1968 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

The 1968 Alabama Crimson Tide football team (variously "Alabama", "UA" or "Bama") represented the University of Alabama in the 1968 NCAA University Division football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 74th overall and 35th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his 11th year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Legion Field in Birmingham and Ladd Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. They finished season with eight wins and three losses (8–3 overall, 4–2 in the SEC) and with a loss against Missouri in the Gator Bowl.

Alabama opened the season ranked #7 and won their first two games against at Birmingham and  in their annual Mobile game, which proved to be the last game Alabama would play at Ladd Stadium in Mobile. In their third game, the Crimson Tide were upset by Ole Miss at Jackson, their first loss to the Rebels since the 1910 season. They rebounded the next week with a victory over Vanderbilt but lost the next week to Tennessee after coach Bryant elected to go for the victory instead of a tie and missed a two-point conversion and lost 10–9 at Knoxville.

After their loss to Tennessee, Alabama rebounded and won their final five regular season games. After they defeated Clemson, they returned to Tuscaloosa where they defeated Mississippi State on homecoming. The Crimson Tide next upset LSU in Birmingham, defeated Miami at the Miami Orange Bowl, and Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Later that December, Alabama lost 35–10 to Missouri in the Gator Bowl.

Virginia Tech

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To open the 1968 season, Alabama defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies 14–7 at Legion Field. After a scoreless first quarter, all three of the touchdowns scored in the game were made in the second quarter. Alabama took a 14–0 lead on a pair of Scott Hunter to George Ranager touchdown passes first from eight and then from 65-yards. The Hokies then scored their only points with 0:42 left in the half after Larry Creekmore blocked a Frank Mann punt that was recovered by Jud Brownell in the endzone for a touchdown. In the game, the Alabama defense was dominant and only allowed Tech 51 total yards of offense that included minus 17 rushing yards in the victory. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Virginia Tech to 4–0.

Southern Miss

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After their victory over Virginia Tech, Alabama retained their No. 7 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Southern Miss. In their annual game played at Mobile, Alabama came from behind and defeated the Southerners 17–10 behind a ten-point rally in the fourth quarter. The Crimson Tide took an early 7–0 lead after Ed Morgan scored on a nine-yard touchdown run. The Golden Eagles responded in the second with a one-yard Tommy Boutwell touchdown pass to Toby Vance that tied the game 7–7 at halftime. Larry Moulton next scored on a two-yard run that gave Southern a 14–7 lead in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth after Donnie Sutton recovered an Eagles fumble, Oran Buck cut the lead to 14–10 with his 19-yard field goal. Alabama then scored the game-winning points late in the game on a 34-yard Scott Hunter touchdown pass to George Ranager for the 17–10 victory. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Southern Miss to 10–2–1.

Ole Miss

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After their near loss against Southern Miss, Alabama dropped from the No. 7 to No. 11 position in the AP Poll prior to their game at Ole Miss. Against the Rebels, the Crimson Tide was upset 10–8 before the largest crowd to date ever to witness a college football game in the state of Mississippi. After a scoreless first, Ole Miss took a 7–0 halftime lead after Archie Manning threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Henry Shows in the second quarter. They then extended their lead to 10–0 with a 44-yard Perry King field goal in the third quarter.

Alabama ended the Ole Miss shutout bid with just 0:08 left in the game after a Julian Fagan punt was blocked by Mike Hall and recovered by Mike Reilly in the endzone for a touchdown. They then converted a two-point conversion that made the final score 10–8. The victory was the first for Ole Miss over Alabama since their 16–0 win in 1910, a period that spanned 58 years. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Ole Miss to 20–4–2.

Vanderbilt

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After their loss against Ole Miss, Alabama dropped out of the AP Poll altogether prior to their game against Vanderbilt. Against the Commodores, Alabama rebounded from the previous weeks loss with a 31–7 victory at Tuscaloosa. Ed Morgan scored the first points of the game with his one-yard touchdown run in the first quarter for a 7–0 lead. After a scoreless second quarter, the Crimson Tide extended their lead to 17–0 in the third on a 21-yard Mike Dean field goal and a 17-yard Buddy Seay touchdown run.

In the fourth, Scott Hunter scored for Alabama on a one-yard run, followed with Vanderbilt's only points on a four-yard David Strong run and then the Crimson Tide made the final score 31–7 on a one-yard Pete Moore touchdown run. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Vanderbilt to 26–16–4.

