2011 Capital One Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Capital One Bowl was the sixty-fifth edition of the college football
bowl game
, and was played at the Citrus Bowl
in Orlando, Florida
. The game was played on January 1, 2011
and matched the Alabama Crimson Tide
from the Southeastern Conference
(SEC) with the Michigan State Spartans
from the Big Ten Conference
. Televised by ESPN
, Alabama won by a final score of 49–7.
winner Mark Ingram had been held to less than 100 yards rushing for eight straight games. Alabama's strength had been in their defense which led the SEC giving up 14.1 points and 296.0 yards per game as well as forcing 21 interceptions. Alabama made its second appearance in the Bowl Game. They defeated Ohio State
24–17 in the 1995 game when it was known as the CompUSA Florida Citrus Bowl.
in 2000 and losing to Georgia
in 2009.
pass on the Spartans' opening drive, the Tide scored on the ensuing possession on an eight-yard Trent Richardson touchdown run early in the second quarter. Alabama extended their lead to 28–0 at the half following touchdown runs of six and 35-yards by Ingram and Julio Jones.
After holding Michigan State to a three-and-out to open the third quarter, Alabama scored its fifth touchdown in six offensive possessions after Marquis Maze scored on a 37-yard reception from Greg McElroy. Up by 35 points late in the third, the Tide pulled many of their starters that resulted in many players seeing action from deep in the depth chart
. Third string back Eddie Lacy extended the lead to 49–0 with touchdown runs of twelve-yards in the third and 62-yards in the fourth quarter. The Spartans scored their only points late in the fourth on a 49-yard Bennie Fowler touchdown reception from Keith Nichol
to being the final score to 49–7.
For his performance which included two sacks, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble, Alabama linebacker
Courtney Upshaw
was named the game's Most Valuable Player
.
The 2011 Capital One Bowl was the sixty-fifth edition of the college football
bowl game
, and was played at the Citrus Bowl
in Orlando, Florida
. The game was played on January 1, 2011
and matched the Alabama Crimson Tide
from the Southeastern Conference
(SEC) with the Michigan State Spartans
from the Big Ten Conference
. Televised by ESPN
, Alabama won by a final score of 49–7.
winner Mark Ingram had been held to less than 100 yards rushing for eight straight games. Alabama's strength had been in their defense which led the SEC giving up 14.1 points and 296.0 yards per game as well as forcing 21 interceptions. Alabama made its second appearance in the Bowl Game. They defeated Ohio State
24–17 in the 1995 game when it was known as the CompUSA Florida Citrus Bowl.
in 2000 and losing to Georgia
in 2009.
Alabama scored touchdowns on their first four offensive possessions. Mark Ingram scored first on an one-yard touchdown run to cap a 13 play, 79 yard drive on Alabama's first possession. After a Robert Lester interception of a Kirk Cousins
pass on the Spartans' opening drive, the Tide scored on the ensuing possession on an eight-yard Trent Richardson touchdown run early in the second quarter. Alabama extended their lead to 28–0 at the half following touchdown runs of six and 35-yards by Ingram and Julio Jones.
After holding Michigan State to a three-and-out to open the third quarter, Alabama scored its fifth touchdown in six offensive possessions after Marquis Maze scored on a 37-yard reception from Greg McElroy. Up by 35 points late in the third, the Tide pulled many of their starters that resulted in many players seeing action from deep in the depth chart
. Third string back Eddie Lacy extended the lead to 49–0 with touchdown runs of twelve-yards in the third and 62-yards in the fourth quarter. The Spartans scored their only points late in the fourth on a 49-yard Bennie Fowler touchdown reception from Keith Nichol
to being the final score to 49–7.
For his performance which included two sacks, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble, Alabama linebacker
Courtney Upshaw
was named the game's Most Valuable Player
.
The 2011 Capital One Bowl was the sixty-fifth edition of the college football
bowl game
, and was played at the Citrus Bowl
in Orlando, Florida
. The game was played on January 1, 2011
and matched the Alabama Crimson Tide
from the Southeastern Conference
(SEC) with the Michigan State Spartans
from the Big Ten Conference
. Televised by ESPN
, Alabama won by a final score of 49–7.
winner Mark Ingram had been held to less than 100 yards rushing for eight straight games. Alabama's strength had been in their defense which led the SEC giving up 14.1 points and 296.0 yards per game as well as forcing 21 interceptions. Alabama made its second appearance in the Bowl Game. They defeated Ohio State
24–17 in the 1995 game when it was known as the CompUSA Florida Citrus Bowl.
in 2000 and losing to Georgia
in 2009.
