Kent State: 48-7

QB battle & first game since the tornado

There were a lot of questions surrounding the Alabama football team at the beginning of the 2011 season, like who will start at quarterback, how will the team perform in its first game after the tornado and could the team live up to the preseason hype?

Those questions were answered early as the Crimson Tide came out and dominated head coach Nick Saban’s alma mater. Redshirt sophomore AJ McCarron and redshirt freshman Phillip Sims battled to be the Tide’s leading man, but McCarron ultimately won the job.

The Golden Flashes proved to be no match for the experienced Tide defense and all of the offensive skill players for the Tide. The only touchdown allowed came after an interception that was returned inside the five-yard line.

The game was well in hand by halftime and Alabama was able to get some game experience for its younger players.

@Penn State: 27-11

First road test for young QB

AJ McCarron won the quarterback duel against Phillip Sims and faced a tough test in his first career road start. The Nittany Lion defense pushed Alabama around early, holding them scoreless in their opening drive. Their offense was able to drive on Alabama, scoring on their opening possession.

But on the next Alabama position, their young quarterback emerged from the shadows and threw a touchdown to give the Tide the lead. Alabama would never look back. The final score shows a 16-point win, but the game was never that close. Penn State scored their only touchdown in garbage time on the game’s final possession.

The Tide earned a victory over the first of many top-25 opponents. Running back Trent Richardson began his Heisman campaign, rushing for 116 yards and two touchdowns against a top-50 defense.

North Texas: 41-0

The Mean Green showed up in Tuscaloosa without a prayer of winning against Alabama. The defense swarmed North Texas all game and didn’t allow a single point. Late in the game, Alabama’s second team defense was backed up deep in its own territory, but they were able to hold strong, earning Alabama its first shutout since the 2009 season.

Arkansas: 38-14

Tide shuts down Hogs

In their first Southeastern Conference game of the season, the Tide came out on fire against the Hogs. Every aspect of the game was working for Alabama, but the best part about it was the Alabama defense’s ability to hold the high powered Arkansas offense to only two scoring drives.

@Florida: 38-10

Courtney Upshaw dominates

Besides the opening play touchdown, this was one of Alabama’s most complete offensive and defensive games. Florida came in as a top-10 opponent and was 4-0 at the time. That proved to be a mirage, as the Gators were dismantled by the Tide at home.

Alabama heard all week about Florida’s speedy running backs Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey and how tough it was going to be to stop them. The Tide proved to be up to the challenge, holding the two to a combined total of 22 yards.

The star of the night was linebacker Courtney Upshaw. Upshaw finished with three tackles for loss, a sack and an interception he returned for a touchdown. Upshaw’s sack injured Florida’s quarterback John Brantley late in the first half, and Brantley would have to miss a few games. Florida never recovered from the loss, losing four consecutive games and finishing 6-6 overall.

Vanderbilt: 34-0

Homecoming beatdown

The first few minutes of Homecoming were a struggle for Alabama early on. First year head coach James Franklin had the Commodore’s playing inspired football as they rolled into Tuscaloosa. Vandy was able to get into scoring position, but could not convert their field goals. Vanderbilt’s lack of offense and field goal kicking gave the Tide another shutout.

@Ole Miss: 52-7

Richardson’s Heisman moment juke & run

Ole Miss was already having a bad season, and to make matters worse, they had to play Alabama. This game was more of a glorified scrimmage for the Tide than a tough SEC game. Trent Richardson continued to build his Heisman resume with a spectacular run in which he burst through the line of scrimmage, juking a poor freshman defensive back out of his cleats twice en route to a 73-yard touchdown.

Tennessee: 37-6

McCarron grows up. Hightower dominates

In the first half of this game, Alabama looked more like a high school team than a national power. They were unable to produce a touchdown against Tennessee.

But the Tide came out of the locker room refocused to start the second half. They forced the Vols to go three-and-out on their first possession, and then quarterback AJ McCarron led the Tide to a five-play, 75-yard drive, completing all four of his passes for 73 yards and scoring a touchdown on a two-yard scramble.

The Tide scored 21 points in the third quarter to put Derek Dooley and the Vols away for good.

LSU: 6-9

‘Game of the Century’

The hype surrounding this game was off the meter. No. 1 versus No. 2. Nick Saban versus Les Miles. There were a ton of storylines, and the local and national media outlets dissected the game from every possible angle.

For the purist who loved defense, the game lived up to the hype. It was a struggle throughout for both offenses, and the top ranked Tigers needed overtime to put the Tide away. Alabama fans, players and coaches all left the stadium feeling that the Tide had missed out on its chance to play for a national championship. The Tide needed help from other teams around the country to regain a spot as one of the top two teams in the country.

@Mississippi State: 24-7

Tide rebound after loss

Coming off an emotional game, a lot of people in Tuscaloosa were questioning how Alabama would respond following the tough loss. Mississippi State’s defense smothered Alabama early, stuffing Trent Richardson and intercepting an AJ McCarron pass. But the Tide eventually found their rhythm and triumphed by 17.

Georgia Southern: 45-21

Most points allowed by Alabama all year

Not Arkansas, not Florida nor even LSU could score more than 14 points on the Tide. It took Georgia Southern’s triple-option to put up 21 points on the smothering Alabama defense.

Big plays on defense and special teams helped push the Tide past the Eagles.

@Auburn: 42-14

Never Again

This year’s Iron Bowl started very similar to last season’s. In fact, at one point the score was 24-7, and Auburn had the ball and scored to make it 24-14. Those would be the Tigers’ last points of the game as the Tide ripped off 18 to put the game away.

Alabama came into the game with the motto ‘Never Again’, referring to their letdown in the 2010 Iron Bowl loss in Tuscaloosa.

The defense and running back Trent Richardson helped seal the deal for the Tide. Alabama’s stifling defense held Auburn to less than 100 yards of total offense, while Richardson carried the load on offense rushing for 203 yards in what most called a ‘Heisman moment’ type of game.