2006 Alabama Crimson Tide football team The 2006 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama for the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season trying to improve from a 10 – 2 record in the 2005 season . The Tide was led by head coach Mike Shula entering his fourth year at Alabama . Despite a strong 5 – 2 start , they finished out the season by losing four of their final five games . The team closed the regular season at 6 – 6 ( 4 – 4 , SEC ) and lost for a fifth - straight time to rival Auburn . Following the loss Shula was fired as head coach and defensive coordinator Joe Kines served as interim head coach for the bowl game . The Tide were defeated by Oklahoma State in the 2006 Independence Bowl 34 – 31 to finish the season with a 6 – 7 ( 2 – 6 ) record . However three years later all six wins of the season were vacated as part of a penalty placed against Alabama by the NCAA for infractions committed during the season . As such , the official record for the 2006 squad is 0 – 7 . Before the season . After finishing their 2005 campaign with a 13 – 10 win over Texas Tech in the 2006 Cotton Bowl Classic . In June 2009 , the NCAA Committee on Infractions sanctioned Alabama for " major violations " of NCAA policies as a result of athletes who received improper benefits in 16 of 19 NCAA sports , including football . As part of the penalties imposed , the football program was forced to vacate all ten victories from the 2005 season making the official 2005 record 0 – 2 . The 2006 season also marked the first played in Bryant – Denny Stadium after the completion of the north endzone expansion . The $ 47 million expansion increased its overall capacity to 92 , 138 ( then the 5th largest on - campus stadium ) , added several new luxury box es and saw the completion of the " Walk of Champions " off University Boulevard . The " Walk of Champions " , at the time , featured statues of the four national championship Alabama head coaches : Wallace Wade , Frank Thomas , Bear Bryant and Gene Stallings . At that time a fifth space was left vacant for a future statue , and on April 16 , 2011 , the University unveiled a statue of Nick Saban for winning the 2009 national championship at that location . Returning starters . Alabama had 13 returning starters from the previous season , including eight on offense , four on defense and one on special teams . The most notable departures from the previous year were Brodie Croyle and J . B . Closner on offense ; Mark Anderson , Rudy Griffin , Freddie Roach , DeMeco Ryans , Anthony Madison , Roman Harper and Charlie Peprah on defense ; and Jeremy Schatz , Matt Miller and Drew Lane on special teams . Recruiting class . Alabama ' s recruiting class was highlighted by two players from the " ESPN 150 " : No . 4 Andre Smith ( OT ) and No . 124 Justin Woodall ( S ) . Alabama signed the No . 11 recruiting class according to Rivals and the No . 18 according to Scout . Schedule . The Sagarin computer ratings calculated Alabama ' s strength of schedule to be the 55th most difficult out of the 241 Division I teams . The Cosgrove Computer Rankings calculated it as the 65th most difficult out of the 119 Division I FBS teams in its rankings . It featured four pre - season AP Top 25 teams , four of which made bowl games in 2005 . In accordance with conference rules , Alabama faced all five Western Division opponents : Arkansas , Auburn , LSU , Mississippi State , and Ole Miss . They also faced three Eastern Division opponents : official SEC rival Tennessee , Florida , and Vanderbilt . Alabama did not play SEC opponents Georgia , Kentucky and South Carolina . Alabama also played four non - conference games . The non - conference schedule included games against Hawaii of the Western Athletic Conference , Duke of the Atlantic Coast Conference and both Louisiana – Monroe and Florida International of the Sun Belt Conference . For the 2006 Independence Bowl , Alabama played Oklahoma State of the Big 12 Conference . Coaching staff . Following the completion of the 2005 season , Alabama had to replace an assistant coach for the first time during Mike Shula ' s tenure as head coach when Paul Randolph resigned as defensive line coach to accept a position as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Rice . On February 3 , 2006 , David Turner was hired from Vanderbilt to serve as defensive ends coach . Game notes . Hawaii . Sources : Alabama opened the 2006 season by defeating the Hawaiʻi Warriors 25 – 17 in their first all - time visit