Ingram helps No. 2 Alabama cruise to win
November 21, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP)—No. 2 Alabama was still celebrating Mark Ingram’s secondlong touchdown run when coach Nick Saban told his star tailback to take the restof the day off.
Ingram ran for 102 yards and TDs of 25 and 40 yards in the first 20 minutes,then happily yielded the stage while the Crimson Tide breezed to a 45-0 win overChattanooga on Saturday.
“Just get in, get a good day’s work, execute and have some success. Thenlet the other people get the playing time they deserve,” Ingram said.
Yes, the Tide (11-0) did make it seem just that easy.
Alabama raced to a 35-0 halftime lead and showed no signs of a letdown aheadof games with rival Auburn and No. 1 Florida. That enabled the starters to takea break in the second half against the Mocs (6-5), although Ingram and the Tidestill managed a few highlight-reel plays.
Javier Arenas set the SEC career record with his seventh punt return for atouchdown, sprinting 66 yards down the right sideline in the second quarter. Healso had an interception.
Julio Jones caught a 44-yard pass and scored on a 19-yarder from GregMcElroy.
The stats were perhaps even more lopsided than the final score. The Tide hada 422-84 advantage in total yards, gained 313 on the ground and had five playerswith at least 60 yards rushing. They also had 26 first downs while holdingChattanooga to five.
It only seemed like a pressure-free game. Saban warned his team of therepercussions of a huge upset, even beyond their national title hopes.
“I told the players if we had lost this game today, there would be nothingelse that would tarnish what you’ve accomplished more than that. You wouldsomeday be an NFL player in a Mercedes-Benz and roll your window down to talk toa pretty girl and she’d say, ‘You lost to Chattanooga when you played atAlabama,”’ Saban said. “Nobody would ever forget that one.”
Instead, it’ll be forgotten quickly with the Iron Bowl awaiting six dayslater.
This was the sixth time the Tide’s defense had held an opponent to sevenpoints or less this season, but the first shutout since last year’s 36-0 winover Auburn.
“We played a good football team and I don’t know if there was much we couldhave done to be better than this,” said first-year Mocs coach Russ Huesman, wholed a turnaround after a 1-11 season.
Ingram managed his sixth 100-yard effort of the last seven games despitecarrying only 11 times. The Heisman Trophy candidate broke three tackles and hadtwo defenders draped across his back at the end of the 25-yard touchdown run inthe first quarter.
Then, Ingram zigzagged 40 yards for another score 5 minutes into the secondquarter on his final carry. Then he headed to the sidelines and Saban told himhe “was pretty much done.”
“I’m sure we could have left him in today and he could have had a hugeday,” Saban said. “He gained 100 yards. That’s a good day’s work when you comeout with 10 minutes to go in the second quarter.”
McElroy was 6-of-11 passing for 80 yards, including that 19-yard touchdownpass to Jones, before giving way to backup Star Jackson in the second half.Jones caught three passes for 65 yards, all in the first half.
After that, Alabama attempted only five passes, content to control the ballagainst the Southern Conference team and let the clock wind toward bigger games.It was the finale at Bryant-Denny Stadium for 27 Alabama seniors.
“Just about every senior on our team got to play in the game,” Saban said.“It was good that the players came out and played Alabama football so thoseguys got a chance to play.”
Arenas wasn’t the only Bama special teamer in record territory. Leigh Tiffinkicked a 41-yard field goal, tying the school records for kicks made in a season(25) and career (78).
Arenas sat out the second half and only got halfway to his ideal final homeperformance of scoring “a couple of touchdowns” that he stated early in theweek.
“I’ll settle for one,” Arenas said.
He is 37 yards shy of the Lee Nalley of Vanderbilt’s SEC career punt returnrecord of 1,695 yards, and 103 yards from the NCAA mark set by Texas Tech’s WesWelker.
Trent Richardson and Roy Upchurch also rushed for touchdowns.
Chattanooga twice drove into Alabama territory in the first half, both timesfailing to convert on fourth-and-long. The first ended with four straightincompletions from the 38, and the second on an interception from the 22.
“I didn’t feel like bragging about kicking a field goal and having threepoints on the board,” Huesman said. “You kick field goals to put yourself inposition to win games. You don’t kick field goals just because you’re at Alabamatrying to put three points on the board.”