# 2002 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

The 2002 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA", "Bama" or "The Tide") represented the University of Alabama in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 108th overall season, 70th as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and its 11th within the SEC Western Division. The team was led by head coach Dennis Franchione, in his second year, and played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of 10–3 (6–2 in the SEC) to finish in first place in the SEC West; however, the team was ineligible to compete in the 2002 SEC Championship Game or a bowl game due to a two-year postseason ban imposed as part of the penalty for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) violations.
The team was led by second-year head coach Dennis Franchione. The team began the season with a 4–1 record, only losing a very close game to then #8 ranked Oklahoma. On October 5, the Crimson Tide lost another hard-fought game to the #4 Georgia 27–25 at home. The team would then defeat their next five opponents by an average of 24.4 points. In the 2002 Iron Bowl, the team was defeated by the Auburn Tigers by a score of 17–7. The team would end their season by defeating Hawaii. Though the team finished at 10–3 (6–2) and atop the SEC West standings, they were ineligible to play in the postseason due to receiving NCAA sanctions in 2001.
On December 5, Franchione left Alabama to take a head coaching job at Texas A&M University. which was left vacant by the firing of R. C. Slocum.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 11:30 a.m. | Middle Tennessee* | | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL | JPS | W 39–34 | 80,091 |
| September 7 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 2 Oklahoma* | | Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK | ABC | L 27–37 | 75,564 |
| September 14 | 6:00 p.m. | North Texas* | | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL | PPV | W 33–7 | 79,818 |
| September 21 | 6:00 p.m. | Southern Miss* | | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL | ESPN2 | W 20–7 | 83,818 |
| September 28 | 6:45 p.m. | at Arkansas | | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR | ESPN | W 30–12 | 73,551 |
| October 5 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 7 Georgia | No. 22 | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL (rivalry, College GameDay) | CBS | L 25–27 | 83,818 |
| October 19 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 21 Ole Miss | No. 24 | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL (rivalry) | CBS | W 42–7 | 83,818 |
| October 26 | 6:45 p.m. | at No. 16 Tennessee | No. 19 | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (Third Saturday in October) | ESPN | W 34–14 | 107,722 |
| November 2 | 1:00 p.m. | at Vanderbilt | No. 12 | Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, TN | PPV | W 30–8 | 36,407 |
| November 9 | 1:00 p.m. | Mississippi State | No. 11 | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL (rivalry) | PPV | W 28–14 | 83,818 |
| November 16 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 14 LSU | No. 10 | Tiger StadiumBaton Rouge, LA (rivalry) | ESPN | W 31–0 | 92,012 |
| November 23 | 2:30 p.m. | Auburn | No. 9 | Bryant–Denny StadiumTuscaloosa, AL (Iron Bowl) | CBS | L 7–17 | 83,818 |
| November 30 | 6:45 p.m. | at Hawaii* | No. 14 | Aloha StadiumHalawa, HI | ESPN | W 21–16 | 50,000 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Roster
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Consecutive seasons at Alabama |
| Dennis Franchione | Head coach | 2nd |
| Les Koenning | Offensive coordinator/quarterback coach | 2nd |
| Kenith Pope | Assistant head coach/wide receivers coach | 2nd |
| Jim Bob Helduser | Offensive line coach | 2nd |
| Mark Tommerdahl | Special teams coordinator/tight end coach | 2nd |
| Lee Fobbs | Running backs coach | 2nd |
| Carl Torbush | Defensive coordinator/ Linebackers coach | 2nd |
| Chris Thurmond | Cornerbacks coach | 2nd |
| Melvin Smith | Safeties coach | 1st |
| Stan Eggen | Defensive line coach | 2nd |
| Reference: |||