Alabama scored touchdowns on their first four offensive possessions. Mark Ingram scored first on an one-yard touchdown run to cap a 13 play, 79 yard drive on Alabama's first possession. After a Robert Lester interception of a Kirk Cousins
pass on the Spartans' opening drive, the Tide scored on the ensuing possession on an eight-yard Trent Richardson touchdown run early in the second quarter. Alabama extended their lead to 28–0 at the half following touchdown runs of six and 35-yards by Ingram and Julio Jones.
After holding Michigan State to a three-and-out to open the third quarter, Alabama scored its fifth touchdown in six offensive possessions after Marquis Maze scored on a 37-yard reception from Greg McElroy. Up by 35 points late in the third, the Tide pulled many of their starters that resulted in many players seeing action from deep in the depth chart
. Third string back Eddie Lacy extended the lead to 49–0 with touchdown runs of twelve-yards in the third and 62-yards in the fourth quarter. The Spartans scored their only points late in the fourth on a 49-yard Bennie Fowler touchdown reception from Keith Nichol
to being the final score to 49–7.
For his performance which included two sacks, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble, Alabama linebacker
Courtney Upshaw
was named the game's Most Valuable Player
.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
, and was played at the Citrus Bowl
Citrus Bowl
The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people....
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. The game was played on January 1, 2011
2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on Thursday, September 2, 2010. The season progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game on Monday, January 10, 2011.-Rule changes for...
and matched the Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
from the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) with the Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
from the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
. Televised by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, Alabama won by a final score of 49–7.
Alabama
The defending National Champions Alabama Crimson Tide entered the game with a 9–3 record. The Tide were led by All-American wide receiver Julio Jones who set school records in catches with 75 and yards with 1,084 this season. 2009 Heisman TrophyHeisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Mark Ingram had been held to less than 100 yards rushing for eight straight games. Alabama's strength had been in their defense which led the SEC giving up 14.1 points and 296.0 yards per game as well as forcing 21 interceptions. Alabama made its second appearance in the Bowl Game. They defeated Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
24–17 in the 1995 game when it was known as the CompUSA Florida Citrus Bowl.
Michigan State
Michigan State was one of the surprises of the 2010 season and narrowly missed out on a BCS Bowl berth. The 11–1 Spartans won a share of the Big Ten Championship for the first time in 20 years. Although they finished 9th in the final BCS standings they would not be allowed to be selected to a BCS Bowl due to a rule that three teams from the same conference cannot all appear in BCS Bowl games. State was led by tailback Edwin Baker, who ranked third in the Big Ten with 1,187 yards rushing. The Spartans played without leading wide receiver B.J. Cunningham, who broke his foot in practice prior to the bowl. Michigan State made its third appearance in the game, having defeated FloridaFlorida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
in 2000 and losing to Georgia
2008 Georgia Bulldogs football team
The 2008 Georgia Bulldogs football team competed in American football on behalf of the University of Georgia in 2008. The Bulldogs competed in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference . This was the Georgia Bulldogs' eighth season under the guidance of head coach Mark Richt...
in 2009.
Game summary
Alabama scored touchdowns on their first four offensive possessions. Mark Ingram scored first on an one-yard touchdown run to cap a 13 play, 79 yard drive on Alabama's first possession. After a Robert Lester interception of a Kirk CousinsKirk Cousins
-College career:In 2007, newly hired Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio recruited Cousins to play for the Spartans. Cousins was redshirted for the 2007 season. In 2008, he spent the season as the back up quarterback to Brian Hoyer. He played in five games passing for a total of 310 yards and...
pass on the Spartans' opening drive, the Tide scored on the ensuing possession on an eight-yard Trent Richardson touchdown run early in the second quarter. Alabama extended their lead to 28–0 at the half following touchdown runs of six and 35-yards by Ingram and Julio Jones.
After holding Michigan State to a three-and-out to open the third quarter, Alabama scored its fifth touchdown in six offensive possessions after Marquis Maze scored on a 37-yard reception from Greg McElroy. Up by 35 points late in the third, the Tide pulled many of their starters that resulted in many players seeing action from deep in the depth chart
Depth chart
In sports, a depth chart is used to show the placements of the starting players and the secondary players. Generally a starting player will be listed first or on top while a back-up will be listed below...
