On This Day in Sports: January 7, 2010
On January 7, 2010, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, top-ranked Alabama defeated second-ranked Texas 37–21 to win the Bowl Championship Series national title. Both teams arrived 13–0, and the matchup promised a test between Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and an Alabama roster built around defense and a powerful running game. That balance changed on Texas’s opening possession, when McCoy injured his throwing shoulder on a hit by defensive lineman Marcell Dareus. Freshman Garrett Gilbert, who had attempted only 26 college passes, entered with the championship at stake.
Texas still took a 6–0 lead on two Hunter Lawrence field goals, but Alabama controlled the second quarter. Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram scored on a two-yard run, Trent Richardson broke a 49-yard touchdown run, and Leigh Tiffin added a field goal. Just before halftime, Dareus intercepted a shovel pass and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown, sending Alabama to the locker room ahead 24–6. The score suggested separation, yet Texas’s defense kept the game close enough for Gilbert to settle into a difficult role.
Gilbert threw two second-half touchdown passes to Jordan Shipley, and a two-point conversion pulled Texas within 24–21 with 6:15 remaining. After an Alabama punt, the Longhorns had the ball and a chance to complete the comeback. Linebacker Eryk Anders then forced a fumble from Gilbert near the Texas goal line, and Courtney Upshaw recovered. Ingram scored three plays later. Javier Arenas added a late interception, and Richardson turned the new possession into the final touchdown. Ingram finished with 116 rushing yards and two scores, while Richardson added 109 yards and two touchdowns.
The victory completed Alabama’s 14–0 season and delivered the program’s first national championship since 1992. It also gave coach Nick Saban a title at a second school after his championship with LSU, a rare accomplishment in major college football. The result helped launch Alabama’s extended run near the top of the sport, but the game also carried an unavoidable limitation: McCoy’s early injury prevented the anticipated quarterback matchup from fully developing. Texas’s rally with an inexperienced replacement nevertheless forced Alabama to win the game twice—first by building a large lead, then by answering when that lead nearly disappeared. The decisive minutes emphasized Alabama’s depth: different runners, a defensive touchdown, pressure on the backup, and late takeaways all mattered. That shared production became a recognizable feature of the teams Saban built in subsequent seasons, where multiple units routinely contributed to closing championship games.
Alabama and Texas entered the Rose Bowl 13–0 and ranked first and second, making the BCS title game a meeting of the season’s only unbeaten major contenders.
Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was injured on the opening drive, forcing freshman Garrett Gilbert into the game after only 26 previous college pass attempts.
Alabama led 24–6 at halftime, but two Gilbert-to-Jordan Shipley touchdowns reduced the margin to three points late in the fourth quarter.
McCoy’s injury changed the expected contest, yet Texas’s comeback still required Alabama to make decisive defensive plays in the final minutes.
The win completed a 14–0 season and gave Alabama its first national championship since 1992, restoring the program to the sport’s summit.
Saban became the first major-college coach to win BCS-era national championships at two schools, and Alabama’s victory began a sustained championship run.
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