## Game summaries
### Middle Tennessee

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Middle Tennessee | 0 | 11 | 3 | 20 | 34 |
| Alabama | 22 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 39 |
In the only game that Alabama would play at Legion Field in 2002, the Crimson Tide would score a season opening win for the first time since 1999.
| Statistics | MTSU | Alabama |
| First downs | 22 | 22 |
| Total yards | 385 | 430 |
| Rushing yards | 183 | 194 |
| Passing yards | 202 | 236 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 30:02 | 29:58 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| MTSU | Passing | Andrico Hines | 16–24, 165 yards, 1 INT |
| MTSU | Rushing | ReShard Lee | 11 carries, 56 yards, 1 TD |
| MTSU | Receiving | Tyrone Calico | 7 receptions, 75 yards |
| Alabama | Passing | Tyler Watts | 16–22, 236 yards, 2 TD |
| Alabama | Rushing | Ahmaad Galloway | 15 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Receiving | Triandos Luke | 9 receptions, 85 yards |

### Oklahoma

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Alabama | 3 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 27 |
| #3 Oklahoma | 9 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 37 |
The first road game of the year for Alabama would prove to be one of the most exciting game of the year. Despite trailing 23–3 at halftime, Alabama roared back in the second half with 24 unanswered points to take a 27–23 lead late into the 4th quarter. Oklahoma however, scored the last 14 points to win 37–27.
| Statistics | Alabama | Oklahoma |
| First downs | 14 | 12 |
| Total yards | 288 | 283 |
| Rushing yards | 96 | −23 |
| Passing yards | 192 | 306 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 36:44 | 23:16 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Alabama | Passing | Tyler Watts | 16–32, 185 yards, 1 INT |
| Alabama | Rushing | Ahmaad Galloway | 18 carries, 66 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Receiving | Sam Collins | 6 receptions, 82 yards |
| Oklahoma | Passing | Nate Hybl | 16–30, 251 yards, 1 TD |
| Oklahoma | Rushing | Kejuan Jones | 3 carries, 12 yards, 1 TD |
| Oklahoma | Receiving | Mark Clayton | 4 receptions, 129 yards, 2 TD |

### North Texas

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| North Texas | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Alabama | 3 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 33 |
In the first game of the season at Bryant-Denny Stadium, The Crimson Tide would go over 500 yards of offense for the first time this season and win their first non-conference game at Bryant Denny Stadium since 1999. This game also was the first time since 1986 Alabama would not sellout their game at Bryant-Denny Stadium snapping a streak of 56 straight sellouts in Tuscaloosa.
| Statistics | North Texas | Alabama |
| First downs | 11 | 25 |
| Total yards | 131 | 534 |
| Rushing yards | 50 | 336 |
| Passing yards | 91 | 198 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 26:14 | 33:46 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| North Texas | Passing | Andrew Smith | 9–18, 70 yards, 1 TD |
| North Texas | Rushing | Patrick Cobbs | 14 carries, 58 yards |
| North Texas | Receiving | George Marshall | 6 receptions, 39 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Passing | Tyler Watts | 12–15, 161 yards, 1 INT |
| Alabama | Rushing | Shaud Williams | 7 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Receiving | Donald Clarke | 3 receptions, 80 yards |

### Southern Miss

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Southern Miss | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Alabama | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
For the second straight week, Alabama would hold their opponent to under 150 yards of total offense to win their third game of the season. This would be Ahmaad Galloway final game at Alabama as he would tear his ACL in the 4th quarter.
| Statistics | Southern Miss | Alabama |
| First downs | 8 | 20 |
| Total yards | 145 | 372 |
| Rushing yards | 35 | 351 |
| Passing yards | 110 | 21 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 20:49 | 39:11 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Southern Miss | Passing | Micky D'Angelo | 8–27, 110 yards, 1 INT |
| Southern Miss | Rushing | Derrick Nix | 14 carries, 61 yards |
| Southern Miss | Receiving | Marvin Young | 2 receptions, 35 yards |
| Alabama | Passing | Brodie Croyle | 4–15, 15 yards, 2 INT |
| Alabama | Rushing | Shaud Williams | 21 carries, 137 yards |
| Alabama | Receiving | Sam Collins | 2 receptions, 10 yards |

