The 2013 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 119th overall season, 80th as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and its 22nd within the SEC Western Division. The team was led by head coach Nick Saban, in his seventh year, and played its home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of eleven wins and two losses (11–2 overall, 7–1 in the SEC) and with a loss in the 2014 Sugar Bowl to Oklahoma.
After they captured the 2012 national championship, the Crimson Tide signed a highly rated recruiting class in February 2013 and completed spring practice the following April. With thirteen returning starters from the previous season, Alabama entered the 2013 season as the two-time defending national champions, ranked as the number one team in the nation and as a favorite to win the Western Division, the SEC and national championships. They were attempting to become the first FBS-equivalent team to three-peat as national champions since Minnesota in 1936. The Crimson Tide opened the season with eleven consecutive victories that included one over Virginia Tech at a neutral site, against Texas A&M in a game that saw many team records broken and an emotional victory over LSU at Bryant–Denny Stadium. In their twelfth game, Alabama was upset by Auburn. The loss, in a game known since as "Kick Six," kept the Crimson Tide out of the SEC Championship Game. Although they did not qualify to play for their third consecutive national championship with a final BCS ranking of third, Alabama did accept an invitation to play in the Sugar Bowl. Against Oklahoma, the Crimson Tide lost 45–31 despite being 17½ point favorites.
At the conclusion of the season, Alabama's defense was nationally ranked near the top in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense and ranked passing defense. Offensively, the Alabama offense ranked 17th in scoring offense, 24th in rushing offense, 33rd in total offense and 49th in passing offense. Additionally, several players were recognized for their individual accomplishments on the field. C. J. Mosley won the Butkus Award as the top collegiate linebacker; A. J. McCarron won both the Maxwell Award as the overall player of the year and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the top senior quarterback. Also, four players were named to various All-America Teams with C. J. Mosley being a unanimous selection and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Cyrus Kouandjio being consensus selections.
Before the season
February player arrests In February 2013 Tuscaloosa Police arrested four football players from the 2012 season: Brent Calloway, Tyler Hayes, D. J. Pettway and Eddie Williams. Williams was involved in four separate incidents on February 10 and 11. On February 10 he had a dispute with a gas station clerk about paying for gas and said he had to get something in the trunk of his car. The clerk called the police, the police arrested Williams with carrying a pistol without a license, but Williams was released later that day on a $500 bond. Later that night around 12:30 a.m., Williams attacked an Alabama student with Hayes and Pettway and they stole the student's backpack. In a separate incident almost an hour later, Williams attacked another student while Hayes and Pettway waited in a car. Later Williams used one of the students' credit cards. Calloway was also arrested after he used a victim's student debit card with knowledge it was stolen. Following the arrests, Alabama suspended all four from the football team. Alabama also prohibited Hayes, Pettway and Williams from entering campus. On February 27, Alabama dismissed all four players from the university after completing a judicial review.
Spring practice
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Alabama started spring practice on March 16 and concluded 15 practices later on April 20 with the annual A-Day game. In the annual A-Day game at the conclusion of spring practice, the White team composed of offensive starters defeated the Crimson team of defensive starters 17–14. The White team opened on offense and scored a touchdown on their first possession on a 40-yard A. J. McCarron pass to Kenny Bell. After Nick Perry intercepted a Blake Sims pass on the first Crimson possession, the White team extended their lead to 10–0 on a 29-yard Adam Griffith field goal. Both offenses then struggled for the remainder of the first half with turnovers for the Crimson team coming on a second Perry interception of a Sims pass, an Alec Morris fumble recovered by Dillon Lee, and on a Cooper Bateman pass intercepted by Landon Collins. The White team had turnovers on a Kenny Bell fumble recovered by C. J. Mosley and on the last play of the first half when a McCarron pass was intercepted by Vinnie Sunseri and returned 86-yards for a touchdown that made the halftime score 10–7.
The offensive struggles continued into the second half with neither team scoring any points in the third quarter. In the fourth, the Crimson team took a 14–10 lead after Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix recovered a Brian Vogler fumble and returned it 55-yards for a touchdown. The White team responded on their next possession with a seven-yard T. J. Yeldon touchdown run for a 17–14 victory. For his performance, Ryan Kelly earned the Dwight Stephenson Lineman of the A-Day Game Award. On offense, Yeldon earned the Dixie Howell Memorial Most Valuable Player of the A-Day Game Award for his 129 all-purpose yards on the day that included 69 rushing and 60 receiving, and game-winning touchdown run.
Fall camp By August, Alabama had a combined 31 players on 14 different preseason award watch lists. These players included C. J. Mosley, Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix and Deion Belue for the Chuck Bednarik Award; Amari Cooper and Kevin Norwood for the Fred Biletnikoff Award; Adrian Hubbard and Mosley for the Butkus Award; Cooper, A. J. McCarron, Mosley and T. J. Yeldon for the Walter Camp Award; Hubbard, Mosley, Cyrus Kouandjio and Anthony Steen for the Lombardi Award; Christion Jones for the Paul Hornung Award; Brian Vogler for the John Mackey Award; Cooper, McCarron, Mosley and Yeldon for the Maxwell Award; Belue, Clinton-Dix, Hubbard and Mosley for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy; McCarron for the Davey O'Brien Award; Kouandjio and Steen for the Outland Trophy; Ryan Kelly for the Rimington Trophy; Clinton-Dix for the Jim Thorpe Award; and Yeldon for the Doak Walker Award.
