In Nick Saban’s third season at Alabama, the Crimson Tide won its first national championship in over a decade. The Crimson Tide defeated the Texas Longhorns 37-21 at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 7, 2010. 

Sophomore defensive tackle Marcell Dareus had a clean hit on Texas star quarterback Colt McCoy, which ultimately took McCoy out of the game. Backup Longhorns quarterback Garrett Gilbert came in to play all but five snaps of the game, but the Longhorns still scored two field goals in the first quarter. 

The Crimson Tide surged back in the second quarter to score 24 unanswered points. Mark Ingram opened up the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. Mid-second quarter, Trent Richardson busted open a 49-yard touchdown run through the Longhorns’ nationally ranked No. 1 defense. Late in the quarter, Leigh Tiffin completed a 26-yard field goal attempt to put Alabama up 21-6. With only seconds left before halftime, Dareus had a 28-yard pick six, with Alabama going up 28-6 before both teams entered the locker rooms.  

Texas made strong adjustments after halftime and responded to the Crimson Tide with a touchdown in the third quarter, and a touchdown and successful two-point conversion in the fourth quarter. 

Later in the fourth quarter, the Longhorns’ offense failed to protect the ball, and an elite Alabama defense took advantage to put the ball back in Greg McElroy and the offense’s hands. Both Ingram and Richardson had one touchdown run apiece in the fourth quarter to seal Alabama’s victory. 

While the score line implies Alabama handily beat the Longhorns, the Crimson Tide’s stats were not entirely lopsided. Alabama only had one more first down than Texas, and fewer yards overall. However, Alabama’s defense kept the Longhorns out of the end zone, and the Crimson Tide’s run game pulled them to victory. Alabama’s 205 rushing yards in this game was the most the Texas defense gave up all season. 

This win marked Saban’s first national championship of six with Alabama during his tenure in Tuscaloosa and made him — at the time — the first coach in the AP poll era to win a national championship as head coach at two different schools. 

This win also moved Ingram into elite company, as he became the sixth player to ever win the Heisman Trophy and a national championship in the same season.  

The 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide team had some elite names on the roster that propelled the Tide to more glory over the next few years. Some notable names for diehard Alabama fans include Julio Jones, Javier Arenas, Courtney Upshaw, Rolando McClain, Terrence Cody, Barrett Jones, AJ McCarron — who was a freshman on the bench at the time — and those mentioned earlier such as McElroy, Richardson — a freshman at the time — and Ingram. 

The Crimson Tide has not met the Longhorns since these names were still on the roster and Saban was early in his tenure at Alabama. Since then, the Crimson Tide has won five additional national championships and seen three more Heisman winners. Former Alabama coaches now make up Texas’ coaching staff. This will not be a rematch of the 2009 BCS National Championship, but longtime Alabama fans will always remember that game as the start of Saban’s long-running success with the Crimson Tide. 

Kickoff from DKR Texas Memorial Stadium is Saturday, Sept. 10 at 11 a.m. CT on FOX.

Questions or comments? Email Austin Hannon (Sports Editor) at [email protected]