The 2010 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Nick Saban, the Crimson Tide compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing fourth in the SEC's Western Division. Alabama was invited to the Capital One Bowl, where the Crimson Tide defeated Michigan State. The team played home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Alabama entered the season as the defending national champion and the preseason number one team in both the AP and Coaches Polls. Favored to win a second consecutive SEC championship and contend for the national championship, the Crimson Tide opened the season with five consecutive victories. However, Alabama completed the regular season at 9–3 with and losses to South Carolina, LSU, and the eventual national champion, Auburn. With a win over Big Ten co-champion Michigan State in Capital One Bowl, Alabama secured a ten-win season and top-ten finish for the third straight year.
Schedule The 2010 schedule was officially released on September 2, 2009. 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, Florida, and South Carolina. Alabama did not play SEC opponents Georgia, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. The contest against Ole Miss served as the 2010 homecoming game.
Alabama also played four non-conference games. The game against Penn State was originally scheduled as part of the 2004 season, however the series was moved back at the request of Alabama due to fallout from NCAA sanctions being levied on the program. The non-conference schedule also included games against San Jose State of the Western Athletic Conference, Duke of the Atlantic Coast Conference and Georgia State of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). On December 5, it was announced Alabama would face Big Ten co-champion Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl. In what was the first meeting between the programs, the Tide defeated the Spartans 49–7 and secured their third consecutive ten-win season.
Alabama played six of its SEC opponents the week following the opponents' bye week. These SEC teams who scheduled a bye week before facing the Crimson Tide included South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn. Georgia State also had a bye week prior to playing Alabama, for a total of seven consecutive opponents playing Alabama the week following their bye. On July 1, 2010, the game against Georgia State was moved from Saturday, November 20 to Thursday, November 18 to give Alabama additional time to prepare for its game against Auburn. The Sagarin computer ratings calculated Alabama's 2010 strength of schedule to be the fifth most difficult out of the 245 Division I teams. The Cosgrove Computer Rankings calculated it as the 12th most difficult out of the 120 Division I FBS teams in its rankings.
Rankings
Entering the 2010 season, the Crimson Tide was ranked No. 1 in the AP and Coaches' Preseason Polls. The No. 1 preseason ranking was the first for Alabama since the 1978 season. In week six, Alabama dropped to the No. 8 ranking in both the AP and Coaches' Poll following their loss to South Carolina. The Tide rebounded in the rankings though week nine, rising to No. 5 before dropping to No. 11 in the AP and No. 12 in the Coaches' Poll following their loss at LSU. After their loss to Auburn, Alabama dropped to No. 15 in the AP, No. 18 in the Coaches' Poll and No. 16 in the final BCS standings. Following the victory over Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl, Alabama finished No. 10 in the final AP, No. 11 in the final Coaches' Polls.
Before the season During the 2009 campaign, the Crimson Tide finished the season undefeated, 14–0, with wins over several ranked opponents that included No. 7 Virginia Tech, No. 20 Ole Miss, No. 22 South Carolina, No. 9 LSU, No. 1 Florida in the SEC Championship, and No. 2 Texas in the BCS National Championship Game. They finished the season as the consensus National Champions, being voted No. 1 in the AP and Coaches' Polls in securing Alabama's first national title since 1992. In addition to the national title, sophomore running back Mark Ingram II became the first Alabama player to win the Heisman Trophy.
In February 2010, eighteen players each signed an individual National Letter of Intent to play college football at Alabama. The 2010 recruiting class was ranked nationally in the top five by several recruiting services including Rivals, Scout, ESPNU and CBS College Sports. Spring practice began on March 12 and concluded with the annual A-Day game on April 17. Televised live by ESPN, the Crimson team of offensive starters defeated the White team of defensive starters by a final score of 23–17 before 91,312 fans in Bryant–Denny Stadium. The game was decided after the end of regulation when Brandon Gibson caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from A. J. McCarron in sudden death. For their performances, Marcell Dareus earned the Dwight Stephenson Lineman of the A-Day Game Award and Mark Ingram earned the Dixie Howell Memorial Most Valuable Player of the A-Day Game Award.
By August, Alabama had a combined 21 players on 12 different preseason award watch lists. These included both Mark Barron, Marcell Dareus and Don't’a Hightower for the Chuck Bednarik Award; Julio Jones for the Fred Biletnikoff Award; Hightower and Nico Johnson for the Butkus Award; Ingram for the Walter Camp Award; James Carpenter, Dareus and Hightower for the Lombardi Award; Ingram and Greg McElroy for the Maxwell Award; Barron, Dareus and Hightower for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy; McElroy for the Davey O'Brien Award; Carpenter and Barrett Jones for the Outland Trophy; William Vlachos for the Rimington Trophy; Barron for the Jim Thorpe Award; and Ingram for the Doak Walker Award.
