The 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 117th overall and 78th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and its 20th within the SEC Western Division. The team was led by head coach Nick Saban, in his fifth year, and played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of twelve wins and one loss (12–1 overall, 7–1 in the SEC) and as consensus national champions.
After the completion of the 2010 season, the Crimson Tide signed a highly rated recruiting class in February 2011 and completed spring practice the following April. With seventeen returning starters from the previous season, Alabama entered their 2011 campaign ranked as the number two team in the nation and as a favorite to win the Western Division and compete for the SEC championship. However, Alabama lost to the LSU Tigers in their regular season matchup, and as a result did not qualify for the 2011 SEC Championship Game. Despite not winning their conference championship, when the final Bowl Championship Series rankings were released, Alabama had the number two ranking to qualify for the 2012 BCS National Championship Game. In the rematch against LSU, the Crimson Tide defeated the Tigers 21–0 to capture their second BCS Championship in three years.
At the conclusion of the season, the Alabama defense led the nation in every major statistical category, and was the first to do so since the 1986 season. Additionally, several players were recognized for the individual accomplishments on the field. Barrett Jones won both the Wuerffel Trophy and the Outland Trophy; and Trent Richardson won the Doak Walker Award, was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy and was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year. Also, seven players were named to various All-America Teams with Dont'a Hightower being a consensus selection and Mark Barron, Jones and Richardson each being unanimous selections. In April 2012, eight members of the 2011 squad were selected in the NFL draft, with an additional six signed as undrafted free agents to various teams. In 2019, Athlon Sports ranked the 2011 Crimson Tide defense as the greatest college defense of all time.
Before the season
After winning the BCS National Championship in 2009, Alabama fell short of preseason expectations in 2010 and finished with a record of nine wins and three losses at the conclusion of the regular season. However, they finished with a 49–7 victory in the 2011 Capital One Bowl against Michigan State, and secured Alabama's third straight ten-win season and their third bowl win in four seasons.
In February 2011, Alabama signed the No. 1 recruiting class according to Rivals and the No. 7 recruiting class according to Scout. Spring practice began on March 21 and concluded with the annual A-Day game on April 16. Televised live by ESPNU, the Crimson team of offensive starters defeated the White team of defensive starters by a final score of 14–10 before 92,310 fans in Bryant–Denny Stadium. For their performances, Barrett Jones earned the Dwight Stephenson Lineman of the A-Day Game Award and Trent Richardson earned the Dixie Howell Memorial Most Valuable Player of the A-Day Game Award.
In the weeks after the conclusion of spring practice, a pair of tragedies occurred that directly impacted the team. On April 27, 2011, an EF4 rated tornado devastated Tuscaloosa. As a result of the storm, long snapper Carson Tinker suffered a broken wrist with his girlfriend being one of the 43 fatalities attributed to the storm in Tuscaloosa. On May 12, 2011, offensive lineman Aaron Douglas was found dead in Fernandina Beach, Florida. The cause of death was subsequently ruled accidental as a result of multiple drug toxicity. After transferring to Alabama from Arizona Western College, Douglas struggled with off-field issues including a DUI charge following a December 2010 arrest. He started his career as a freshman All-America at Tennessee, before the Volunteers' new head coach Derek Dooley granted him a release from the program in Spring 2010.
By August, Alabama had a combined 31 players on 12 different preseason award watch lists. These included Mark Barron, Dont'a Hightower, Dre Kirkpatrick, Robert Lester and Courtney Upshaw for the Chuck Bednarik Award; Duron Carter, Darius Hanks and Marquis Maze for the Fred Biletnikoff Award; Hightower, Nico Johnson and Upshaw for the Butkus Award; Lester and Trent Richardson for the Walter Camp Award; Hightower, Barrett Jones, Upshaw and William Vlachos for the Lombardi Award; Michael Williams for the John Mackey Award; Richardson for the Maxwell Award; Barron, Hightower, Kirkpatrick, Lester and Upshaw for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy; Jones and Vlachos for the Outland Trophy; Vlachos for the Rimington Trophy; Barron, Kirkpatrick and Lester for the Jim Thorpe Award; and Richardson for the Doak Walker Award.
Between the conclusion of the 2010 season and the beginning of summer practice in August 2011, seven players transferred from the Crimson Tide. Those who transferred included Robby Green (California University of Pennsylvania), B.J. Scott (South Alabama), Demetrius Goode (North Alabama), Petey Smith (Holmes Community College), Brandon Moore (East Mississippi Community College), Corey Grant (Auburn) and Keiwone Malone (Memphis).
Coaching staff Alabama head coach Nick Saban entered his fifth year as the Crimson Tide's head coach for the 2011 season. During his previous four years with Alabama, he led the Crimson Tide to an overall record of 38 wins, 11 losses (38–11) and the 2009 national championship. In the weeks after the Capitol One Bowl victory, several changes were made to the Alabama coaching staff. Defensive line coach Bo Davis resigned his position to serve as the defensive tackles coach for Texas, and the next day Chris Rumph was hired from Clemson, to replace him as the defensive line coach. On January 12, assistant head coach and offensive line coach Joe Pendry announced his retirement, and the following day former Miami interim head coach Jeff Stoutland was hired to replace him as offensive line coach. On January 21, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Curt Cignetti resigned his position to accept the head coaching job at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and on February 7, Mike Groh was hired as his replacement as wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator.
