Game Summary
Alabama won the coin toss and elected to receive the kickoff. On their first drive, Alabama was not able to earn a first down, and quarterback Greg McElroy was sacked for a loss. Alabama subsequently attempted a fake punt, but the pass was intercepted by Longhorn Blake Gideon. Texas' next four plays yielded 24 yards via a combination of passing and running plays, putting Texas in position to score the game's first touchdown.
At this point, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy (2008 & 2009 Heisman Trophy runner up) was knocked out of the game on the Longhorns' fifth play from scrimmage. On a planned QB run play, McCoy was hit by sophomore Alabama defensive lineman Marcell Dareus, pinching a nerve in McCoy's throwing shoulder and leaving him unable to throw the ball accurately. McCoy was replaced by true freshman Garrett Gilbert, who was ineffective in the first half. However, in the second half, senior wide receiver Jordan Shipley helped QB Gilbert's cause by scoring two touchdowns against Alabama.
With McCoy out of the game and Texas' hopes dwindling, Alabama attacked Texas from both sides of the ball. While Gilbert was able to lead Texas to a field goal on his first drive and another on his second drive (after a recovered short kick-off, but not a designed onside kick), Texas did not score any more points in the first half. Several of Gilbert's passes were off-target, and several others were dropped by Texas receivers.
On the other hand, Alabama started working their offense. Alabama's offensive line was able to create holes in the Texas defense. Behind Alabama's offensive line, Alabama running back Mark Ingram moved almost at will against a Texas defense. The power offense resulted in Alabama taking a lead it would never relinquish on the first play of the second quarter. Mark Ingram scampered into the end zone for a touchdown behind the block of 360-pound defensive lineman Terrance Cody, who was routinely used by Alabama as a blocker when Alabama was close to the goal-line.
Alabama took control of the game mid-way through the second quarter and Alabama's offensive line allowed freshman running back Trent Richardson to shoot straight down the middle of the field for a 48-yard touchdown run. The PAT made the game 14-6 in favor of the Crimson Tide. McElroy was be sacked 4 times by the Texas defense in the first half, but with Ingram and Richardson both gaining yards steadily on the ground, Alabama rarely needed to pass.
The last few minutes of the first half were dominated by the Alabama defense. Javier Arenas intercepted Gilbert to end one drive and Alabama's Leigh Tiffin added a field goal off the interception. After the ensuing kickoff, Dareus intercepted Gilbert with 12 seconds left in the half on a bobbled "shovel pass" and the 300-pounder returned the interception for a touchdown, with the point after giving Alabama a 24-6 lead going into halftime.
In the second half, the Texas combination of Gilbert and Shipley, and a Longhorns defense that shut down Alabama in the second half brought the Longhorns within 3 points of Alabama with six minutes to play in the game. However, the Crimson Tide's first sack (by Erik Anders) led to a fumble recovery by Courtney Upshaw at the Texas 3-yard line that tipped the momentum back to the Crimson Tide. After the recovery, Alabama's Mark Ingram added his 2nd touchdown of the night and enabled Saban's team to extend its lead to 31–21. Alabama's defense intercepted Gilbert twice in the ensuing drives and the Crimson Tide's offense added another touchdown from Trent Richardson for a final score of 37-21. Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban won his second BCS Championship, the only coach to do so with two different programs. Alabama also became the third team in Division I FBS history to finish a season 14–0, after Ohio State in 2002 and Boise State who did it in the Fiesta Bowl three nights earlier.
Read more about this topic: 2010 BCS National Championship Game
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