14–21 | 85,412 | |
October 6 | 2:00 p.m. | Houston* |
| PPV | W 30–24 (vacated) | 92,138 | |
October 13 | 11:30 a.m. | at Ole Miss | LFS | W 27–24 (vacated) | 59,791 | ||
October 20 | 11:30 a.m. | No. 20 Tennessee |
| LFS | W 41–17 | 92,138 | |
November 3 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 3 LSU | No. 17 |
| CBS | L 34–41 | 92,138 |
November 10 | 11:30 a.m. | at Mississippi State | No. 21 | LFS | L 12–17 | 56,188 | |
November 17 | 1:30 p.m. | Louisiana–Monroe* |
| PPV | L 14–21 | 92,138 | |
November 24 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 25 Auburn | ESPN | L 10–17 | 87,451 | ||
December 30 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Colorado* | ESPN | W 30–24 | 47,043 | ||
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Rankings
Week | ||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
Harris | Not released | 22 | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 17 | 22 | RV | — | — | — | Not released | |||
BCS | Not released | — | 24 | 17 | 22 | — | — | — | — | Not released |
Coaching staff
On January 3, 2007, Alabama announced that Nick Saban was hired from the Miami Dolphins to serve as the program's 27th head coach.[15] In the weeks that followed, Saban worked to fill his staff. The first hires came on January 9 with Kirby Smart hired from the Dolphins to serve as defensive coordinator; Kevin Steele from Florida State to serve as head defensive coach; and Lance Thompson from Central Florida to serve as linebackers coach.[16] On January 11, Joe Pendry of the Houston Texans was hired to serve as an assistant head and linebackers coach.[17] On January 12 Saban hired two more assistants. Ron Middleton was hired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to serve as both the tight ends and special teams coach and Bo Davis from the Dolphins was hired as defensive line coach.[18] On January 13 Major Applewhite was hired from Rice to serve as both offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.[19] On January 16 Burton Burns was hired from Clemson to serve as both associate head and running backs coach.[20] On February 19 Curt Cignetti was hired from NC State to serve as both receivers coach and recruiting coordinator to fill the final position on Saban's inaugural coaching staff.[21]
Name | Position | Year at Alabama |
Alma Mater (Year)
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Nick Saban | Head coach | 1st | Kent State (1973) |
Burton Burns | Associate head coach Running Backs |
1st | Nebraska (1976) |
Joe Pendry | Assistant head coach- Offense / Offensive Line |
1st | West Virginia (1969) |
Kirby Smart | Assistant Head Coach- Defense /Secondary | 1st | Georgia (1999) |
Major Applewhite | quarterbacks |
1st | Texas (2002) |
Kevin Steele | Defensive coordinator/inside linebackers | 1st | Tennessee (1981) |
Curt Cignetti | Recruiting Coordinator |
1st | West Virginia (1983) |
Ron Middleton | Tight Ends /special teams |
1st | Auburn (1985) |
Bo Davis | Defensive line | 1st | LSU (1993) |
Lance Thompson | Outside Linebackers | 1st | The Citadel (1987)
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Scott Cochran | Strength and Conditioning | 1st | LSU (2001) |
Reference:[22]
Game summaries
Western Carolina
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The Nick Saban era commenced before a sold-out, home crowd of 92,138 by defeating the
Bama continued the scoring in the third quarter with another pair of touchdowns. The first came on a one-yard Glen Coffee run and the second on a one-yard touchdown pass from Greg McElroy to Nick Walker.[26] After a second Parsons field goal for Western Carolina, Alabama scored touchdowns on a one-yard Jimmy Johns run and a 25-yard Roy Upchurch run to make the final score 52–6.[26] For his 134-yard, three touchdown performance, Terry Grant was named the SEC Freshman of the Week.[28]
Vanderbilt
Sources:[29] |
For the 19th consecutive time, stretching back to the
After being held scoreless in the third quarter, Grant scored his second touchdown of the afternoon on a two-yard run early in the fourth quarter.[33] With a successful two-point conversion pass from John Parker Wilson to Nick Walker, Alabama extended their lead to 24–3.[32] Vanderbilt did score a late touchdown on a 15-yard Adams Mackenzi pass to George Smith to make the finals score 24–10.[32] For his 173-yard, two touchdown performance, and for the second consecutive week, Terry Grant was named the SEC Freshman of the Week.[34] The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against the Commodores to 58–19–4 (61–18–4 without NCAA vacations and forfeits).[30]
Arkansas
Sources:[35] |