to Bryant – Denny Stadium . Hawaii got on the board first when Dan Kelly connected on a 42 - yard field goal to give the Warriors a 3 – 0 lead . Alabama tied it up at 3 – 3 on a 31 - yard Leigh Tiffin field goal later in the first quarter . The Crimson Tide then took a 10 – 3 lead of the evening when Tim Castille scored on a three - yard touchdown run early in the second quarter . Alabama then extended their lead to 15 – 3 at halftime after the Hawaii punter Kurt Milne knocked the ball out of the endzone because of a bad snap for a safety and Tiffin connected on a 23 - yard field goal . The Crimson Tide scored on their opening drive of the third quarter when John Parker Wilson threw a 35 - yard touchdown pass to Keith Brown . Hawaii then cut the Alabama lead to 22 – 10 later that quarter when Colt Brennen threw a 16 - yard touchdown strike to Reagan Maui ' a . In the fourth quarter , a 27 - yard Tiffin field goal extended the Alabama lead to 25 – 10 . The Warriors responded Brennen connected with Ryan Grice - Mullen for a 31 - yard touchdown reception to make the score 25 – 17 . After holding the Tide on their next offensive series , Hawaii managed to drive 49 yards in 2 : 40 to get in position to potentially tie the game and send it into overtime . Alabama secured the 25 – 17 victory on the final play of the game when Lionel Mitchell intercepted a Brennen pass in the endzone for a touchback as time expired . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against the Warriors to 1 – 1 ( 2 – 1 without NCAA vacations ) . Vanderbilt . Sources : A week after defeating Hawaii , the Crimson Tide opened conference play against the Vanderbilt Commodores and defeated them 13 – 10 . Alabama scored first on a 37 - yard Leigh Tiffin field goal with just under a minute remaining in the first quarter . Vanderbilt responded with ten second quarter points to take a 10 – 3 halftime lead after Bryant Hahnfeldt first connected on a 42 - yard field goal and Chris Nickson threw a six - yard touchdown pass to Earl Bennett . The Crimson Tide tied the game on their first drive of the third quarter when John Parker Wilson hit D . J . Hall for a 31 - yard touchdown reception . Tiffin then scored the game - winning field goal from 47 yards out to give Alabama the 13 – 10 victory . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against the Commodores to 57 – 19 – 4 ( 60 – 18 – 4 without NCAA vacations and forfeits ) . Louisiana – Monroe . Sources : The Crimson Tide extended their overall record to 3 – 0 after they defeated the Louisiana – Monroe Warhawks 41 – 7 in the first all - time meeting between the programs . Alabama opened the scoring midway through the first quarter when Le ' Ron McClain caught a 17 - yard touchdown pass from John Parker Wilson . The Crimson Tide extended their lead to 10 – 0 after Leigh Tiffin connected on a 34 - yard field goal early in the second quarter . The Warhawks then responded with their only points of the game after Kinsmon Lancaster cut the Alabama lead to 10 – 7 with his two - yard touchdown run . Tim Castille then scored on a three - yard run to give the Tide a 17 – 7 halftime lead . In the third , Tiffin connected on a 25 - yard field goal and John Parker Wilson threw a 43 - yard touchdown strike to D . J . Hall to extend the Alabama lead to 27 – 7 entering the fourth quarter . In the fourth , Roy Upchurch scored two touchdowns on separate one - yard runs to make the final score 41 – 7 . Arkansas . Sources : After opening the season with three consecutive home games , the Crimson Tide traveled to Fayetteville and lost to the Arkansas Razorbacks 24 – 23 in double overtime . Arkansas took an early 3 – 0 lead in the first quarter after Jeremy Davis connected with a 24 - yard field goal . Alabama took a 7 – 3 lead in the second quarter when John Parker Wilson threw a 78 - yard touchdown pass to D . J . Hall to cap a four play , 99 yard drive . Leigh Tiffin would also convert a 46 - yard field goal as tme expired in the second quarter to give the Crimson Tide a 10 – 3 halftime lead . The Razorbacks then took a 17 – 10 lead with a pair of third quarter touchdowns . The first came on a three - yard Darren McFadden run , with Davis missing the extra point . The second came on a defensive touchdown when Randy Kelly recovered a Wilson fumble and returned it 39 - yards for a touchdown . Mitch Mustain then successfully threw a two - point conversion pass to McFadden and Arkansas was up 17 – 10 . Alabama tied the game early in the fourth quarter when Keith