Alabama's path to the national championship

SI Staff | Dec 7, 2015

Alabama's path to the national championship /

Alabama's path to the national championship

Alabama 35, Wisconsin 17: Derrick Henry steamrolled the Badgers for 147 yards on 13 carries with three touchdowns as the Crimson Tide kicked off the season with a win in Arlington, Texas.

Alabama 37, Middle Tennessee 10: Ronnie Harrison's blocked punt for a safety was just part of the onslaught as the Crimson Tide built a 37–3 lead by the end of the third quarter.

Ole Miss 43, Alabama 37: For the second straight year, the Rebels took down the Crimson Tide, this time in Tuscaloosa. Ole Miss capitalized on five Alabama turnovers and 341 yards passing from Chad Kelly to build a 43–24 lead before narrowly hanging on for the win.

Alabama 34, Louisiana Monroe 0: Despite a relatively sluggish offensive performance (just 166 yards passing and 3.9 yards per carry), the Crimson Tide easily put away the Warhawks to rebound from their loss to Ole Miss.

Alabama 38, Georgia 10: A highly anticipated matchup with the unbeaten Bulldogs turned into a rout. The Crimson Tide sent Georgia starting quarterback Greyson Lambert to the bench, contained vaunted running back Nick Chubb for all but one meaningless late touchdown run and moved the ball efficiently on offense. Even special teams got into the mix with a touchdown for Minkah Fitzpatrick on a blocked punt.

Alabama 27, Arkansas 14: The Crimson Tide defense stymied the Razorbacks' offense, limiting Arkansas to just 44 yards rushing. After scoring just three points before halftime, Alabama's offense found its footing late, tacking on 17 points in the fourth quarter to pull away.

Alabama 41, Texas A&M 23: The Crimson Tide handed the Aggies their first loss of the season as Derrick Henry rushed for a then-career-high 236 yards. Alabama also turned three Kyle Allen interceptions into touchdowns, including two by Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Alabama 19, Tennessee 14: It took a Derrick Henry touchdown run with 2:24 remaining to give the Crimson Tide the lead for good. Two Alabama sacks on the Volunteers' ensuing drive helped seal the win, especially the second, which resulted in a fumble recovery by Ryan Anderson.

Alabama 30, LSU 16: The Crimson Tide defense did what had previously seemed impossible—stop Leonard Fournette. Alabama held the Tigers' star running back to 31 yards on 19 carries while Derrick Henry rushed for 210 yards and three touchdowns.

Alabama 31, Mississippi State 6: The Crimson Tide bludgeoned Dak Prescott for nine sacks to help keep the Bulldogs out of the end zone. Derrick Henry rushed for 204 yards and two scores on the ground.

Alabama 56, Charleston Southern 6: Cyrus Jones returned two punts for touchdowns as the Crimson Tide raced to a 49–0 lead by halftime.

Alabama 29, Auburn 13. The Crimson Tide kept feeding Derrick Henry the rock, and he kept delivering. Henry rushed 46 times for 271 yards to propel Alabama to victory in the Iron Bowl.

Alabama 29, Florida 15: The Crimson Tide repeated as SEC champions with a victory over the Gators. Florida's offense got nothing going, including just 15 yards on the ground. Alabama found that giving the ball to Henry was its best option again, as he carried 44 times for 189 yards.

calvin-ridley-alabama-beats-michigan-state-cotton-bowl.jpg — Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Alabama 38, Michigan State 0: The Crimson Tide blanked the Spartans in the Cotton Bowl to advance to the national championship game against Clemson. True freshman Calvin Ridley led the offense with eight catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns.

o.j.-howard-gallery.jpg — Icon Sportswire via AP Images

Alabama 45, Clemson 40: With Clemson's defense focused on stopping Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry, Crimson Tide tight end O.J. Howard caught five passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns to lead his team to a five-point win in the national title game.

Published Dec 7, 2015

SI STAFF