There would be no national championship trophies, no parades and no era of dominance under Nick Saban at the University of Alabama without big plays in key moments of important games.
Here are the top 10 plays for the Crimson Tide in Saban’s 10-year tenure as voted by the sports department staff of The Tuscaloosa News:
1. Game: Alabama vs. Texas
When: Jan. 8, 2010
Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
The situation: Texas trails 17-6 in the Bowl Championship Series national title game with 15 seconds to go in the first half, facing second-and-one at its own 37-yard line.
The play: The Longhorns try a pop pass to the running back up the middle. Alabama’s defensive line caves the play in and the ball is bobbled into the air. Marcell Dareus, who earlier had knocked Texas starting quarterback Colt McCoy out of the game, plucks it from the air, executes a stiff-arm and a big-man spin move and rumbles 28 yards for an interception-return touchdown.
The outcome: Alabama wins 37-21 to capture the first national championship of the Saban era.
2. Game: Alabama vs. Clemson
When: Jan. 11, 2016
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
The situation: Alabama had just tied the College Football Championship Game at 24 on a field goal by Adam Griffith with 10:34 remaining in the game.
The play: Saban opted for a surprise onside kick. Griffith popped the ball on a short arc to the right and Marlon Humphrey ran under to catch it like a receiver to give Alabama possession and momentum.
The outcome: Two plays later, Jake Coker hit tight end O.J. Howard for a 51-yard touchdown pass and Alabama went on to win, 45-40, for Saban’s fourth national title at UA.
3. Game: Alabama vs. Tennessee
When: Oct. 24, 2009
Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium
The situation: Alabama was barely hanging on, up two points against the Volunteers with Daniel Lincoln lined up for a 44-yard field goal attempt to win it with just four seconds on the clock.
The play: Never fear, Terrence Cody is here. Alabama’s monstrous defensive lineman crashed through the protection and blocked the kick with his left hand, his second block of the game, to preserve the victory.
The outcome: Alabama continued its undefeated march to the first national title of the Saban era.
4. Game: Alabama vs. LSU
When: Nov. 4, 2012
Where: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, La.
The situation: Top-ranked Alabama trailed fifth-ranked LSU 17-14 with exactly one minute to go facing second-and-10 at the LSU 28-yard line.
The play: LSU blitzed defensive back Jalen Mills, who ran past running back T.J. Yeldon and drew a bead on Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron. Turned out it was a trap. Yeldon let the blitzes get by and slipped behind him to catch a screen pass on the left side, then ran past three would-be tacklers as he scampered to the end zone.
The outcome: Alabama won 21-17, passing a major hurdle on the way to winning back-to-back national titles.
5. Game: Alabama vs. Florida
When: Dec. 6, 2009
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta
The situation: Florida had just cut Alabama’s lead to 12-10 on a Tim Tebow-led drive late in the first half and had momentum in its favor in this No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup for the SEC title.
The play: On the very next snap after UF’s touchdown, Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy swung a short pass to Mark Ingram, who rambled 69 yards to the Florida 3-yard line.
The outcome: Ingram scored on a short run on the next play with 3:32 to go in the half. Florida drove back to answer with a field goal, but Alabama didn’t give up another point on the way to a 32-13 victory for the SEC title. Alabama then beat Texas for the national championship.
6. Game: Alabama vs. Georgia
When: Dec. 1, 2012
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta
The situation: Alabama trailed Georgia 28-25 with 3:30 remaining at the Dawgs’ 45-yard line. The Crimson Tide had begun to wear down the Bulldogs by pounding away with the running game.
The play: That physical running game set up the big play that gave UA the points it needed to win. AJ McCarron, operating under center, faked a handoff to TJ Yeldon and the Georgia defense bit. Safety Bacarri Rambo was drawn out of position, leaving speedy wideout Amari Cooper one-on-one with cornerback Damian Swann. McCarron let fly and Cooper pulled away to haul in a 45-yard touchdown pass.
The outcome: That touchdown put Alabama ahead and the UA defense just held on in the final moments for a 32-28 victory that propelled the Crimson Tide to the national championship game, where it beat Notre Dame.
7. Game: Alabama vs. Auburn
When: Nov. 27, 2009
Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn
The situation: Alabama had struggled throughout the game, and took over at its own 21-yard line with 7:03 to go, trailing by a point. The Crimson Tide drove 79 yards in 15 plays, capping the march with the game-winner.
The play: Facing third-and-three at the AU 4, Alabama put in its jumbo package, with massive nose tackle Terrence Cody lined up at fullback. Turned out he was a decoy, as Alabama faked the run and Greg McElroy threw to a wide-open Roy Upchurch for the score with 1:24 to go.
The outcome: Alabama won 26-20 and advanced undefeated to the SEC Championship Game.
8. Game: Alabama vs. LSU
When: Nov. 5, 2016
Where: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, La.
The situation: In a scoreless game with just over 13 minutes to go, Alabama faced third-and-nine at the LSU 21-yard line.
The play: Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts rolled right and moved toward the line on a pass-run option play. Running back Bo Scarbrough provided a seal block and Hurts turned upfield and then cut back toward the middle as he accelerated to the end zone.
The outcome: Hurts’ run provided the game’s only touchdown as No. 1 Alabama shut out the 13th-ranked Tigers on the way to an undefeated regular season.
9. Game: Alabama vs. Florida
When: Sept. 20, 2014
Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium
The situation: It was Alabama’s first snap from scrimmage, a minute into the game with no score. Alabama has first-and-10 at its own 17-yard line.
The play: UA’s new offensive coordinator, Lane Kiffin, lines fleet running back Kenyan Drake out wide to the right and Florida tries to cover him with a linebacker. Quarterback Blake Sims throws deep and Drake gets an easy 87-yard touchdown reception.
The outcome: Third-ranked Alabama won 42-21 in a game that truly introduced the Kiffin era of Crimson Tide offense. Sims passed for 445 yards and four touchdowns and Cooper had more than 200 receiving yards. Kiffin dialed up the matchup he wanted on the first play of the game and signaled a touchdown before the ball was in the air.
10. Game: Alabama vs. LSU
When: Nov. 8, 2009
Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium
The situation: No. 3 Alabama trailed ninth-ranked LSU 15-13 with 10:37 to go in the game, facing first-and-10 at its own 27-yard line.
The play: Quarterback Greg McElroy, in the pistol formation, faked a handoff to Trent Richardson, who ran toward the right side of the line. McElroy turned and threw a sharp screen pass to Julio Jones, who had three offensive linemen moving in front of him on the left side. Jones got key blocks from James Carpenter and center William Vlachos to sprint down the left sideline for a 73-yard score.
The outcome: Richardson tacked on a two-point conversion run and Leigh Tiffin later added a field goal as Alabama went on to win, 24-13.
