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1995 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

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1995 Alabama Crimson Tide football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionWestern Division
Ranking
APNo. 21
Record8–3 (5–3 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorHomer Smith
Defensive coordinatorBill Oliver (3rd season)
Captains
  • Shannon Brown
  • Brian Burgdorf
  • Tony Johnson
  • John Walters
Home stadiumBryant–Denny Stadium
(Capacity: 70,123)
Legion Field
(Capacity: 83,091)
Seasons
← 1994
1996 →
1995 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Eastern Division
No. 2 Florida x$ 8 0 0 12 1 0
No. 3 Tennessee 7 1 0 11 1 0
Georgia 3 5 0 6 6 0
South Carolina 2 5 1 4 6 1
Kentucky 2 6 0 4 7 0
Vanderbilt 1 7 0 2 9 0
Western Division
Arkansas x 6 2 0 8 5 0
No. 21 Alabama 5 3 0 8 3 0
No. 22 Auburn 5 3 0 8 4 0
LSU 4 3 1 7 4 1
Ole Miss 3 5 0 6 5 0
Mississippi State 1 7 0 3 8 0
Championship: Florida 34, Arkansas 3
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1995 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama for the 1995–96 college football season, competing in the Western Division in the Southeastern Conference. The team played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Gene Stallings led the Crimson Tide to an 8–3 record. Due to NCAA sanctions, no bowl appearance was made.

The early-season victory over Southern Miss came in dramatic fashion, as Alabama completed a 36-yard pass on 4th down for a go-ahead touchdown with under 30 seconds left in the game. The three games Alabama lost were also particularly noteworthy. The game against Arkansas featured a last-minute 4th-and-goal touchdown pass by Arkansas, giving them the win; however, replays later showed the ball was clearly not caught. This call, along with a missed twelve-men-on-the-field penalty on Arkansas' final drive led to the suspension of the officiating crew the following week. The 41–14 blowout loss to Tennessee marked the Vols first win over the Tide since 1985, ending Alabama's 9-game unbeaten streak. The season-ending loss at Auburn also featured a questionable last-minute call regarding a pass. Alabama QB Freddie Kitchens had apparently hit Curtis Brown for a late go-ahead touchdown, but officials ruled Brown out of bounds.

Schedule

[edit]
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 27:00 p.m.at VanderbiltNo. 11PPVW 33–2540,880[1]
September 92:00 p.m.Southern Miss*No. 13PPVW 24–2083,091[2]
September 1611:30 a.m.ArkansasNo. 13JPSL 19–2070,123[3]
September 3011:00 a.m.at GeorgiaNo. 20ABCW 31–086,117[4]
October 72:30 p.m.NC State*daggerNo. 16
  • Bryant–Denny Stadium
  • Tuscaloosa, AL
PPVW 27–1170,123[5]
October 146:30 p.m.No. 6 TennesseeNo. 11
ESPNL 14–4183,091[6]
October 212:00 p.m.at Ole MissNo. 21W 23–944,312[7]
October 282:30 p.m.North Texas*No. 18
  • Bryant–Denny Stadium
  • Tuscaloosa, AL
PPVW 38–1970,123[8]
November 42:30 p.m.LSUNo. 16
  • Bryant–Denny Stadium
  • Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)
ABCW 10–370,123[9]
November 1111:30 a.m.Mississippi StateNo. 16
  • Bryant–Denny Stadium
  • Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)
JPSW 14–970,123[10]
November 184:30 p.m.at No. 21 AuburnNo. 17ESPNL 27–3185,214[11]
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time

[12]

Roster

[edit]
1995 Alabama Crimson Tide football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 9 Freddie Kitchens So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 87 Dwayne Rudd Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Coaching staff

[edit]
Name Position Consecutive seasons at Alabama
Gene Stallings Head coach 6th
Homer Smith Offensive coordinator 2nd
Woody McCorvey Wide receivers Coach 6th
Danny Pearman Offensive tackles coach/Special teams coordinator 5th
Jim Fuller Offensive line coach 12th
Randy Ross Quarterbacks coach/Recruiting Coordinator 6th
Ivy Williams Running backs coach 2nd
Bill Oliver Defensive coordinator/Secondary coach 6th
Mike Dubose Defensive line coach 6th
Jeff Rouzie Linebackers coach 5th
Reference:[13]

Game summaries

[edit]

Vanderbilt

[edit]
1 2 3 4 Total
#11 Crimson Tide 7 3 0 23 33
Commodores 7 3 9 6 25

Despite five turnovers, Alabama was able to use a 23 point 4th quarter to survive a scare against Vanderbilt.

Statistics Alabama Vanderbilt
First downs 19 10
Total yards 372 208
Rushing yards 125 112
Passing yards 247 96
Turnovers 5 6
Time of possession 35:35 24:25
Team Category Player Statistics
Alabama Passing Brian Burgdorf 17–30, 198 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT's
Rushing Dennis Riddle 29 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Toderick Malone 4 receptions, 66 yards, 1 TD
Vanderbilt Passing Damian Allen 8–23, 87 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT's
Rushing Jermaine Johnson 16 carries, 114 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Sanford Ware 3 receptions, 50 yards

Southern Miss

[edit]
1 2 3 4 Total
Golden Eagles 10 7 0 3 20
#13 Crimson Tide 0 3 14 7 24

For the second week in a row, Alabama would have to use a 4th quarter comeback to prevent an upset. Down 20–17 and facing a 4th and 16, Brian Burgdorf threw a 35 yard touchdown pass to Toderick Malone to give Alabama their first lead and the eventual win.