Tennessee

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Against Tennessee, coach Bryant elected to go for the victory instead of a tie in the final minutes of the game, and after the failed two-point conversion the Volunteers held onto a 10–9 victory at Knoxville. Tennessee took an early 7–0 lead in the first quarter after Richmond Flowers scored on a one-yard touchdown run. Alabama responded later in the quarter with a 28-yard Mike Dean field goal that made the score 7–3. The score remained the same through the fourth quarter when Karl Kremser kicked what was then a SEC record 54-yard field goal that extended the Volunteers lead to 10–3.

After the Tennessee field goal, the Crimson Tide had their most sustained drive of the game. The 80-yard drive culminated in a four-yard Donnie Sutton touchdown reception from Scott Hunter that made the score 10–9. However, instead of playing for the tie and kicking the extra point, coach Bryant elected to go for the win on a two-point conversion. On the attempt, Joe Kelley failed to complete the pass to Sutton and Tennessee won the game as a result 10–9. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Tennessee to 23–21–7.

Clemson

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At Denny Stadium, the Crimson Tide narrowly defeated the Tigers of the Atlantic Coast Conference 21–14. Alabama took an early 14–0 lead with a pair of first-quarter touchdowns. The first came on a 40-yard Donnie Sutton reception from Scott Hunter and the second on a 13-yard Buddy Seay run. Clemson responded and tied the game 14–14 with touchdowns in each of the next two quarters. Buddy Gore scored first in the second quarter on a three-yard run and was followed with a six-yard Billy Ammons touchdown pass to Ray Yauger in the third.

Alabama retook the lead in the fourth on a 30-yard Hunter touchdown pass to George Ranager that made the score 21–14. Clemson then drove the ball late to the Crimson Tide 41-yard line only to have Ammons throw an interception late that sealed the Alabama victory. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Clemson to 9–3.

Mississippi State

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On homecoming in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide held leading SEC quarterback Tommy Pharr in check and defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 20–13 at Tuscaloosa. After Alabama took an early 7–0 lead on a two-yard Ed Morgan touchdown run, the Bulldogs responded with a one-yard Lynn Zeringue touchdown run, but a failed extra point kept the Crimson Tide in the lead 7–6. Alabama then extended their lead to 20–6 at halftime with 13 second quarter points. After Pete Jilleba scored on a two-yard touchdown run, Mike Dean connected on field goals of 25 and 29-yards.

The final points of the game came in the third quarter when Pharr threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Sammy Milner that made the final score 20–13. In the game, Pete Moore led the Crimson Tide after he rushed for 115 yards on 28 carries. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Mississippi State to 40–10–3.

LSU

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On a cool afternoon before a capacity crowd at Legion Field, Alabama upset the LSU Tigers 16–7. The Crimson Tide took their opening possession 79-yards in eight plays that culminated with an 11-yard Scott Hunter touchdown pass to Pete Jilleba for a 6–0 lead. After a scoreless second, LSU took a 7–6 lead in the third quarter on a 15-yard Kenny Newfield touchdown run. Alabama responded with ten unanswered points to close the game and won 16–7. After a 29-yard Mike Dean field goal in the third, Hunter threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Donnie Sutton in the fourth quarter. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against LSU to 20–8–4.

Miami (FL)

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After their victory over LSU, Alabama reentered the AP Poll at the No. 16 position prior to their game at Miami. On homecoming at the Orange Bowl, Alabama defeated the Hurricanes 14–6 behind a long touchdown reception and interception return. This game was also noted for being the first college football regular season game to be telecast nationally on prime time television.

The Crimson Tide took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter when Scott Hunter threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Donnie Sutton. Alabama remained up by a touchdown through the fourth quarter when Mike Dean intercepted a Lew Pytel pass and returned it 69-yards for a touchdown and a 14–0 lead. The Hurricanes responded late with a two-yard Bobby Best touchdown run that made the final score 14–6. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Miami to 6–2.

Auburn

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After their victory over Miami, Alabama moved into the No. 15 position in the AP Poll prior to their game against Auburn. Behind a strong all-around performance in the annual Iron Bowl game, Alabama defeated the Tigers 24–16 at Legion Field in the final game of the regular season. After Ed Morgan gave Alabama a 7–0 lead with his 35-yard touchdown run, Auburn responded with a 22-yard John Riley field goal that made the score 7–3 at the end of the first quarter. The Crimson Tide then took a 14–3 halftime lead after Morgan scored his second touchdown of the game on a one-yard run.

