The 1996 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama as a member of the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by Gene Stallings in his seventh and final season as head coach, the Crimson Tide compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, SEC's Western Division title with LSU. By virtue of a head-to-head win over Tigers, Alabama advanced to the SEC Championship Game, where the Crimson Tide lost to the eventual national champion Florida. Alabama was then invited to the Outback Bowl, defeating Michigan in the game. The team played home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
Alabama's loss to Mississippi State on November 16 broke a 15-game winning streak Alabama had in the series, and was the Crimson Tide's first loss to the Bulldogs since a dramatic upset that Bulldogs posted over the top-ranked Tide in 1980. Following a victory in the annual Iron Bowl on November 23, Stallings announced his retirement, effective at the end of the season.
Schedule
Rankings
Game summaries Bowling Green
Alabama kicked off the season with a 21–7 victory over newly reclassified Division I opponent Bowling Green, extending the Tide’s streak to six consecutive season-opening wins.
Alabama used two quarterbacks in the first half as the coaching staff continued to evaluate the competition for the starting job, with Freddie Kitchens and Warren Foust sharing the workload. Both quarterbacks led scoring drives. Kitchens opened the game under center and engineered a 49-yard drive in the first quarter, capped by a one-yard touchdown run from Dennis Riddle to put Alabama on the board. Foust took over later in the half and led a 67-yard scoring drive late in the second quarter, finding Marcel West for a touchdown to give the Tide a 14–0 lead at halftime.
Kitchens returned to lead the offense to begin the second half and engineered a 97-yard scoring drive on Alabama’s opening possession of the third quarter. The drive was capped by a one-yard touchdown run from Curtis Alexander, extending the Tide’s lead to 21–0.
Bowling Green finally got on the scoreboard after a fumble by Hayden Stockton on a fake punt gave the Falcons a short field. The Falcons would have three more opportunities to score from Alabama territory, including possessions following an onside kick recovery and an interception of a Kitchens pass, but the Tide defense stood firm each time, keeping Bowling Green off the scoreboard on all three occasions.
Statistics Bowling GreenAlabama First downs 7 16 Total yards 177 316 Rushing yards 80 154 Passing yards 97 162 Turnovers 3 3 Time of possession 27:42 32:18 Team Category Player StatisticsBowling Green Passing Bob Niemet 9–19, 59 yards, 1 INT Rushing Courtney Davis 13 carries, 54 yards, 1 TD Receiving Jacque Rogers 4 receptions, 44 yardsAlabama Passing Freddie Kitchens 10–16, 156 yards, 1 INT Rushing Curtis Alexander 6 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD Receiving Michael Vaughn 5 receptions, 73 yards
Southern Miss
Alabama’s defense dominated once again, holding Southern Miss to just 109 yards of offense as the Crimson Tide secured their sixth consecutive victory over the Golden Eagles.
Alabama took advantage of a fumbled exchange by Southern Miss punter Jamie Purder on the Golden Eagles’ first possession and turned the mistake into a 23-yard field goal by Brian Cunningham, the first of his career, to take an early 3–0 lead. After the defense forced another punt, Freddie Kitchens engineered a 61-yard scoring drive in seven plays, capping it with his first touchdown pass of the season to Patrick Hape to give the Tide a 10–0 advantage.
After turning the ball over three times in the first quarter, Southern Miss finally capitalized on a big play when Eric Booth broke loose for a 40-yard run on third-and-27, setting up a 37-yard field goal by Johnny Lomoro early in the second quarter to put the Golden Eagles on the board. Alabama answered immediately with a 75-yard scoring drive that covered nine plays and ended with Kitchens’ second touchdown pass of the afternoon, this time to Marcel West, extending the Tide’s lead to 17–3.
Southern Miss responded with an 85-yard scoring drive of its own, capped by Harold Shaw’s one-yard touchdown run, cutting Alabama’s lead to 17–10 heading into halftime.
Alabama received the ball to start the second half and drove 51 yards in 10 plays before settling for a 46-yard field goal by Cunningham, extending the Tide’s advantage to 20–10.
That would be all the offense Alabama needed, as the defense completely shut down the Golden Eagles in the second half. Southern Miss failed to complete a single pass after halftime and managed just negative-29 yards of total offense, allowing Alabama to cruise to victory.
Statistics Southern MissAlabama First downs 8 20 Total yards 109 304 Rushing yards 11 115 Passing yards 98 189 Turnovers 3 1 Time of possession 19:37 40:21 Team Category Player StatisticsSouthern Miss Passing Heath Graham 8–26, 98 yards, 2 INT's Rushing Eric Booth 5 carries, 46 yards Receiving Sherrod Gideon 2 receptions, 59 yardsAlabama Passing Freddie Kitchens 15–23, 180 yards, 2 TD's Rushing Curtis Alexander 20 carries, 73 yards Receiving Michael Vaughn 5 receptions, 70 yards
Vanderbilt
In the first home game of the 1996 season at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Alabama overcame an early deficit with a relentless 21-point surge in the third quarter, overpowering Vanderbilt and thrilling the home crowd on its way to a 36–26 victory.
Vanderbilt jumped on top early, marching 68 yards on its opening possession before Jason Dunnavant capped the drive with a seven-yard touchdown run to give the Commodores a 7–0 lead. Alabama responded on each of its first three possessions, driving deep into Vanderbilt territory each time but settling for field goals from Brian Cunningham of 28, 26, and 23 yards to take a 9–7 lead in the second quarter.
