Outback Bowl
1997
Alabama 17
Michigan 14
Gene Stallings went out a winner in his
final game at Alabama as linebacker Dwayne Rudd returned an interception
88 yards for the go-ahead score to give the 16th-ranked Crimson Tide a
17-14 victory over 15th-ranked Michigan in the Outback Bowl at Tampa,
Florida.
Stallings, who announced his resignation in November, finished his seven-year career at Alabama with a 70-13-1 record, including wins in his last five bowl games. The Crimson Tide won the national championship under Stallings in the 1992 season.
"I can't tell you how pleased I am for the players. I can't tell you how good a football game that was on both sides of the ball," said Stallings, who will be replaced by defensive coordinator Mike Dubose. "Winning the last game is a lot easier because you don't have to apologize during the offseason. You can enjoy your summer more and it makes the transition a little easier."
Alabama (10-3) appeared in its record 48th bowl game and is 28-17-3 in those contests. Michigan (8-4) fell to 13-15 in the postseason.
Rudd intercepted a pass by Brian Griese in the right flat and raced untouched down the left sideline with 12:13 left in the fourth quarter to give Alabama a 10-6 lead. The return broke the record for the bowl previously held by Georgia's Gary Moss (81 yards) in the 1986 Hall of Fame Bowl. It was also an Alabama bowl record.
"I didn't get a good look at the play," Rudd admitted. "I looked up and saw the ball and just grabbed it. When I turned around, all I saw was a big field in front of me and I just ran straight for the end zone. It felt sort of good to get in the end zone. I haven't been there all year."
"I don't know if the tight end got jammed on the line or what, but Brian made a mistake," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "We needed three points there and when they blitzed we expected them to blitz. Brian pumped a couple of times and then made a bad throw."
It was the second career touchdown for Rudd, who also returned an interception 23 yards for a touchdown in the 1994 Southeastern Conference title game.
"If you're looking for a guy that's going to make the play, he's the one," Stallings said of Rudd. "To see him get a TD and an interception pleases me for him. But I see him do it in practice all the time. It didn't surprise me at all."
"It was a bad pass, obviously, and a big play for them," Griese said. "They're a great defensive team and they played huge today."
Shaun Alexander scored on a 46-yard run with 2:15 left in the game, increasing the seemingly safe cushion to 17-6. Alexander finished with 99 yards on just nine carries.
But
the Wolverines rebounded on the ensuing drive as Griese threw a
nine-yard scoring pass to Russell Shaw. Chris Floyd's run for the
two-point conversion got the Wolverines within 17-14 with 76 seconds
left, but Chad Goss recovered Michigan's onside kick attempt and Alabama
ran out the clock.
Griese was 21-of-37 for 287 yards with one interception and a touchdown. His completions and attempts set new Michigan bowl standards.
Alabama used John Brock's 43-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead with 3:42 left in the first quarter, but Michigan grabbed a 6-3 halftime lead on field goals of 44 and 22 yards by Remy Hamilton in the second quarter.
Michigan's David Bowens recorded his single-season school-record 12th sack.
"I have to give credit to Alabama, they found a way to win the game. I was disappointed, I thought that we would win," said Carr. "We played well enough to win, just a couple of mistakes, that was the difference."
Brian Griese
Freddie Kitchens
Charles Woodson
Shaun Alexander
Attendance- 53,161
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
UA- FG Brock 43
Second Quarter
UM- FG Hamilton 44
UM- FG Hamilton 22
Fourth Quarter
UA- Rudd 88-yard interception return (Brock kick)
UA- Alexander 46 run (Brock kick)
UM- Shaw 9 yard pass from Griese (Floyd run)
Individual Statistics
Rushing
UM- Williams 12-58, Floyd 6-35, Howard 12-27, Griese 10-5
UA- Alexander 9-99, Riddle 13-58, Foust 5-29
Passing
UM- Griese 37-21-287
UA- Kitchens 18-9-65
Receiving
UM- Shaw 6-84, Williams 5-113, Knight 3-41, Woodson 3-25, Streets 2-12
UA- Alexander 3-4, Vaughn 2-27, Rutledge 1-13, Hape 1-12
