In a season gone all wrong for Alabama, three of its running backs came to the Blue-Gray Classic to prove there was still life in the Crimson Tide.
“This was our main goal all week,” Dennis Riddle said. “It gave us a chance to show there was some talent on our team. And I personally wanted to show that the Dennis Riddle everyone knew is still there.”
Riddle, Curtis Alexander and Ed Scissum all came through Thursday, giving the game a homespun flavor as each scored a touchdown to lead the Gray to a 31-24 victory.
The result provided some consolation for Alabama, which finished 4-7 for its worst finish in 40 years. Ordinarily, Alabama players are strangers to this Christmas Day game for seniors because the team is preparing for a bowl.
Riddle led the Gray in rushing with 66 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. It put an end to a frustrating year in which he rotated with two other tailbacks after leading the team in rushing the previous two seasons.
Alexander had a 46-yard touchdown catch and Scissum scored on a 5-yard run.
“The coaches were looking out for the Alabama guys today,” Scissum said. “They got a good rotation going and did their best to try to help us score.”
Other top performances came from Stephen F. Austin receiver Mikhael Ricks, the Gray’s Most Valuable Player, and Texas quarterback James Brown. Ricks finished with six receptions for 106 yards, including a diving 43-yard TD catch on Brown’s desperation pass at the end of the first half.
It seemed a fitting highlight from a Division I-AA All-American who scored 13 touchdowns and set the I-AA record with a 28.9-yard average per catch this season.
“All we did at Austin was throw the deep ball, so I was used to running out and making catches like that,” he said. “When you come from I-AA, a lot of people don’t think you can compete at this level. This was a big deal for me.”
Brown was 8 for 13 passing for 150 yards and the two long TDs. Texas, like Alabama, was a huge disappointment this year, going 4-7, which led to the dismissal of coach John Mackovic. “I couldn’t hope for much better than this,” Brown said. “I hadn’t played a good game in a while, and when that happens, you kind of question yourself.”
His TD throw to Alexander came on a play-action fake that allowed the tailback to slip underneath coverage and emerge wide open on the left side for the catch and sprint down the sideline. The score gave the Gray a 31-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.
TCU lineman Chance McCarty had a standout game for the Gray with two sacks–including one for a safety–one forced intentional grounding and a strong pass rush to set up a sack by Oklahoma’s Martin Chase.
Navy’s Chris McCoy stood out for the Blue. A quarterback who shifted to tailback for this game, he finished with 75 yards rushing on six carries. In the first half, he took a handoff and plunged into the line, bounced off a big hit, spun away and scooted down the sideline for a 40-yard gain.