. Third string back Eddie Lacy extended the lead to 49–0 with touchdown runs of twelve-yards in the third and 62-yards in the fourth quarter. The Spartans scored their only points late in the fourth on a 49-yard Bennie Fowler touchdown reception from Keith Nichol
Keith Nichol
Keith Nichol is a wide receiver for the Michigan State Spartans college football team. He previously played for the Oklahoma Sooners.-High school career:Nichol attended Lowell High School in Lowell, Michigan...
to being the final score to 49–7.
For his performance which included two sacks, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble, Alabama linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Courtney Upshaw
Courtney Upshaw
Courtney Upshaw is an American football linebacker for the University of Alabama. Upshaw is considered one of the best pass-rushing outside linebackers of his class and a potential first-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft....
was named the game's Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
.
The 2011 Capital One Bowl was the sixty-fifth edition of the college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
, and was played at the Citrus Bowl
Citrus Bowl
The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people....
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. The game was played on January 1, 2011
2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on Thursday, September 2, 2010. The season progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game on Monday, January 10, 2011.-Rule changes for...
and matched the Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
from the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) with the Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
from the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
. Televised by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, Alabama won by a final score of 49–7.
Alabama
The defending National Champions Alabama Crimson Tide entered the game with a 9–3 record. The Tide were led by All-American wide receiver Julio Jones who set school records in catches with 75 and yards with 1,084 this season. 2009 Heisman TrophyHeisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Mark Ingram had been held to less than 100 yards rushing for eight straight games. Alabama's strength had been in their defense which led the SEC giving up 14.1 points and 296.0 yards per game as well as forcing 21 interceptions. Alabama made its second appearance in the Bowl Game. They defeated Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
24–17 in the 1995 game when it was known as the CompUSA Florida Citrus Bowl.
Michigan State
Michigan State was one of the surprises of the 2010 season and narrowly missed out on a BCS Bowl berth. The 11–1 Spartans won a share of the Big Ten Championship for the first time in 20 years. Although they finished 9th in the final BCS standings they would not be allowed to be selected to a BCS Bowl due to a rule that three teams from the same conference cannot all appear in BCS Bowl games. State was led by tailback Edwin Baker, who ranked third in the Big Ten with 1,187 yards rushing. The Spartans played without leading wide receiver B.J. Cunningham, who broke his foot in practice prior to the bowl. Michigan State made its third appearance in the game, having defeated FloridaFlorida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
in 2000 and losing to Georgia
2008 Georgia Bulldogs football team
The 2008 Georgia Bulldogs football team competed in American football on behalf of the University of Georgia in 2008. The Bulldogs competed in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference . This was the Georgia Bulldogs' eighth season under the guidance of head coach Mark Richt...
in 2009.
Game summary
Alabama scored touchdowns on their first four offensive possessions. Mark Ingram scored first on an one-yard touchdown run to cap a 13 play, 79 yard drive on Alabama's first possession. After a Robert Lester interception of a Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins
-College career:In 2007, newly hired Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio recruited Cousins to play for the Spartans. Cousins was redshirted for the 2007 season. In 2008, he spent the season as the back up quarterback to Brian Hoyer. He played in five games passing for a total of 310 yards and...
pass on the Spartans' opening drive, the Tide scored on the ensuing possession on an eight-yard Trent Richardson touchdown run early in the second quarter. Alabama extended their lead to 28–0 at the half following touchdown runs of six and 35-yards by Ingram and Julio Jones.
After holding Michigan State to a three-and-out to open the third quarter, Alabama scored its fifth touchdown in six offensive possessions after Marquis Maze scored on a 37-yard reception from Greg McElroy. Up by 35 points late in the third, the Tide pulled many of their starters that resulted in many players seeing action from deep in the depth chart
Depth chart
In sports, a depth chart is used to show the placements of the starting players and the secondary players. Generally a starting player will be listed first or on top while a back-up will be listed below...
. Third string back Eddie Lacy extended the lead to 49–0 with touchdown runs of twelve-yards in the third and 62-yards in the fourth quarter. The Spartans scored their only points late in the fourth on a 49-yard Bennie Fowler touchdown reception from Keith Nichol
Keith Nichol
Keith Nichol is a wide receiver for the Michigan State Spartans college football team. He previously played for the Oklahoma Sooners.-High school career:Nichol attended Lowell High School in Lowell, Michigan...
to being the final score to 49–7.
