page_title: 2014 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
section_title: West Virginia
hierarchical_section_title: 2014 Alabama Crimson Tide football team / Game summaries / West Virginia
caption_attribution_description: The south face of the Georgia Dome, a mutli-purpose sports arena in Atlanta, Georgia, home to the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. Taken by J. Glover (AUtiger), on Dec. 4, 2004 21:17, 12 December 2004 . . AUtiger . . 2064×809 (149,040 bytes)
context_page_description: The 2014 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It marked the Crimson Tide's 120th overall season, 81st as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 23rd within the SEC Western Division. The team was led by head coach Nick Saban, in his eighth year, and played its home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
  The Alabama Crimson Tide were 12–2 overall and 7–1 in SEC regular season. The Crimson Tide won the SEC Western Division title for the tenth time, advancing to their ninth SEC Championship Game, where they defeated Missouri 42–13. The Crimson Tide played in the inaugural College Football Playoff as the #1 seed, netting a berth in the CFP semifinal 2015 Sugar Bowl, where they were defeated by the #4 seed Ohio State Buckeyes 42–35.
context_section_description: On May 17, 2012, officials from both Alabama and West Virginia announced the Crimson Tide and the Mountaineers would meet for the first time to open the 2014 season in the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff at Atlanta. As they entered their game week preparations, Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced starting linebacker Trey DePriest would be suspended for the game due to an NCAA violation. Although Alabama entered the game as a heavy favorite over the Mountaineers, the Crimson Tide only defeated West Virginia by a score of 33–23 in what was Blake Sims first start at quarterback. After Alabama won the coin toss and deferred until the second half, West Virginia had a 14-play drive that took them as far as the Crimson Tide three-yard line. It was from the three that Josh Lambert gave the Mountaineers a 3–0 lead with his 20-yard field goal. Alabama responded on the next possession after Adam Griffith connected on a 47-yard field goal that tied the game 3–3. After the Crimson Tide defense forced a punt on the Mountaineers possession that followed, Alabama scored their first touchdown on the 95-yard drive that ensued. Behind a strong running attack, T. J. Yeldon gave the Crimson Tide a 10–3 lead with his 15-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter.
  West Virginia responded on their next possession with a long touchdown drive of their own. Led by quarterback Clint Trickett, the Mountaineers went 75 yards in nine plays with Trickett throwing a 19-yard touchdown pass to Kevin White that tied the game 10–10. Late in the quarter, Alabama retook a 17–10 lead on a one-yard Yeldon touchdown run. However, on the kickoff that ensued, Mario Alford dodges several Crimson Tide tackles en route to a 100-yard touchdown run that tied the game 17–17. Alabama did respond with a quick, 50-yard drive that ended with a 41-yard Adam Griffith field goal that gave the Crimson Tide a 20–17 halftime lead.
  After Alabama was stopped on a fourth-down conversion and the Mountaineers missed a 47-yard field goal on their opening possessions of the second half, the Crimson Tide took a 27–17 lead behind a 19-yard Derrick Henry touchdown run. Both teams then traded field goals on the next two possessions and made the score 30–20 in favor of the Crimson Tide as they entered the fourth quarter. Although only a pair of field goals were scored in the fourth that made the final score 33–23, the Alabama defense played its best quarter of the game and forced the Mountaineers into several three-and-out possessions late in the game. For his four field goal performance, Adam Griffith was recognized as both the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week and as a Lou Groza Award National Star of the Week.
caption: The game was held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
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