### Arkansas

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Alabama | 14 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 30 |
| Arkansas | 0 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
Shaud Williams would take the opening play 80 yards for a touchdown as the Crimson Tide beat Arkansas on the road for the first time since 1996.
| Statistics | Alabama | Arkansas |
| First downs | 18 | 13 |
| Total yards | 552 | 299 |
| Rushing yards | 267 | 172 |
| Passing yards | 285 | 127 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 33:46 | 26:14 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Alabama | Passing | Brodie Croyle | 12–24, 285 yards, 2 TD |
| Alabama | Rushing | Santonio Beard | 21 carries, 134 yards |
| Alabama | Receiving | Shaud Williams | 2 receptions, 88 yards |
| Arkansas | Passing | Matt Jones | 7–18, 127 yards, 2 INT |
| Arkansas | Rushing | Cedric Cobbs | 13 carries, 70 yards |
| Arkansas | Receiving | George Wilson | 3 receptions, 54 yards |

### Georgia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #7 Georgia | 7 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 27 |
| #22 Alabama | 3 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 25 |
Georgia would use a Billy Bennett 32 yard field goal to beat Alabama in the first meeting between teams since 1995.
| Statistics | Georgia | Alabama |
| First downs | 22 | 16 |
| Total yards | 385 | 306 |
| Rushing yards | 194 | 133 |
| Passing yards | 224 | 197 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 30:16 | 29:44 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Georgia | Passing | David Greene | 15–27, 224 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Georgia | Rushing | Musa Smith | 21 carries, 126 yards, 1 TD |
| Georgia | Receiving | Terrence Edwards | 5 receptions, 73 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Passing | Brodie Croyle | 16–29, 197 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Alabama | Rushing | Ray Hudson | 3 carries, 45 yards |
| Alabama | Receiving | Dre Fulgham | 3 receptions, 63 yards, 1 TD |

### Ole Miss

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #21 Ole Miss | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| #24 Alabama | 14 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
Santonio Beard tied Shaun Alexander record of five rushing touchdowns in a game as Alabama dominated Ole Miss on Homecoming.
| Statistics | Ole Miss | Alabama |
| First downs | 15 | 18 |
| Total yards | 223 | 456 |
| Rushing yards | 53 | 265 |
| Passing yards | 219 | 222 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 31:25 | 28:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ole Miss | Passing | Eli Manning | 18–32, 219 yards, 1 INT |
| Ole Miss | Rushing | Robert Williams | 8 carries, 23 yards, 1 TD |
| Ole Miss | Receiving | Chris Collins | 3 receptions, 62 yards |
| Alabama | Passing | Brodie Croyle | 6–11, 179 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Rushing | Santonio Beard | 13 carries, 138 yards, 5 TD |
| Alabama | Receiving | Dre Fulgham | 3 receptions, 87 yards, 1 TD |

### Tennessee

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #19 Alabama | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 34 |
| #16 Tennessee | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
For the first time since 1994, Alabama beat Tennessee snapping a seven year win streak that the Vols had. To date, this was the longest streak by any opponent over the Tide.
| Statistics | Alabama | Tennessee |
| First downs | 14 | 17 |
| Total yards | 300 | 222 |
| Rushing yards | 210 | 102 |
| Passing yards | 128 | 163 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 6 |
| Time of possession | 32:49 | 27:11 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Alabama | Passing | Brodie Croyle | 5–7, 128 yards |
| Alabama | Rushing | Santonio Beard | 16 carries, 65 yards, 2 TD |
| Alabama | Receiving | Zach Fletcher | 1 reception, 56 yards |
| Tennessee | Passing | Casey Clausen | 14–26, 161 yards, 3 INT |
| Tennessee | Rushing | Jabari Davis | 7 carries, 26 yards |
| Tennessee | Receiving | Tony Brown | 4 receptions, 40 yards |

### Vanderbilt

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #12 Alabama | 7 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 30 |
| Vanderbilt | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 |
For the second year in a row, the Crimson Tide traveled to Vanderbilt and for the 18th straight time Alabama would beat Vanderbilt. This would be the last time Alabama would play Vanderbilt until 2006 snapping a 50 consecutive seasons streak of playing.
| Statistics | Alabama | Vanderbilt |
| First downs | 24 | 9 |
| Total yards | 428 | 162 |
| Rushing yards | 157 | 46 |
| Passing yards | 271 | 116 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 36:22 | 23:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Alabama | Passing | Tyler Watts | 15–21, 176 yards |
| Alabama | Rushing | Tyler Watts | 14 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Receiving | Triandos Luke | 9 reception, 102 yards |
| Vanderbilt | Passing | Jay Cutler | 7–18, 116 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Vanderbilt | Rushing | Kwane Doster | 15 carries, 33 yards |
| Vanderbilt | Receiving | Kwane Doster | 2 receptions, 43 yards |

