1995 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

The 1995 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama for the 1995–96 college football season, competing in the Western Division in the Southeastern Conference. The team played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Gene Stallings led the Crimson Tide to an 8–3 record. Due to NCAA sanctions, no bowl appearance was made.

1995 Alabama Crimson Tide football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionWestern Division
Ranking
APNo. 21
1995 record8–3 (5–3 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorHomer Smith
Defensive coordinatorBill Oliver (3rd season)
Captains
  • Shannon Brown
  • Brian Burgdorf
  • Tony Johnson
  • John Walters
Home stadiumBryant–Denny Stadium
(Capacity: 70,123)
Legion Field
(Capacity: 83,091)
1995 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Eastern Division
No. 2 Florida x$ 8 –0 –012 –1 –0
No. 3 Tennessee 7 –1 –011 –1 –0
Georgia 3 –5 –06 –6 –0
South Carolina 2 –5 –14 –6 –1
Kentucky 2 –6 –04 –7 –0
Vanderbilt 1 –7 –02 –9 –0
Western Division
Arkansas x 6 –2 –08 –5 –0
No. 21 Alabama 5 –3 –08 –3 –0
No. 22 Auburn 5 –3 –08 –4 –0
LSU 4 –3 –17 –4 –1
Ole Miss 3 –5 –06 –5 –0
Mississippi State 1 –7 –03 –8 –0
Championship: Florida 34, Arkansas 3
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The early-season victory over Southern Miss came in dramatic fashion, as Alabama completed a 36-yard pass on 4th down for a go-ahead touchdown with under 30 seconds left in the game. The three games Alabama lost were also particularly noteworthy. The game against Arkansas featured a last-minute 4th-and-goal touchdown pass by Arkansas, giving them the win; however, replays later showed the ball was clearly trapped. This call, along with a missed twelve-men-on-the-field penalty on Arkansas' final drive led to the suspension of the officiating crew the following week. The 41–14 blowout loss to Tennessee marked the Vols first win over the Tide since 1985, ending Alabama's 9-game unbeaten streak. The season-ending loss at Auburn also featured a questionable last-minute call regarding a pass. Alabama QB Freddie Kitchens had apparently hit Curtis Brown for a late go-ahead touchdown, but officials ruled Brown out of bounds.

Schedule
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 27:00 p.m.at VanderbiltNo. 11
PPVW 33–2540,880[1]
September 92:00 p.m.Southern Miss*No. 13
PPVW 24–2083,091[2]
September 1611:30 a.m.ArkansasNo. 13
JPSL 19–2070,123[3]
September 3011:00 a.m.at GeorgiaNo. 20
ABCW 31–086,117[4]
October 72:30 p.m.NC State*No. 16
  • Bryant–Denny Stadium
  • Tuscaloosa, AL
PPVW 27–1170,123[5]
October 146:30 p.m.No. 6 TennesseeNo. 11
ESPNL 14–4183,091[6]
October 212:00 p.m.at Ole MissNo. 21
W 23–944,312[7]
October 282:30 p.m.North Texas*No. 18
  • Bryant–Denny Stadium
  • Tuscaloosa, AL
PPVW 38–1970,123[8]
November 42:30 p.m.LSUNo. 16
  • Bryant–Denny Stadium
  • Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)
ABCW 10–370,123[9]
November 1111:30 a.m.Mississippi StateNo. 16
  • Bryant–Denny Stadium
  • Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)
JPSW 14–970,123[10]
November 184:30 p.m.at No. 21 AuburnNo. 17
ESPNL 27–3185,214[11]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time
  • Source: Rolltide.com: 1995 Alabama football schedule[12]

Roster
1995 Alabama Crimson Tide football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
LB 87 Dwayne Rudd Jr
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Coaching staff
Name Position Consecutive seasons at Alabama
Gene StallingsHead coach6th
Homer SmithOffensive coordinator2nd
Woody McCorveyWide receivers Coach6th
Danny PearmanOffensive Tackles coach/Special teams coordinator5th
Jim FullerOffensive Line Coach12th
Randy RossQuarterbacks coach/Recruiting Coordinator6th
Ivy WilliamsRunning backs coach2nd
Bill OliverDefensive coordinator/Secondary coach6th
Mike DuboseDefensive line coach6th
Jeff RouzieLinebackers coach5th
Reference:[13]

Game summaries

Vanderbilt
See also: 1995 Vanderbilt Commodores football team
1 2 3 4 Total
#11 Crimson Tide 7 3 0 23 33
Commodores 7 3 9 6 25

Despite seven turnovers, Alabama was able to use a 23 point 4th quarter to survive a scare against Vanderbilt.