Coaching staff Alabama head coach Nick Saban completed his seventh year as the Crimson Tide's head coach for the 2013 season. During his previous six years with Alabama, he led the Crimson Tide to an overall record of 63 wins and 13 losses (63–13) and the 2009, 2011 and 2012 national championships. On January 9, 2013, former Colorado defensive coordinator Greg Brown was hired as the successor for Jeremy Pruitt as secondary coach. On February 18, former Florida International head coach Mario Cristobal was hired as Jeff Stoutland's replacement for offensive line coach. On February 21, former Florida State tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Billy Napier was hired as Mike Groh's replacement as wide receivers coach.
Nick Saban Head coach 7 Kent State (1973) Greg Brown Secondary 1 UTEP (1980) Burton Burns Associate head coach, running backs 7 Nebraska (1976) Mario Cristobal Assistant head coach, offensive line 1 Miami (1993) Billy Napier Wide receivers 1 Furman (2003) Doug Nussmeier Offensive coordinator, quarterbacks 2 Idaho (1993) Chris Rumph Defensive line 3 South Carolina (1994) Kirby Smart Defensive coordinator, inside linebackers 7 Georgia (1999) Lance Thompson Outside linebackers 4 The Citadel (1987) Bobby Williams Tight ends, special teams 6 Purdue (1982) Scott Cochran Strength and conditioning 7 LSU (2001)Reference:2013 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Media Guide, p. 2
Analysts Jeff Norrid Brendan Farrell Dean Altobelli Ronnie Leston Wesley Neighbors Jules Montinar Joe Palcic Jake Peetz
Graduate assistants John Van Dam William Vlachos
Players
Returning starters Alabama had six returning players on offense and seven on defense that started games in 2012.2013 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Media Guide, p. 92013 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Media Guide, p. 11 Another notable player that returned for 2013, but did not start in 2012, was running back T. J. Yeldon, who appeared in all 14 Alabama games in 2012 as the backup for Eddie Lacy. Additionally, four first-year players in 2012 made the SEC Coaches' All-Freshman Team: Amari Cooper, Ryan Kelly, D. J. Pettway and Yeldon.
Offense Player Class Position Amari Cooper Sophomore Wide Receiver Christion Jones Junior Wide Receiver Cyrus Kouandjio Junior Left Tackle A. J. McCarron Senior Quarterback Kevin Norwood Senior Wide Receiver Anthony Steen Senior Right GuardReference:
Defense Player Class Position Deion Belue Senior Cornerback Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Junior Safety Trey DePriest Junior Linebacker Adrian Hubbard Junior Linebacker C. J. Mosley Senior Linebacker Ed Stinson Senior Defensive Line Vinnie Sunseri Junior SafetyReference:
Special teams Player Class Position Cade Foster Senior Placekicker A. J. McCarron Senior Holder Cody Mandell Junior Punter Christion Jones Junior Kickoff/Punt returnerReference:2013 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Media Guide, p. 13
Depth chart Due to varying circumstances throughout the season, several players were rotated in and out of starting positions throughout Alabama's depth chart. Below is a listing of at what times during the season players were substituted as starter or saw increased playing time. On the offensive side of the ball, freshman Grant Hill split time with starter Austin Shepherd at right tackle against Kentucky. Kellen Williams was listed on the depth chart as a backup at left tackle and guard; however, coach Saban mentioned Williams as being the sixth starter who can fill in at all the offensive line positions. After the Ole Miss, Williams was listed as the back-up center to Chad Lindsay after an injury to starter Ryan Kelly.
On the defensive side of the ball, reserve Nick Perry sustained a shoulder injury in practice prior to the Colorado State game that ended his season. On October 2, Nick Saban announced the indefinite suspension of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, and indicated Landon Collins and Geno Smith would play more in Clinton-Dix's absence. Clinton-Dix's eligibility was reinstated by the NCAA on October 18 after he served a two-game suspension for receiving an improper benefit.
The depth chart listed below shows starters and backups as announced in August 2013.
2013 recruiting class
Prior to National Signing Day on February 6, 2013, nine players enrolled for the spring semester in order to participate in spring practice (six former high school seniors on scholarship, one former junior college player on scholarship, one walk-on from professional baseball and one walk-on from high school). The early enrollments from high school included quarterbacks Cooper Bateman and Parker McLeod, wide receiver Raheem Falkins, running back Derrick Henry, offensive lineman Brandon Hill and tight end O. J. Howard. Lineman Brandon Hill spent a post-graduate high school year at Hargrave Military Academy, and did not have the option to take a redshirt year, but still had four years of playing eligibility. Offensive tackle Leon Brown enrolled at Alabama after he transferred from junior college and would be eligible to play in the 2013 season and for a maximum of two seasons. Four of the eight players who were early enrollees in 2012 saw playing time in the 2012 season: Amari Cooper, Dillon Lee, T. J. Yeldon and Deion Blue.