For his performance which included two sacks, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble, Alabama linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Courtney Upshaw
Courtney Upshaw
Courtney Upshaw is an American football linebacker for the University of Alabama. Upshaw is considered one of the best pass-rushing outside linebackers of his class and a potential first-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft....
was named the game's Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
.
The 2011 Capital One Bowl was the sixty-fifth edition of the college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
, and was played at the Citrus Bowl
Citrus Bowl
The Florida Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for football, which currently seats around 70,000 people....
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. The game was played on January 1, 2011
2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on Thursday, September 2, 2010. The season progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game on Monday, January 10, 2011.-Rule changes for...
and matched the Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama Crimson Tide football
|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
from the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) with the Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
from the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
. Televised by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, Alabama won by a final score of 49–7.
Alabama
The defending National Champions Alabama Crimson Tide entered the game with a 9–3 record. The Tide were led by All-American wide receiver Julio Jones who set school records in catches with 75 and yards with 1,084 this season. 2009 Heisman TrophyHeisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner Mark Ingram had been held to less than 100 yards rushing for eight straight games. Alabama's strength had been in their defense which led the SEC giving up 14.1 points and 296.0 yards per game as well as forcing 21 interceptions. Alabama made its second appearance in the Bowl Game. They defeated Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
24–17 in the 1995 game when it was known as the CompUSA Florida Citrus Bowl.
Michigan State
Michigan State was one of the surprises of the 2010 season and narrowly missed out on a BCS Bowl berth. The 11–1 Spartans won a share of the Big Ten Championship for the first time in 20 years. Although they finished 9th in the final BCS standings they would not be allowed to be selected to a BCS Bowl due to a rule that three teams from the same conference cannot all appear in BCS Bowl games. State was led by tailback Edwin Baker, who ranked third in the Big Ten with 1,187 yards rushing. The Spartans played without leading wide receiver B.J. Cunningham, who broke his foot in practice prior to the bowl. Michigan State made its third appearance in the game, having defeated FloridaFlorida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
in 2000 and losing to Georgia
2008 Georgia Bulldogs football team
The 2008 Georgia Bulldogs football team competed in American football on behalf of the University of Georgia in 2008. The Bulldogs competed in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference . This was the Georgia Bulldogs' eighth season under the guidance of head coach Mark Richt...
in 2009.
Game summary
Alabama scored touchdowns on their first four offensive possessions. Mark Ingram scored first on an one-yard touchdown run to cap a 13 play, 79 yard drive on Alabama's first possession. After a Robert Lester interception of a Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins
-College career:In 2007, newly hired Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio recruited Cousins to play for the Spartans. Cousins was redshirted for the 2007 season. In 2008, he spent the season as the back up quarterback to Brian Hoyer. He played in five games passing for a total of 310 yards and...
pass on the Spartans' opening drive, the Tide scored on the ensuing possession on an eight-yard Trent Richardson touchdown run early in the second quarter. Alabama extended their lead to 28–0 at the half following touchdown runs of six and 35-yards by Ingram and Julio Jones.
After holding Michigan State to a three-and-out to open the third quarter, Alabama scored its fifth touchdown in six offensive possessions after Marquis Maze scored on a 37-yard reception from Greg McElroy. Up by 35 points late in the third, the Tide pulled many of their starters that resulted in many players seeing action from deep in the depth chart
Depth chart
In sports, a depth chart is used to show the placements of the starting players and the secondary players. Generally a starting player will be listed first or on top while a back-up will be listed below...
. Third string back Eddie Lacy extended the lead to 49–0 with touchdown runs of twelve-yards in the third and 62-yards in the fourth quarter. The Spartans scored their only points late in the fourth on a 49-yard Bennie Fowler touchdown reception from Keith Nichol
Keith Nichol
Keith Nichol is a wide receiver for the Michigan State Spartans college football team. He previously played for the Oklahoma Sooners.-High school career:Nichol attended Lowell High School in Lowell, Michigan...
to being the final score to 49–7.
For his performance which included two sacks, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble, Alabama linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Courtney Upshaw
Courtney Upshaw
Courtney Upshaw is an American football linebacker for the University of Alabama. Upshaw is considered one of the best pass-rushing outside linebackers of his class and a potential first-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft....
was named the game's Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
.