In what was considered their first true test of the season, Alabama built an early 21-point lead but had to mount a come-from-behind drive in the final two minutes of the game in order to capture a 41–38 victory against the Arkansas Razorbacks.[35][36] Bama took a 21–0 lead into the second quarter after a pair of D. J. Hall touchdown receptions of nine and 35 yards from John Parker Wilson and a 14-yard Glen Coffee run.[35][37] The Razorbacks closed the gap to 21–10 at the half after Casey Dick threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Crosby Tuck and Alex Tejada converted a 22-yard field goal.[35]
Alabama extended their lead to 31–10 in the third quarter after a 24-yard Leigh Tiffin field goal and a two-yard Wilson touchdown pass to Nick Walker.[35] From this point, Arkansas scored four touchdowns to take a 38–31 lead late into the fourth quarter. Dick hit Andrew Davie for a two-yard touchdown reception late in the third. In the fourth Darren McFadden scored on runs of one and five yards on consecutive drives, and Peyton Hillis had a seven-yard touchdown reception to give the Razorbacks a 38–31 lead with 8:08 remaining in the game.[35] Tiffin converted a 42-yard field goal and with 4:20 remaining in the game and then with only 0:08 remaining Wilson hit Matt Caddell for a four-yard, game-winning touchdown reception.[35][36]
With his 172 yards receiving, D. J. Hall set a new Crimson Tide record for career receiving yardage previously held by Ozzie Newsome with 2,070 yards.[37] The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against the Razorbacks to 8–8 (11–7 without NCAA vacations and forfeits).
Georgia
Sources:[38] |
A week after
In the third quarter, Alabama's John Parker Wilson scrambled for a one-yard touchdown run, but the Bulldogs immediately answered on their next drive with a six-yard rushing touchdown from Knowshon Moreno.[40] Coutu connected on a 47-yard field goal, as the Bulldogs extended their lead in the fourth quarter to 20–10.[40] Alabama responded with 22-yard Tiffin field goal and a second rushing touchdown from Wilson, to force overtime.[40] On their first possession of overtime, Alabama failed to move the football and Leigh Tiffin connected on a 42-yard field goal.[40] As for Georgia, Stafford connected on a 25-yard pass to Mikey Henderson, on their first offensive play in overtime, and the Bulldogs left Tuscaloosa 26–23 overtime winners.[39] The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against the Bulldogs to 35–25–4.
This would be the last time Alabama lost to Georgia until the 2022 national championship game.
Florida State
Sources:[41] |
In what was Alabama's first regular season game played at a neutral site since the Kickoff Classic in 1986, Alabama was defeated in the inaugural River City Showdown at Jacksonville, Florida by the Florida State Seminoles 21–14.[41][42] After a scoreless first half, the Seminoles got on the board first in the third quarter. Florida State scored on their first play of the second half when Xavier Lee connected with De'Cody Fagg for a seven-yard touchdown reception.[43] The Seminoles extended their lead to 14–0 early in the fourth quarter on a five-yard Antone Smith touchdown run.[43]
Alabama scored their first points of the evening late in the fourth quarter when
The 85,412 fans at the game set the attendance record for
Houston
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Coming on the heels of two consecutive losses, the Crimson Tide defeated the
Holding Alabama scoreless in the second quarter, before halftime Houston managed to score their first touchdown on a 68-yard Joseph pass to
Ole Miss
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In an unexpected offensive showcase, the Alabama managed to defeat the
Ole Miss took a 24–17 lead into the fourth quarter following a pair of touchdowns in the third. Adams scored on a three-yard run then connected with Mike Hicks for a 17-yard touchdown reception in the period.[52] The Crimson Tide then mounted a fourth quarter comeback. Terry Grant scored on a three-yard run and Tiffin kicked the game-winning field goal from 24 yards with 5:14 remaining in the game.[52] Ole Miss attempted to score on their last drive to either force the game into overtime with a field goal or win with a touchdown. With a fourth-and-22 on Alabama's 45-yard line, Adams completed a pass to Shay Hodge at the 3-yard line.[52] However, the call was reviewed and then reversed after Nick Saban called a timeout to give the officials more time to look at the replay.[51] John Parker Wilson was 26 for 40 and threw an interception and no touchdowns. The defense was able to force three interceptions on the day.[50] The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against the Rebels to 41–9–2 (45–8–2 without NCAA vacations and forfeits).