Vanderbilt answered with a stunning special-teams play on its next possession. Punter Bill Marinangel took the snap and raced straight up the middle untouched for an 81-yard touchdown, the longest touchdown run in Vanderbilt history at the time. The Commodores then converted a two-point pass to take a 15–9 lead.
Late in the first half, Alabama recovered a Damian Allen fumble, setting up its first touchdown of the night. Freddie Kitchens found Marcel West for a seven-yard touchdown strike, but a blocked extra point kept the game tied at 15 heading into halftime.
After Vanderbilt attempted a surprise onside kick to begin the second half, Alabama recovered the ball. However, the Commodores would quickly regain possession when DeReal Finklin intercepted Freddie Kitchens, setting up a drive into Alabama territory that ended with a 38-yard field goal by Brett Speakman to give Vanderbilt an 18–15 lead.
The Tide answered immediately. Kitchens led a scoring drive that he finished himself, breaking loose for a 15-yard touchdown run to put Alabama back in front, 22–18.
From there, Alabama took control. On Vanderbilt’s next possession, Kevin Jackson intercepted an Allen pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown, extending the Tide’s lead to 29–18. Vanderbilt then fumbled on the very next offensive play, and Alabama recovered, setting up a one-yard touchdown run by Curtis Alexander to push the lead to 36–18.
Vanderbilt added another special-teams touchdown late in the third quarter when Alvin Duke returned a punt 88 yards for a score. The Commodores converted another two-point attempt to cut Alabama’s lead to 10, but that would be as close as they would get. Alabama’s defense held firm the rest of the way, allowing the Tide to secure a hard-fought 36–26 victory.
Statistics VanderbiltAlabama First downs 11 23 Total yards 255 367 Rushing yards 116 160 Passing yards 139 207 Turnovers 5 3 Time of possession 23:47 36:13 Team Category Player StatisticsVanderbilt Passing Damian Allen 11–21, 139 yards, 3 INT's Rushing Bill Marinangel 1 carry, 81 yards, 1 TD Receiving Billy Miller 1 reception, 38 yardsAlabama Passing Freddie Kitchens 16–27, 209 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT's Rushing Curtis Alexander 19 carries, 83 yards, 1 TD Receiving Marcell West 3 receptions, 43 yards, 1 TD
Arkansas
A defensive struggle went the Crimson Tide’s way as Alabama avenged its loss to Arkansas from a year earlier with a hard-fought 17–7 victory.
After trading punts for most of the first half, Alabama finally put together a scoring drive in the waning minutes of the second quarter. Dennis Riddle capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to give the Tide a 7–0 lead heading into halftime.
The teams continued to trade punts for much of the third quarter, and Alabama appeared to be on the verge of punting again when it faced a third-and-21. Freddie Kitchens, however, found Michael Vaughn for a 29-yard completion to move the chains and take the Tide into Arkansas territory. The drive eventually ended with a 31-yard field goal by Brian Cunningham, extending Alabama’s lead to 10–0 early in the fourth quarter.
Alabama appeared poised to put the game away on Arkansas’ next possession when Cedric Samuel intercepted Pete Burks, giving the Tide the ball deep in Razorback territory. Two plays later, however, Riddle had the ball stripped by C.J. McLain, giving Arkansas possession back. The Razorbacks then fumbled an option pitch, which was recovered by Alabama’s Chris Hood and once again gave the Tide an opportunity to add to its lead. This time, Cunningham missed his first field-goal attempt of the season, a 45-yarder, keeping the score at 10–0.
Arkansas then appeared to be on its way to cutting into the deficit when Chrys Chukwuma broke through the middle on a perfectly timed draw play. Kevin Sigler chased him down from behind and punched the ball loose into the end zone, where Fernando Bryant recovered and returned it to the 15-yard line, ending the Razorbacks’ scoring threat.
After forcing an Alabama punt, Arkansas finally broke through. The Razorbacks benefited from two 15-yard penalties—one for pass interference and another against Gene Stallings for his reaction to the pass-interference call—which helped Arkansas drive deep into Alabama territory. Burks eventually connected with Anthony Eubanks for a touchdown, cutting the Tide’s lead to 10–7.
Alabama answered immediately with an 80-yard scoring drive, with Kitchens finding Vaughn for the second time that afternoon for a touchdown putting the Tide back in front by 10 and ultimately sealing the victory.
Statistics AlabamaArkansas First downs 14 13 Total yards 288 206 Rushing yards 105 130 Passing yards 183 76 Turnovers 1 3 Time of possession 33:08 26:52 Team Category Player StatisticsAlabama Passing Freddie Kitchens 14–28, 183 yards, 1 TD Rushing Dennis Riddle 20 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD Receiving Calvin Hall 3 receptions, 78 yardsArkansas Passing Pete Burks 11–24, 76 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing Oscar MaloneChrys Chukwuma 14 carries, 72 yards9 carries, 72 yards Receiving Anthony Eubanks 3 receptions, 37 yards, 1 TD
Kentucky
Former Alabama coach Bill Curry returned to Tuscaloosa for the first time since leaving Alabama for Kentucky following the 1989 season, but his return would end in a 35–7 loss to the Crimson Tide.
The Alabama defense got things going early when Ralph Staten stripped Kentucky running back Anthony White, giving Alabama the ball inside the Kentucky 20-yard line. A few plays later, Shaun Alexander scored his first collegiate touchdown against his home-state school to give Alabama an early 7–0 lead.