Returning starters Alabama had 10 returning starters from the previous season, including eight on offense and two on defense. The most notable departures from the previous year were linebackers Eryk Anders, Rolando McClain and Cory Reamer; cornerbacks Javier Arenas, Kareem Jackson and Marquis Johnson; defensive ends Brandon Deaderick and Lorenzo Washington; nose tackle Terrence Cody; safety Justin Woodall; offensive linemen Drew Davis and Mike Johnson; and tight end Colin Peek. Additionally, all of special teams players were replaced following the departures of punter P.J. Fitzgerald, placekicker Leigh Tiffin, long snapper Brian Selman and Arenas as the return specialist.
Offense Player Class Position Greg McElroy Senior Quarterback Mark Ingram II Junior Running back Julio Jones Junior Wide receiver Marquis Maze Junior Wide receiver Darius Hanks Junior Wide receiver Preston Dial Senior Tight end James Carpenter Senior Left tackle Chance Warmack Sophomore Left guard William Vlachos Junior Center Barrett Jones Sophomore Right guard D. J. Fluker Freshman Right tackle
Defense Player Class Position Josh Chapman Junior Nose guard Marcell Dareus Junior Defensive end Luther Davis Senior Defensive end Dont'a Hightower Sophomore Linebacker Courtney Upshaw Junior Linebacker Nico Johnson Sophomore Linebacker Jerrell Harris Junior Linebacker Dre Kirkpatrick Sophomore Cornerback Robert Lester Sophomore Safety Mark Barron Junior Safety
Game summaries San Jose State
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The Crimson Tide began their defense of their 2010 BCS championship at home against the San Jose State Spartans, and before a record crowd in a newly expanded Bryant–Denny Stadium, Alabama was victorious 48–3. Alabama scored a touchdown on their first possession on a one-yard Trent Richardson run to complete an eight-play, 71-yard drive. The Spartans responded on the next drive with their only points of the game on a 31-yard Harrison Waid field goal to make the score 7–3. On the ensuing drive the Alabama extended their lead to 14–3 with a 48-yard Greg McElroy touchdown pass to Marquis Maze. Alabama again reached the endzone early in the second quarter on a 39-yard Richardson run and a 29-yard A. J. McCarron pass to Julio Jones to make the score 28–3. Cade Foster scored the final points of the half as time expired on a 31-yard field goal to bring the halftime score to 31–3.
Alabama opened the second half by scoring on their first two possessions. Eddie Lacy scored on a 37-yard run and Foster hit a 24-yard field goal to extend the Crimson Tide lead to 41–3. Lacy scored the final points of the game with a 10-yard run to make the final score 48–3. Both McElroy and McCarron combined to pass for 334 yards on 22 completions and a pair of touchdowns. For the game, the Alabama outgained San Jose in total offense by a margin of 591–175. The 101,821 in attendance marked the first crowd of over 100,000 to attend a football game in the state of Alabama.
Penn State
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With ESPN's College GameDay in town, Alabama defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 24–3 in a renewal of their historic rivalry. Alabama scored first on a 36-yard touchdown pass from Greg McElroy to Kevin Norwood in the first quarter. The Crimson Tide added to their lead in the second quarter with a 14-yard McElroy touchdown pass to Preston Dial and a 31-yard Jeremy Shelley field goal to take a 17–0 lead at the half. After a scoreless third, Trent Richardson scored on a one-yard run and Penn State's Collin Wagner hit a 36-yard field goal to make the final score to 24–3.
Richardson led the team in rushing with 144 yards on 22 carries, and was also the first back to gain over 100 yards on the ground against Penn State since their 2008 game against Iowa. The defense also stood out with Mark Barron, Robert Lester and Will Lowery each making an interception and Alabama only allowing 283 yards of total offense. After compiling 207 all-purpose yards and scoring a touchdown, Richardson was named Co-SEC Offensive Player of the Week with South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against the Nittany Lions to 9–5.
Duke
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In Alabama's first-ever trip to Duke, the Crimson Tide defeated the Blue Devils by a final score of 62–13 in front of the largest crowd at Wallace Wade Stadium since the 1994 season. Playing in his first game of the 2010 season following knee surgery, Mark Ingram II ran for a team high 152 yards on nine carries with two touchdowns.
Greg McElroy completed 14 of 20 passes for 258 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception. In the second quarter Trent Richardson scored Alabama's first special teams touchdown of the season with a 96-yard kickoff return. Other offensive highlights included Richardson gaining 66 yards on seven carries and Eddie Lacy gaining 53 yards on seven carries with each scoring a touchdown on the ground. Through the air, Julio Jones led the team with 106 receiving yards on six catches with he, Darius Hanks and Preston Dial each making a touchdown reception.
The game also marked the return of Marcell Dareus following a two-game suspension from the NCAA for receiving improper benefits. After allowing 13 points in the first half, the Alabama defense shut out the Duke offense in the second half. The 62 points scored by the Tide were the most since a 62–0 victory over Tulane during the 1991 season, and the 45 points scored in the first half were the most scored in one half since scoring 45 in the second half of the 1973 victory over California. The 626 yards of total offense were the most amassed by an Alabama team since gaining 644 against LSU in 1989. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against the Blue Devils to 3–1.
Arkansas
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