Tennessee
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In their annual rivalry game, Alabama met the
Tennessee took a 14–10 lead early in the second quarter after Erik Ainge threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Luke Stocker.[56] At that point Alabama took over. D. J. Hall had two second-quarter touchdown receptions on John Parker Wilson passes of 16 and two yards .[56] Daniel Lincoln then connected on a 45-yard field goal as time expired and Alabama led 24–17 at the half.[56]
Tiffin added three more field goals to bring his total to four on the day in the second half, and Terry Grant had an eight-yard touchdown run in the fourth to give Alabama the 41–17 victory.[56] D. J. Hall and John Parker Wilson had career days for Alabama. Hall had 13 receptions for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson was 32-of-46 for 363 yards and three touchdowns.[56] The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 44–38–7 (45–37–8 without NCAA vacations and forfeits).
LSU
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In the game dubbed "Saban Bowl I", in which
The third quarter saw no scoring until the last two minutes. With 1:19 left, Keith Brown caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to make the score 27–17.[61] The Tigers quickly responded on their next drive when Flynn threw a 61-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Byrd to bring the Tigers back to within three points of Bama.[61] Then, with 11:21 left in the game, Colt David kicked a 49-yard field goal to tie it up 27–27.[61] The Crimson Tide took a 34–27 lead when Javier Arenas returned a punt for a 61-yard touchdown.[58] With 2:49 left, LSU was able to tie the game again when Flynn threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Doucet.[58] It appeared the game might go into overtime until Wilson fumbled the ball and LSU recovered on the Alabama four-yard line.[61] Two plays later, Hester ran it in for the game-winning touchdown to make the score 41–34.[61] The Tigers had 475 total yards compared to Alabama's 254. Alabama was able to stay in the game thanks to three interceptions the defense was able to force and 130 yards in penalties that LSU accumulated. John Parker Wilson was 14 for 40 with 234 yards, 3 touchdowns, sacked 7 times, and an interception.[62] The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against the Tigers to 43–23–5.
Mississippi State
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Coming a week after a tough loss to LSU, the Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated Alabama for the second consecutive season, this time by a score of 17–12.[64][65] Alabama took a 9–0 lead halfway through the second quarter on Leigh Tiffin field goals of 39, 51 and 29 yards.[64] With just over 4:00 remaining in the half, Adam Carlson connected on a 35-yard field goal to cut the score to 9–3.[64] The Bulldogs then took the lead as time expired in the first half after Anthony Johnson intercepted a John Parker Wilson pass and returned it 100-yards for a 10–9 lead.[66]
In the third quarter, Mississippi State extended their lead to 17–9 after scoring the only offensive touchdown of the game. The score came on a three-yard run by Anthony Dixon.[64] Alabama scored their final points in the fourth on a 50-yard Tiffin field goal, his fourth of the afternoon.[64] The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against the Bulldogs to 71–18–3 (70–19–3 without NCAA vacations and forfeits).
Louisiana–Monroe
Sources:[67] |
Coming off their second consecutive loss, Alabama suffered their worst loss of the season when the Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks defeated the Crimson Tide 21–14 in Bryant–Denny Stadium.[67][68] Alabama took an early 7–0 lead after a 17-yard Keith Brown touchdown reception from John Parker Wilson.[67] The Warhawks tied the game at 7–7 on the first play of the second quarter when Calvin Dawson ran it in from one-yard out.[69] Both teams then traded touchdowns to tie the game at 14–14 at the half. Alabama scored on a 12-yard Terry Grant run and Louisiana–Monroe scored on a 13-yard Frank Goodin run.[67] The Warhawks scored what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown in the third quarter when Kinsmon Lancaster tossed an eleven-yard score to Marty Humphrey to win the game for Louisiana–Monroe 21–14.[67]
Auburn
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Coming off their third consecutive loss, Alabama lost in the
Colorado
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After a four-game slide to end a once promising season, Alabama defeated the
Early in the second quarter, Wilson connected with Nikita Stover on a 31-yard touchdown pass and the Crimson Tide lead 27–0.[75] The Buffaloes controlled the majority of the second quarter after Wilson threw an interception to Ryan Walters with just under six minutes remaining in the half.[77] Colorado cut the Alabama lead to 27–14 at the half on a pair of Cody Hawkins touchdown passes. The first was a four-yard pass to Tyson DeVree and the second a 25-yard pass to Dusty Sprague.[75]
The only score in the third quarter would come from Kevin Eberhart on a 39-yard Colorado field goal.[75] Tiffin kicked a field goal as the Crimson Tide lead 30–17 with just over four minutes remaining in the game.[75] Colorado responded on the following drive with a 14-yard Hawkins touchdown pass to DeVree to cut the Alabama lead to 30–24 with 3:51 remaining in the game.[77] Alabama was able to run the clock down, and after receiving the 49-yard P.J. Fitzgerald punt, only 0:01 remained in the game.[77] On the final play of the game, Colorado attempted several lateral passes but would fall short of midfield.[77] The 30–24 victory sent Alabama to a 7–6 overall record as they avoided a second consecutive losing season.