Nick Saban Head coach 5 Kent State (1973) Burton Burns Associate head coach, running backs 5 Nebraska (1976) Mike Groh Receivers, recruiting coordinator 1 Virginia (1995) Jim McElwain Offensive coordinator, quarterbacks 4 Eastern Washington (1984) Jeremy Pruitt Secondary 2 West Alabama (1999) Chris Rumph Defensive line 1 South Carolina (1994) Kirby Smart Defensive coordinator, linebackers 5 Georgia (1999) Jeff Stoutland Assistant head coach, offensive line 1 Southern Connecticut (1984) Sal Sunseri Assistant head coach, linebackers 3 Pittsburgh (1982) Bobby Williams Tight ends, special teams 4 Purdue (1982) Scott Cochran Strength and conditioning 5 LSU (2001)Reference:2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book, p. 2
Analysts Offensive analysts Billy Napier Jeff Norrid Jody Wright Defensive analysts Dean Altobelli Russ Callaway Special teams analysts Joe Judge
Graduate assistants Derrick Ansley Glenn Schumann Kevin Garver
Student assistants Rob Ezell
Roster Returning starters Alabama had 17 returning starters from the previous season, including ten on defense and seven on offense. The most notable departures from the previous year were defensive end Marcell Dareus, left tackle James Carpenter, tight end Preston Dial, quarterback Greg McElroy, wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Mark Ingram II
Offense Player Class Position Michael Williams Junior Tight End Marquis Maze Senior Wide Receiver Darius Hanks Senior Wide Receiver Chance Warmack Junior Left Guard William Vlachos Senior Center Barrett Jones Junior Right Guard D. J. Fluker Sophomore Right TackleReference:2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book, p. 9
Defense Player Class Position Mark BarronSeniorSafety Robert Lester Junior Safety Dont'a Hightower Junior Linebacker C. J. Mosley Sophomore Linebacker Courtney Upshaw Senior Linebacker Nico Johnson Junior Linebacker Dre Kirkpatrick Junior Cornerback DeQuan Menzie Senior Cornerback Dee Milliner Sophomore Cornerback Josh Chapman Senior Nose TackleReference:2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book, p. 11
Special teams Player Class Position Cade Foster Sophomore Placekicker Jeremy Shelley Junior Placekicker Cody Mandell Sophomore Punter Carson Tinker Junior Long SnapperReference:2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book, p. 13
Depth chart Starters and backups.
Recruiting class Alabama's recruiting class included eleven players from the "ESPN 150": No. 3 Cyrus Kouandjio (OT); No. 19 Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix (S); No. 22 Xzavier Dickson (DE); No. 38 Trey DePriest (OLB); No. 41 Bradley Sylve (WR); No. 53 Jeoffrey Pagan (DE); No. 75 Marvin Shinn (WR); No. 79 Demetrius Hart (RB); No. 82 Malcolm Faciane (TE); No. 137 Danny Woodson Jr. (WR); and No. 140 Brent Calloway (ATH). Alabama signed the No. 1 recruiting class according to Rivals and the No. 7 recruiting class according to Scout. The football program received 14 letters of intent on National Signing Day, February 2, 2011. Prior to National Signing Day, three high school players and three junior college transfers of the 2011 recruiting class enrolled for the spring semester in order to participate in spring practice. These early enrollments included: nose guard Quinton Dial, offensive lineman Aaron Douglas and nose tackle Jesse Williams from junior college and linebacker Trey DePriest, quarterback Phillip Ely safety Vinnie Sunseri from high school.
Schedule The 2011 schedule was officially released on October 19, 2010. 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 Vanderbilt. Alabama did not play SEC opponents Georgia, Kentucky or South Carolina. The contest against Vanderbilt served as the 2011 homecoming game.
Alabama played four non-conference games. The game against Penn State was originally scheduled to be played as part of the 2004 season, however the series was moved back to this season at the request of Alabama due to fallout from NCAA sanctions being levied on the program. The non-conference schedule also included games against Kent State of the Mid-American Conference, North Texas of the Sun Belt Conference and Georgia Southern of the Southern Conference. Alabama had one bye week after the Tennessee game and prior to the first LSU game. On December 4, 2011, the final Bowl Championship Series standings were unveiled with a rematch between No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game. The Sagarin computer ratings calculated Alabama's 2011 strength of schedule to be the fifteenth most difficult out of the 246 Division I teams. The Cosgrove Computer Rankings calculated it as the twenty-ninth most difficult out of the 120 Division I FBS teams in its rankings.
In addition to the weekly television coverage, radio coverage for all games was broadcast statewide on The Crimson Tide Sports Network (CTSN).2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Record Book, p. 207 The radio announcers for the 2011 season were Eli Gold with play-by-play, Phil Savage with color commentary, and Chris Stewart with sideline reports.
Source: Rolltide.com: 2011 Alabama football schedule
Game summaries
Kent State
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