After Alabama went up 21–3 on a five-yard Scott Hunter touchdown pass to Mike Hall in the third quarter, Auburn responded with their first touchdown of the game on a 70-yard Loran Carter pass to Mike Currier that made the score 21–10. After the Tigers scored their second touchdown on a five-yard Carter pass to Connie Frederick, Alabama scored their final points of the game on a 30-yard Mike Dean field goal that made the final score 24–16. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against Auburn to 18–14–1.

Missouri

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On November 20, Alabama accepted an invitation to play Missouri of the Big Eight Conference in the Gator Bowl for their 10th consecutive bowl game appearance. Against the Tigers, Bryant suffered his worst loss to date as head coach of the Crimson Tide with this 35–10 loss in the first all-time meeting between the schools. After Terry McMillan gave Missouri a 7–0 lead with his four-yard touchdown run in the first, Alabama responded in the second with their only touchdown of the game on a 38-yard Donnie Sutton interception return. McMillan then responded with his second touchdown of the game of the game on a five-yard run that made the halftime score 14–7. The score remained the same through the fourth quarter when Alabama converted a 28-yard Mike Dean field goal before the Tigers closed the game with three unanswered touchdowns and won 35–10. These touchdowns were scored on a two-yard McMillan run, a 35-yard Greg Cook run and on a 47-yard Dennis Poppe interception return.

NFL Draft
Several players that were varsity lettermen from the 1968 squad were drafted into the National Football League (NFL) in the 1969 and 1971 drafts. These players included the following:

Freshman squad
Prior to the 1972 NCAA University Division football season, NCAA rules prohibited freshmen from participating on the varsity team, and as such many schools fielded freshmen teams. The Alabama freshmen squad was led by coach Clem Gryska for the 1968 season and finished with a record of two wins and three losses (2–3). The Baby Tide opened their season with a 20–16 come-from-behind victory over Mississippi State at Denny Stadium. Chuck Jordan gave State a 3–0 lead with his 31-yard field goal, and Alabama responded with a one-yard Johnny Musso touchdown run that made the score 7–3. In the second quarter, the Bullpups scored on a pair of Steve Natale that made the halftime score 16–7. The first was from eight-yards to Jerry Harris and the second from nine-yards to John Male. After a scoreless third, Alabama won the game 20–16 after fourth-quarter touchdowns on a 55-yard Bubba Sawyer punt return and on a one-yard Musso run.

In their second game Vanderbilt took a 24–0 lead into the fourth quarter and Alabama went on to lose 24–14 at Nashville. Commodores touchdowns were scored by Dwight Blair on a two-yard run, a seven-yard Watson Brown pass to Gary Chesley and on a three-yard Brown run. Alabama scored their touchdowns in the fourth on a 49-yard Al Harvey interception return and on a 38-yard Bubba Sawyer touchdown reception. In their third game, the Baby Tide lost their second road game of the season at Ole Miss 15–13. Against the Rebels, Buddy Talley threw for both of Alabama's touchdowns. The first was from six-yards to David Bailey and the second from 16-yards to Robin Parkhouse, but a failed two-point conversion kept Alabama from tying the game.

Although Tennessee gained 419 yards of total offense in the game, Alabama defeated the Vols 28–21 at Denny Stadium. In the game, Johnny Musso starred for Alabama with a pair of touchdown runs from three and nine-yards as well as a touchdown reception on a 16-yard Terry Davis pass. In their final game of the season against Auburn, Alabama led 27–0 at halftime; however, Pat Sullivan led the Tigers to 36 unanswered points in the second half for a 36–27 Auburn victory at Tuscaloosa. Alabama's touchdowns were scored by Hal Dunbar on runs of five and eight-yards, a three-yard Dunbar pass to Steve Williams and on a 24-yard Tommy Stringfellow run. In the second half, Sullivan threw touchdown passes of 33-yards to Daryl Johnson, 36 and 72-yards to Terry Beasley and four-yards to Jere Colley. The Tigers final touchdown was scored by David Shelby on a one-yard run that made the final score 36–27.