Brown caught a 14 - yard Wilson touchdown pass , which as it turned out sent the game into overtime . In the overtime period , Arkansas was on offense first , and on their initial series , a Mustain pass was intercepted by Lionel Mitchell . On Alabama ' s first offensive series , Tiffin missed a 37 - yard field goal to send the game into a second overtime period . In the second overtime , Alabama was on offense first and scored on a one - yard Nick Walker touchdown run . However , Tiffin missed the extra point and the Crimson Tide was up by only six points . Arkansas responded with an 11 - yard Mustain touchdown pass to Ben Cleveland and the Davis extra point gave the Razorbacks the 24 – 23 victory . The loss brought Alabama ' s all - time record against the Razorbacks to 7 – 8 ( 10 – 7 without NCAA vacations and forfeits ) . Florida . Sources : A week after a disappointing , double overtime loss to Arkansas , the Crimson Tide lost their second game in a row on the road to the Florida Gators 28 – 13 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium . Alabama struck first with a defensive touchdown late in the first quarter when Prince Hall returned a Chris Leak fumble 50 yards for a 7 – 0 Crimson Tide lead . Alabama then extended their lead to 10 – 0 early in the second quarter on a 21 - yard Jamie Christensen field goal before Florida took over . The Gators closed the score to 10 – 7 late in the quarter when Tim Tebow scored from two - yards out . Florida then took their first lead of the game late in the third quarter when Leak connected with Andre Caldwell for a 16 - yard touchdown reception . After a second Christensen field goal closed the gap to 14 – 13 , the Gators closed with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to secure the victory . With just under 7 : 00 remaining in the game , Leak threw his second touchdown pass of the day on a 21 - yard Dallas Baker reception . On the ensuing Alabama drive , Reggie Nelson intercepted a John Parker Wilson pass and returned it 70 - yards for a defensive touchdown and a 28 – 13 Florida victory . The loss brought Alabama ' s all - time record against the Gators to 20 – 13 ( 21 – 13 without the NCAA vacation of the 2005 victory ) . Duke . Sources : After a pair of consecutive conference losses on the road , Alabama returned to Tuscaloosa and defeated the Duke Blue Devils 30 – 14 . The Crimson Tide took a 3 – 0 lead after Jamie Christensen connected on a 37 - yard field goal on Alabama ' s first drive of the game . Early in the second quarter Duke took a 7 – 3 lead after Thaddeus Lewis threw a nine - yard touchdown pass to Eron Riley . The teams then traded touchdowns with Alabama scoring on a four - yard D . J . Hall touchdown reception from John Parker Wilson , and with Duke scoring on a five - yard Lewis run to give the Blue Devils a 14 – 10 halftime lead . In the second half , Alabama shutout Duke and scored three touchdowns en route to their 30 – 14 victory . Keith Brown scored on a nine - yard touchdown pass from Wilson . However , Casey Camero blocked the Christensen extra point attempt and the Crimson Tide led 16 – 14 entering the fourth quarter . In the fourth , Alabama scored on a two - yard Jimmy Johns touchdown run and when Lionel Mitchell intercepted a Lewis pass and returned it 50 - yards for a touchdown to make the final score 30 – 14 . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against the Blue Devils to 1 – 1 ( 2 – 1 without NCAA vacations ) . Ole Miss . Sources : A week after their victory over Duke , the Crimson Tide needed overtime to defeat their rival , the Ole Miss Rebels 26 – 23 . Alabama opened the scoring on their first offensive possession when John Parker Wilson connected with D . J . Hall for a 39 - yard touchdown reception and a 7 – 0 lead . The Rebels tied the game at 7 – 7 later in the quarter when BenJarvus Green - Ellis scored on a two - yard touchdown run . In the second quarter , all of the points came by way of field goals with Jamie Christensen hitting one for Alabama from 26 - yards and Joshua Shene hitting two for Ole Miss from 36 and 23 - yards to make the halftime score 13 – 10 Rebels . After a 26 - yard Christensen field goal tied the game at 13 – 13 in the third quarter , Alabama took a 20 – 13 lead early in the fourth quarter on a two - yard Tim Castille touchdown run . Ole Miss tied the game up at 20 – 20 when Brent Schaeffer threw a 55 - yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace that ultimately sent the game into overtime . In the