College Football: Rewatching Week 1 of an exciting 2009 season
No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 7 Virginia Tech
Hearing a Brent Musberger “you are looking live” brings goosebumps down your spine, no matter what year it is. Joining him in the booth was Kirk Herbstreit, signaling the significance of the night’s matchup. The old Georgia Dome was rocking for this one, as it was a top 10 matchup between two storied programs to begin the college football season.
Do not be fooled by the 34-24 final score in favor of the Crimson Tide fool you, both Alabama and Virginia Tech’s offenses struggled mightily, with defense and special teams setting them up for success. Mainly in the special teams department, both squads had fantastic plays go in their favor and also detrimental go against them.
The first big special teams play came in the first quarter, after a Leigh Tiffin 34-yard field goal gave Alabama a 6-0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, Dyrell Roberts took it back 98 yards, finally getting Virginia Tech on the board. Before the touchdown, the Hokies had two drives in which they ran six plays for a total of three yards. The spark was needed for Virginia Tech, whose offense looked like they would never gain a first down.
On the next possession, Alabama gained one first down via a 15-yard personal foul but came up short on the next three plays, settling in for a punt on fourth down. As returned Ryan Williams muffed the punt, giving the Crimson Tide the ball back deep in their Hokie. They were able to capitalize on the Virginia Tech mistake, adding a field goal to make it 9-7.
One final botched special teams play came from the Hokies in the fourth quarter. After a two-play, 28-second touchdown drive from Alabama to give them a 24-17 lead, Davon Morgan fumbled the ball on the kickoff. The Crimson Tide once again took over deep in Virginia Tech territory and settled for another field goal to make it a two-score game.
Alabama’s defense was phenomenal throughout the game, only giving up 155 yards. The speed of every player mixed with their punishing hits made the Crimson Tide look like men among boys. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor had a tough game, going 9-for-20 with 91 yards in the air. More known for his ability on the ground, Taylor had -26 rushing yards on 10 attempts, including being sacked five times.
Running backs Mark Ingram and Roy Upchurch were the offensive spark for Alabama, rushing for 240 yards between the two of them and being involved in every single offensive touchdown. Upchurch got his score in the second quarter, while Ingram’s two fourth-quarter touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) put the game on ice for Nick Saban’s squad.
Pegged to be a defensive battle from the beginning, the Chic-fil-A Kickoff Game was exactly that in every way, except the final score. Coming off a season where Alabama had a top 10 defense during the 2008 season, this year’s unit could be better. With quarterback Greg McElroy looking shaky in his first start, the run game and defense helped make up for it in significant ways.
Key Stats
Mark Ingram (Alabama): 26 carries, 150 yards, one rushing touchdown and three receptions, 35 yards, one touchdown
Virginia Tech: 254 total return yards
Key play
Down seven in the fourth quarter, Ryan Williams picked up a first down after a third-and-1 run. The only issue? The Hokies were holding and drove back 10 yards. Tyrod Taylor could not complete the third-and-11 pass, forcing a Virginia Tech punt.
On their next three drives, Alabama scored 17 points, while the Hokies only found the endzone one more time. The 17-7 score after the holding call was the difference in the game, as Alabama won 34-24.