Cotton Bowl
2006
Alabama 13
Texas Tech 10
DALLAS (AP)- As soon as the ball left Jamie Christensen's foot, the
only way to describe his 45-yard field-goal attempt was "ugly." It was
low, it was wobbly and it had a sideways spin that seemed certain to
make the ball hook left even if it had enough oomph to reach the
crossbar. Then it twirled through the bottom left corner of the goal
post, giving the 13th-ranked Crimson Tide a 13-10 victory over No. 18
Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl (video), ending a two-game losing streak and
rewarding a senior class that's been through a lot with a finish they'll
never forget. Just that quickly, it became one of the most beautiful
kicks in Alabama history.
Christensen, a sophomore who'd won consecutive games in October in the
closing seconds, joined Joe Montana as heroes of the most dramatic
finishes in the 70-year history of the Cotton Bowl. While Montana
overcame illness and bitter weather to lead Notre Dame past Houston
35-34 in 1979, Christensen battled back from missing a 39-yarder and
having a 38-yard attempt blocked.
This one was the longest of his career and it fulfilled a promise to a
teammate, made after his two goofs, that he would kick the winning field
goal if Tech tied it. Getting into the same sentence with Montana makes
it even better.
The entire stadium went silent when Christensen's kick went up -- well,
about 15 feet up at its highest point. When the official closest to
where the ball cleared threw up his arms, a teammate lifted Christensen
into the air and a wild celebration began around them.
"I didn't know if it was going to be good," Christensen said. "I didn't
know until I saw the referee's hands go up."
A bizarre scene followed: While everyone from the Crimson Tide side of
the field danced, everyone on the Red Raiders' side was so stunned they
weren't moving. "It didn't look very good when it left his foot," Tech
coach Mike Leach said. "I had high hopes for it not being good at that
point. Did he make it?"
Alabama's speedy defense kept Tech's offensive machine without a
touchdown for 57 minutes, 4 seconds. Then the Red Raiders (9-3) finally
broke through, tying the game at 10 on a 12-yard pass to Jarrett Hicks (video).
Hodges threw it, despite having missed the previous series with what's
believed to be a torn ligament in his right knee. The Tide began their
final drive at their 14, with two timeouts and 2:56 left.
Brodie Croyle drove them 58 yards in 10 plays, hitting Matt Miller for
17 yards on third-and-6 and Keith Brown on a 23-yarder to get into
field-goal range. Although Christensen was having a bad game, coach Mike
Shula trusted him because he kicked a 31-yarder with no time left to
beat Mississippi 13-10 and then a week later made a 34-yarder with 13
seconds for a 6-3 win over Tennessee.
No one else had ever kicked consecutive game-winners in Alabama history.
Now he's the first person to win a bowl game for the Tide on a
game-ending field goal - and that's saying something considering this
was 'Bama's 53rd bowl game and its 30th victory, both NCAA records. The
win gave the Tide double-digit victories for the 28th time, extending
yet another record. That's especially meaningful for Croyle, star
linebacker DeMeco Ryans and the rest of a senior class that broke in
under Dennis Franchione and went through the Mike Price mess. The win
should also make for a more comfortable offseason because Alabama ended
a losing skid that began when it was 9-0 and ranked No. 4.
Croyle, the leading passer in Tide history, was 19-of-31 for 275 yards
and, most importantly, helped Alabama keep the ball for 38:58, keeping
his defense fresh and the Tech offense on the sideline.
Croyle's first pass was a screen to receiver Keith Brown. Freed by a
block from tackle Chris Capps, Brown took it 76 yards for a touchdown
and the Tide's second-longest play of the season (video). Croyle celebrated by
running to midfield with his arms extended like an airplane, twirling in
circles. He opened the second half by leading a 17-play drive that took
8:07, ending with a 31-yarder by Christensen.
Christensen's first miss was from 39 yards in the second quarter, with
Alabama up 7-3. His next try was blocked. A big return and penalty left
Tech in position to go ahead 10-7 at halftime. But the Red Raiders blew
it with poor clock management and then had a 38-yard field goal blocked.
"It was a tightly contested game by two really good teams," Leach said.
"But I guess I felt like they outplayed us on all three sides of the
ball by a narrow margin."
Attendance: 74,222
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
UA- Brown 76 yard pass from Croyle (Christensen kick)
TT- FG Trlica 34
Third Quarter
UA- FG Christensen 31
Fourth Quarter
TT- Hicks 12 yard pass from Hodges (Trlica kick)
UA- FG Christensen 45
Individual Statistics
Rushing
TT- Hodges 17-66, Henderson 4-12, Filani 1-26
UA- Darby 29-81, Castille 6-22, Johns 3-19
Passing
TT- Hodges 15-32-196
UA- Croyle 19-31-275
Receiving
TT- Hicks 3-51, Henderson 5-46, Johnson 3-56, Filani 4-67
UA- Brown 5-141, Caddell 3-63, Matt Miller 2-27