Southern Miss
See also: Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
1 2 3 4 Total
Golden Eagles 10 7 0 3 20
#13 Crimson Tide 0 3 14 7 24

For the second week in a row, Alabama would have to use a 4th quarter comeback to prevent an upset. Down 20–17 and facing a 4th and 16, Brian Burgdorf threw a 35 yard touchdown pass to Toderick Malone to give Alabama their first lead and the eventual win.

Arkansas
See also: 1995 Arkansas Razorbacks football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Razorbacks 10 0 3 7 20
#13 Crimson Tide 3 14 2 0 19

Despite holding a 9 point lead in the third quarter, Alabama could not hold on and would lose to Arkansas for the first time since the join the SEC in 1992.

Georgia
See also: 1995 Georgia Bulldogs football team
1 2 3 4 Total
#20 Crimson Tide 3 14 0 14 31
Bulldogs 0 0 0 0 0

Bama defensive lineman Shannon Brown blocked a Georgia 27-yard field goal attempt. Deshea Townsend caught the ball and ran 90 yards for a touchdown. Defensive back Cedric Samuel returned a fumble 25 yards for a touchdown. DB Kevin Jackson took an interception back 36 yards for another score. UGA quarterback Hines Ward completed one pass and threw an interception before being replaced.[14]

North Carolina State
See also: 1995 NC State Wolfpack football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Wolfpack 0 0 3 8 11
#16 Crimson Tide 10 3 7 7 27

Alabama would extend their non-conference winning streak to 19 as they would beat the Wolfpack on Homecoming.

Tennessee
See also: 1995 Tennessee Volunteers football team
1 2 3 4 Total
#6 Volunteers 21 7 7 6 41
#11 Crimson Tide 0 7 7 0 14

For the first time since 1985, Tennessee would beat Alabama. The lose of 27 points was the largest margin of defeat at Legion Field since Tennessee replicated that score in 1969.

Ole Miss
See also: 1995 Ole Miss Rebels football team
1 2 3 4 Total
#21 Crimson Tide 9 7 0 7 23
Rebels 0 0 3 6 9

The Alabama defense scored the first nine points of this game. Dwayne Rudd sacked the Ole Miss quarterback who fumbled the ball out of the back end zone for a safety. Later in the first quarter, linebacker Ralph Staten would return an interception 61 yards for a touchdown.

North Texas
See also: North Texas Mean Green football
1 2 3 4 Total
Mean Green 0 7 6 6 19
#18 Crimson Tide 0 10 14 14 38

After sleep walking through the first half, Alabama would use 28 points in the second half to pull away and win their 20th straight non conference game.

LSU
See also: 1995 LSU Tigers football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Tigers 0 3 0 0 3
#16 Crimson Tide 0 3 0 7 10

Early in the fourth quarter, Deshea Townsend intercepted a Jamie Howard pass and returned it 17 yards to the LSU 21-yard line. A few plays later, Dennis Riddle would convert a 2-yard touchdown run that proved to be the difference in Alabama's 10-3 win.

Mississippi State
See also: 1995 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Bulldogs 2 7 0 0 9
#16 Crimson Tide 0 7 7 0 14

For the first time all year, Alabama would not commit a turnover in a game and would use their defense to win for the second week in a row.

Auburn
See also: 1995 Auburn Tigers football team
1 2 3 4 Total
#17 Crimson Tide 14 0 10 3 27
#21 Tigers 14 10 0 7 31

Despite gaining a season high 478 yards of offense and a valiant comeback effort in the second half, Alabama could not score enough points to beat Auburn.

References
  1. "Tide rises just in time". The Tennessean. September 3, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Somehow, Tide prevails". The Anniston Star. September 10, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Razorbacks trap Alabama". The Montgomery Advertiser. September 17, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Take it away Bama: 31–0". The Atlanta Constitution. October 1, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Alabama too tough for State". The News and Observer. October 8, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Vols sack the streak". The Tennessean. October 15, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Alabama springs back". The Clarion-Ledger. October 22, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Alabama tops UNT with second-half rally". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 29, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Option breaks LSU-Tide deadlock". Daily World. November 5, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Alabama squeezes Bulldogs". Hattiesburg American. November 12, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Tigers win a classic". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 19, 1995. Retrieved February 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "1995 Alabama football archives". RollTide.com. University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  13. 1995 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Media Guide, p. 2
  14. "Alabama 31, Georgia 0". UPI. September 30, 1995. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
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