overtime period , Ole Miss scored first with a 37 - yard Shene field goal , but Alabama won the game when Wilson connected with Le ' Ron McClain for a two - yard , game - winning touchdown reception . The victory improved Alabama ' s all - time record against the Rebels to 39 – 9 – 2 ( 42 – 8 – 2 without NCAA vacations and forfeits ) . Tennessee . Sources : A week after their victory over Ole Miss , the Crimson Tide made the trip to Neyland Stadium and lost their rival , the Tennessee Volunteers 16 – 13 . Alabama and the Volunteers traded field goals through the end of the third quarter when Tim Castille scored for the Crimson Tide on a two - yard run to give Alabama a 13 – 6 lead . Tennessee responded by shutting - out Alabama in the fourth quarter and scoring ten unanswered points to secure their 16 – 13 victory . The Volunteers scored first of a 27 - yard James Wilhoit field goal and then took their first lead of the game with only 3 : 28 remaining when Arian Foster scored a touchdown from one - yard out . The loss brought Alabama ' s all - time record against Tennessee to 43 – 38 – 7 ( 45 – 37 – 7 without NCAA vacations and forfeits ) . Florida International . Sources : For the 2006 homecoming game , the Crimson Tide defeated the Florida International Golden Panthers 38 – 3 . The game was notable for the 18 FIU players suspended for the contest due to their involvement in their brawl against Miami two weeks earlier . The Golden Panthers scored their only points of the game late in the first quarter when Dustin Rivest connected on a 37 - yard field goal . Their 3 – 0 lead would be their only of the game as the Crimson Tide proceeded to score 38 unanswered points . In the second quarter , Le ' Ron McClain scored on a nine - yard John Parker Wilson touchdown pass and Jamie Christensen connected on a 46 - yard field goal to give Alabama a 10 – 3 halftime lead . In the third quarter , the Crimson Tide scored on a 65 - yard Javier Arenas punt return for a touchdown and on an one - yard Tim Castille touchdown run to give Alabama a 24 – 3 lead entering the fourth quarter . In the fourth , Alabama scored a defensive touchdown when Ramzee Robinson intercepted a Josh Padrick pass and returned it 34 - yards for a touchdown . The final points of the game came late in the fourth when Jimmy Barnes threw a six - yard touchdown pass to Matt Caddell to make the final score 38 – 3 . Mississippi State . Sources : In the 2006 edition of their annual rivalry , the Mississippi State Bulldogs led by former Alabama center Sylvester Croom defeated the Crimson Tide for the first time in five years 24 – 16 . Alabama scored first on a 19 - yard Jamie Christensen field goal , and State responded on the ensuing drive when Michael Henig threw a 25 - yard touchdown pass to Tony Burks to give the Bulldogs a 7 – 3 lead at the end of the first quarter . In the second quarter , Adam Carlson connected on a 39 - yard field goal , and then Jeffrey Dukes intercepted a Henig pass and returned it 24 - yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 10 – 10 . The Bulldogs responded with a pair of touchdowns to take a 24 – 10 lead at halftime . The first came on a 13 - yard Henig touchdown pass to Jamayel Smith and the second when Quinton Culberson intercepted a John Parker Wilson pass and returned it 51 yards for a defensive touchdown . Alabama was only able to score on a pair of Jamie Christensen field goals in the third quarter and was shut out in the fourth which resulted in the Bulldogs winning the game 24 – 16 . LSU . Sources : In the 2006 edition of their annual rivalry , the LSU Tigers defeated the Crimson Tide in " Death Valley " 28 – 14 . The Tigers took a 14 – 0 lead in the first quarter after Keiland Williams scored on a 38 - yard touchdown run and after JaMarcus Russell threw a 30 - yard touchdown pass to Early Doucet . The Crimson Tide then cut the lead to 14 – 7 Kenneth Darby was on the receiving end of a 29 - yard John Parker Wilson touchdown pass . In the second quarter , both teams traded touchdowns with LSU taking a 21 – 14 halftime lead . LSU scored first on a 19 - yard Russell touchdown pass to Dwayne Bowe and Alabama on a six - yard Wilson pass to Nikita Stover . The final points of the game came on Russell ' s third touchdown pass of the evening on a 17 - yard pass to Jacob Hester to make the final score 28 – 14 . Auburn . Sources : In the 2006 edition of the annual Iron Bowl , the arch - rival Auburn Tigers defeated the Crimson Tide for the fifth consecutive time by a score of 22 – 15 . Alabama scored first on a 24 - yard Jamie Christensen field goal to take a 3 – 0 lead into the second quarter . Auburn took a 14 – 3 lead in the second quarter after touchdown runs of twelve and eight - yards by Brad Lester and Kenny Irons . The Crimson Tide responded with a 52 - yard John Parker Wilson touchdown pass to Nikita Stover , and after a failed two - point conversion attempt the Tigers led 14 – 9 at halftime . Alabama opened the third quarter on offense and drove 80 yards in eleven plays with Wilson throwing a 13 - yard touchdown pass to Travis McCall . After a second failed two - point conversion attempt , the Tide took a 15 – 14 lead . Auburn responded later in the third with what was a game - winning touchdown drive . Brandon Cox connected with Prechae Rodriguez for a 22 - yard touchdown reception , and after a successful two - point conversion pass from Carl Stewart to Lee Guess the Tigers took a 22 – 15 that was not relinquished in the Auburn victory . Following their loss , head coach Mike Shula was subsequently fired on November 27 after four years with the program . At that time athletic director Mal Moore announced defensive coordinator Joe Kines would serve as interim head coach for the Independence Bowl . Oklahoma State . Sources : With Joe Kines serving as interim head coach for the 2006 edition of the Independence Bowl , the Crimson Tide were defeated by the Oklahoma State Cowboys 34 – 31 . The Cowboys scored first on a one - yard Dantrell Savage touchdown run to take a 7 – 0 lead . Alabama responded later in the first when Matt Caddell had an 18 - yard touchdown reception from John Parker Wilson to tie the game at 7 – 7 . Oklahoma State responded with 10 consecutive points on a four - yard Keith Toston touchdown run and a 28 - yard field goal by Jason Ricks to take a 17 – 7 lead . The Crimson Tide then responded with a one - yard Tim Castille touchdown run , only to have the Cowboys respond with a seven - yard Toston touchdown run to give Oklahoma State a 24 – 14 lead at the half . After a 24 - yard field goal by Jamie Christensen to bring the score to 24 – 17 , the Cowboys responded with a ten - yard Adarius Bowman touchdown reception from Bobby Reid early in the fourth to extend their lead to 31 – 17 . The Tide then scored 14 straight points on an 86 - yard punt return by Javier Arenas and an Andre Smith 2 - yard touchdown run to even the score at 31 – 31 . The Cowboys sealed the victory with only 00 : 08 remaining in the game on a 27 - yard , game - winning field goal by Jason Ricks . After the season . Following the Independence Bowl loss , on January 3 , 2007 , Alabama announced that Nick Saban was hired from the Miami Dolphins to serve as the programs 27th head coach . In the weeks that followed , Saban worked to fill his staff for the 2007 season . As part of the A - Day celebrations on April 21 , 2007 , the 2006 team captains Le ' Ron McClain and Juwan Simpson were honored at the Walk of Fame ceremony at the base of Denny Chimes . Awards . Following the SEC Championship Game , the conference named its award winners . Simeon Castille was named to the Coaches ' All - SEC First Team . D . J . Hall and Antoine Caldwell were named to the Coaches ' All - SEC Second Team . Andre Smith , Prince Hall and punter P . J . Fitzgerald were named to the 2006 Freshman All - SEC Team . Prince Hall was also named the SEC Defensive Freshman of the Year by " The Sporting News " . NCAA sanctions . In October 2007 , the athletic department discovered a potential NCAA - violations present throughout the athletics program . The violations stemmed from athletes from several sports , including football , receiving improper benefits as a result of a failure in the distribution system of textbooks to student athletes from the university . After a prolonged investigation , in June 2009 the NCAA ruled all athletes that received improper benefits related to the textbook distribution system were deemed ineligible . As such , as part of the penalties imposed on the football program , all victories which those included in the inquiry participated , were officially vacated from the all - time record . The penalty to vacate victories does not result in a loss ( or forfeiture ) of the affected contests or award a victory to the opponent . As such , all six victories from the 2006 season ( Hawaii , Vanderbilt , Louisiana – Monroe , Duke , Ole Miss and Florida International ) were vacated making the official record for the season zero wins and seven losses ( 0 – 7 ) .