### Mississippi State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mississippi State | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| #11 Alabama | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
Alabama used their offense in the first half and their defense in the second half to preserve second straight win against the Bulldogs for the first time since 1994–95. This game was not televised making it the first Alabama game since 1995 not to be on live television.
| Statistics | Mississippi State | Alabama |
| First downs | 17 | 21 |
| Total yards | 246 | 409 |
| Rushing yards | 107 | 165 |
| Passing yards | 139 | 244 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 31:19 | 28:41 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Kevin Fant | 19–33, 127 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Jerious Norwood | 9 carries, 58 yards |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Justin Jenkins | 4 receptions, 35 yards |
| Alabama | Passing | Tyler Watts | 16–22, 223 yards, 3 TD |
| Alabama | Rushing | Santonio Beard | 14 carries, 68 yards |
| Alabama | Receiving | Triandos Luke | 7 receptions, 128 yards, 2 TD |

### LSU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #10 Alabama | 0 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 31 |
| #14 LSU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Alabama defense would record a shutout for the first time since 1997 as they defeated the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge.
| Statistics | Alabama | LSU |
| First downs | 27 | 14 |
| Total yards | 477 | 196 |
| Rushing yards | 300 | 131 |
| Passing yards | 177 | 65 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 34:36 | 25:24 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Alabama | Passing | Tyler Watts | 11–20, 177 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Alabama | Rushing | Shaud Williams | 16 carries, 131 yards |
| Alabama | Receiving | Sam Collins | 5 reception, 115 yards |
| LSU | Passing | Marcus Randall | 6–17, 39 yards |
| LSU | Rushing | Marcus Randall | 6 carries, 54 yards |
| LSU | Receiving | Devery Henderson | 3 receptions, 25 yards |

### Auburn

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Auburn | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| #9 Alabama | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Alabama would trail for the first time since the Georgia game earlier in the season as Auburn would upset Alabama to continue their undefeated mark in Iron Bowl's played in Tuscaloosa.
| Statistics | Auburn | Alabama |
| First downs | 14 | 17 |
| Total yards | 298 | 320 |
| Rushing yards | 129 | 111 |
| Passing yards | 169 | 209 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 29:43 | 30:17 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Auburn | Passing | Jason Campbell | 10–18, 169 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Auburn | Rushing | Tre Smith | 25 carries, 126 yards |
| Auburn | Receiving | Marcel Willis | 3 receptions, 59 yards |
| Alabama | Passing | Tyler Watts | 11–21, 126 yards |
| Alabama | Rushing | Shaud Williams | 7 carries, 48 yards |
| Alabama | Receiving | Dre Fulgham | 2 receptions, 58 yards |

### Hawaii

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #14 Alabama | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Hawaii | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 16 |
Alabama would clinch 10 wins for the first time since 1999 as Alabama beat Hawaii to end the season 10–3. This would be Dennis Franchione's last game as coach at Alabama; he left to be Texas A&M head coach on December 4, 2002.
| Statistics | Alabama | Hawaii |
| First downs | 18 | 21 |
| Total yards | 373 | 360 |
| Rushing yards | 280 | −12 |
| Passing yards | 93 | 372 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 38:55 | 21:05 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Alabama | Passing | Tyler Watts | 8–15, 81 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Rushing | Shaud Williams | 23 carries, 160 yards, 1 TD |
| Alabama | Receiving | Sam Collins | 3 reception, 42 yards, 1 TD |
| Hawaii | Passing | Timmy Chang | 26–53, 373 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT |
| Hawaii | Rushing | Chad Kapanui | 1 carry, 10 yards |
| Hawaii | Receiving | Jeremiah Cockheran | 9 receptions, 207 yards, 1 TD |