Statistics Southern Miss Alabama
First downs 14 18
Total yards 259 349
Rushing yards 101 84
Passing yards 158 265
Turnovers 1 1
Time of possession 30:09 29:51
Team Category Player Statistics
Southern Miss Passing Heath Graham 15–28, 158 yards 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Eric Booth 9 carries, 52 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Ryan Pearson 4 receptions, 52 yards
Alabama Passing Brian Burgdorf 19–27, 265 yards, 3 TD's
Rushing Dennis Riddle 14 carries, 44 yards
Receiving Toderick Malone 5 receptions, 131 yards, 1 TD

Arkansas

[edit]
1 2 3 4 Total
Razorbacks 10 0 3 7 20
#13 Crimson Tide 3 14 2 0 19

Despite holding a 9 point lead in the third quarter, Alabama could not hold on and would lose to Arkansas for the first time ever in school history.

Statistics Arkansas Alabama
First downs 13 11
Total yards 270 213
Rushing yards 89 123
Passing yards 181 90
Turnovers 0 1
Time of possession 32:39 27:21
Team Category Player Statistics
Arkansas Passing Barry Lunney Jr. 15–26, 181 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Madre Hill 26 carries, 105 yards
Receiving Anthony Eubanks 3 receptions, 59 yards
Alabama Passing Brian Burgdorf 6–17, 90 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Dennis Riddle 22 carries, 57 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Curtis Brown 2 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD

Georgia

[edit]
1 2 3 4 Total
#20 Crimson Tide 3 14 0 14 31
Bulldogs 0 0 0 0 0

Bama defensive lineman Shannon Brown blocked a Georgia 27-yard field goal attempt. Deshea Townsend caught the ball and ran 90 yards for a touchdown. Defensive back Cedric Samuel returned a fumble 25 yards for a touchdown. DB Kevin Jackson took an interception back 36 yards for another score. UGA quarterback Hines Ward completed one pass and threw an interception before being replaced.[14]

Statistics Alabama Georgia
First downs 11 15
Total yards 227 213
Rushing yards 110 142
Passing yards 117 71
Turnovers 0 6
Time of possession 28:18 31:42
Team Category Player Statistics
Alabama Passing Brian Burgdorf 7–13, 100 yards
Rushing Dennis Riddle 17 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Tony Johnson 2 receptions, 51 yards
Georgia Passing Brian Smith 9–20, 60 yards, 2 INT's
Rushing Larry Bowie (running back) 24 carries, 94 yards
Receiving Juan Daniels 1 reception, 18 yards

North Carolina State

[edit]
1 2 3 4 Total
Wolfpack 0 0 3 8 11
#16 Crimson Tide 10 3 7 7 27

Alabama would extend their non-conference winning streak to 19 as they would beat the Wolfpack on Homecoming.

Statistics NC State Alabama
First downs 22 21
Total yards 380 356
Rushing yards 159 150
Passing yards 221 206
Turnovers 2 2
Time of possession 32:24 27:36
Team Category Player Statistics
NC State Passing Terry Harvey 10–23, 142 yards, 1 INT
Rushing Tremayne Stephens 15 carries, 77 yards
Receiving Mike Guffie 3 receptions, 51 yards, 1 TD
Alabama Passing Brian Burgdorf 17–25, 196 yards, 2 TD's , 1 INT
Rushing Dennis Riddle 18 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Toderick Malone 5 receptions, 61 yards

Tennessee

[edit]
1 2 3 4 Total
#6 Volunteers 21 7 7 6 41
#11 Crimson Tide 0 7 7 0 14

For the first time since 1985, Tennessee would beat Alabama. The lose of 27 points was the largest margin of defeat at Legion Field since Tennessee replicated that score in 1969.

Statistics Tennessee Alabama
First downs 21 21
Total yards 496 303
Rushing yards 167 75
Passing yards 329 228
Turnovers 1 5
Time of possession 30:25 29:35
Team Category Player Statistics
Tennessee Passing Peyton Manning 20–29, 301 yards, 3 TD's
Rushing Jay Graham 17 carries, 114 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Joey Kent 5 receptions, 117 yards, 1 TD
Alabama Passing Freddie Kitchens 20–43, 204 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT's
Rushing Dennis Riddle 13 carries, 60 yards
Receiving Curtis Brown 6 receptions, 61 yards

Ole Miss

[edit]
1 2 3 4 Total
#21 Crimson Tide 9 7 0 7 23
Rebels 0 0 3 6 9

The Alabama defense scored the first nine points of this game. Dwayne Rudd sacked the Ole Miss quarterback who fumbled the ball out of the back end zone for a safety. Later in the first quarter, linebacker Ralph Staten would return an interception 61 yards for a touchdown.