After the season
In the week following the Independence Bowl victory, several changes were made to the Alabama coaching staff. Alabama lost their tight ends and special teams coach, Ron Middleton, on January 4, 2008, when he was hired as assistant head coach for Duke and their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Major Applewhite, on January 16, 2008, when he was hired as running backs coach for Texas.[78][79] During the following weeks, Saban named former Michigan State head coach Bobby Williams as his team's new as tight ends coach and special teams coordinator, and Jim McElwain from Fresno State as the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.[80][81] As part of the A-Day celebrations on April 12, 2008, the 2007 team captains Antoine Caldwell, Rashad Johnson and Darren Mustin were honored at the Walk of Fame ceremony at the base of Denny Chimes.[82]
Final statistics
After their victory over Colorado in the Independence Bowl, Alabama's final team statistics were released. On the defensive side of the ball, of the 119 FBS schools Alabama ranked 28th in rushing defense (124.15 yards per game), 27th in scoring defense (22.00 points per game), 31st in total defense (345.46 yards per game) and 48th in passing defense (221.31 yards per game).
On offense, of the 119 FBS teams, Alabama ranked 59th in passing offense (224.54 yards per game), 60th in rushing offense (149.23 yards per game), 64th in scoring offense (27.08 points per game) and 75th in total offense (373.77 yards per game).[83] In conference, they ranked sixth in passing offense, seventh in total offense and scoring offense and eighth in rushing offense.[83] Individually, Terry Grant led the team offensively with 891 total yards rushing for an average of 81 rushing yards per game and 8 rushing touchdowns.[88] John Parker Wilson led the team in passing offense and completed 255 of 462 passes for 2,846 passing yards and 18 touchdowns.[89] D. J. Hall led the team with 67 receptions for 1,005 yards and six touchdown receptions.[90]
Awards
Following the SEC Championship Game, the conference named its award winners. Four players were named to the Coaches' All-SEC First Team, including Andre Smith, Wallace Gilberry, Simeon Castille and Rashad Johnson.[91] D. J. Hall and Antoine Caldwell were named to the Coaches' All-SEC Second Team.[91] Terry Grant, Rolando McClain and Kareem Jackson were named to the 2007 Freshman All-SEC Team.[92] McClain was also named to the 2007 Freshman All-America team by the Football Writers Association of America.[93]
NCAA sanctions
In October 2007, the athletic department discovered a potential NCAA-violation present throughout the athletics program.[94] The violations stemmed from athletes from several sports, including football, receiving improper benefits as a result of a failure in the distribution system of textbooks to student athletes from the university.[94] As a result of this discovery, Antoine Caldwell, Marlon Davis, Glen Coffee, Marquis Johnson and Chris Rogers were suspended from the team prior to the Tennessee game on October 20.[95] After a prolonged investigation, in June 2009 the NCAA ruled all athletes that received improper benefits related to the textbook distribution system were deemed ineligible.[96] As such, as part of the penalties imposed on the football program, all victories which those included in the inquiry participated, were officially vacated from the all-time record.[96] The penalty to vacate victories does not result in a loss (or forfeiture) of the affected contests or award a victory to the opponent.[97] As such, all five victories from the 2007 season prior to the suspension of the ineligible players on October 20 (Western Carolina, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Houston and Ole Miss) were vacated making the official record for the season two wins and six losses (2–6).[13][96]
NFL draft
After not having any players selected in the
In the
Following the
References
General
- 2007 University of Alabama Football Recruiting and Media Guide. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations Office. 2007. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
Specific
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- ^ a b "Alabama fires Shula, names Kines interim coach". ESPN.com. ESPN.com news services. November 28, 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e 2007 University of Alabama Football Recruiting and Media Guide, p. 6
- ^ 2007 University of Alabama Football Recruiting and Media Guide, pp. 4–5
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- ^ "No. 21 Alabama begins preparations for Mississippi State". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. November 5, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
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- ^ a b c "Sixteen Alabama teams penalized". ESPN.com. ESPN.com news services. June 12, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
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