Statistics Alabama Ole Miss
First downs 12 18
Total yards 239 304
Rushing yards 82 83
Passing yards 157 221
Turnovers 0 2
Time of possession 24:33 35:27
Team Category Player Statistics
Alabama Passing Brian Burgdorf 13–24, 157 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Dennis Riddle 15 carries, 53 yards
Receiving Toderick Malone 4 receptions, 73 yards, 1 TD
Ole Miss Passing Josh Nelson 19–38, 163 yards, 1 INT
Rushing Dou Innocent 20 carries, 52 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Dou Innocent 6 receptions, 68 yards

North Texas

[edit]
1 2 3 4 Total
Mean Green 0 7 6 6 19
#18 Crimson Tide 0 10 14 14 38

After sleep walking through the first half, Alabama would use 28 points in the second half to pull away and win their 20th straight non conference game.

Statistics North Texas Alabama
First downs 9 20
Total yards 274 465
Rushing yards 14 219
Passing yards 260 246
Turnovers 4 4
Time of possession 24:03 35:57
Team Category Player Statistics
North Texas Passing Josh Gulley 19–37, 183 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT's
Rushing Jason Mills 2 carries, 10 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Troy Redwine 5 receptions, 128 yards, 1 TD
Alabama Passing Brian Burgdorf 10–13, 136 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Brian Steger 19 carries, 97 yards
Receiving Toderick Malone 4 receptions, 87 yards, 1 TD

LSU

[edit]
1 2 3 4 Total
Tigers 0 3 0 0 3
#16 Crimson Tide 0 3 0 7 10

Early in the fourth quarter, Deshea Townsend intercepted a Jamie Howard pass and returned it 17 yards to the LSU 21-yard line. A few plays later, Dennis Riddle would convert a 2-yard touchdown run that proved to be the difference in Alabama's 10-3 win.

Statistics LSU Alabama
First downs 12 17
Total yards 232 337
Rushing yards 102 210
Passing yards 130 127
Turnovers 3 4
Time of possession 28:09 31:51
Team Category Player Statistics
LSU Passing Jamie Howard 10–23, 127 yards, 2 INT's
Rushing Kevin Faulk 23 carries, 75 yards
Receiving Sheddrick Wilson 6 receptions, 81 yards
Alabama Passing Freddie Kitchens 6–16, 93 yards, 1 INT
Rushing Dennis Riddle 33 carries, 174 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Curtis Brown 4 receptions, 64 yards

Mississippi State

[edit]
1 2 3 4 Total
Bulldogs 2 7 0 0 9
#16 Crimson Tide 0 7 7 0 14

Freddie Kitchens would make his first start for Alabama at quarterback as the tide would use defense and good clock management to beat Mississippi State.

Statistics Mississippi State Alabama
First downs 8 22
Total yards 135 324
Rushing yards 94 249
Passing yards 41 75
Turnovers 2 0
Time of possession 19:33 40:27
Team Category Player Statistics
Mississippi State Passing Derrick Taite 8–16, 41 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT's
Rushing Keffer McGee 18 carries, 78 yards
Receiving Eric Moulds 4 receptions, 25 yards, 1 TD
Alabama Passing Freddie Kitchens 8–10, 75 yards
Rushing Dennis Riddle 38 carries, 181 yards, 2 TD's
Receiving Curtis Brown 2 receptions, 25 yards

Auburn

[edit]
1 2 3 4 Total
#17 Crimson Tide 14 0 10 3 27
#21 Tigers 14 10 0 7 31

Despite gaining a season high 478 yards of offense and a valiant comeback effort in the second half, Alabama could not score enough points to beat Auburn.

Statistics Alabama Auburn
First downs 22 18
Total yards 478 354
Rushing yards 176 95
Passing yards 302 259
Turnovers 1 0
Time of possession 29:26 30:34
Team Category Player Statistics
Alabama Passing Freddie Kitchens 19–43, 302 yards, 1 TD
Rushing Dennis Riddle 20 carries, 86 yards
Receiving Toderick Malone 7 receptions, 106 yards, 1 TD
Auburn Passing Patrick Nix 18–36, 259 yards, 2 TD's
Rushing Stephen Davis 22 carries, 80 yards
Receiving Errick Lowe 3 receptions, 66 yards

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Tide rises just in time". The Tennessean. September 3, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Somehow, Tide prevails". The Anniston Star. September 10, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Razorbacks trap Alabama". The Montgomery Advertiser. September 17, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Take it away Bama: 31–0". The Atlanta Constitution. October 1, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Alabama too tough for State". The News and Observer. October 8, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Vols sack the streak". The Tennessean. October 15, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Alabama springs back". The Clarion-Ledger. October 22, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Alabama tops UNT with second-half rally". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 29, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Option breaks LSU-Tide deadlock". Daily World. November 5, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Alabama squeezes Bulldogs". Hattiesburg American. November 12, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Tigers win a classic". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 19, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "1995 Alabama football archives". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  13. ^ 1995 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Media Guide, p. 2
  14. ^ "Alabama 31, Georgia 0". UPI. September 30, 1995. Retrieved May 28, 2020.