1992 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

1992 Alabama Crimson Tide football
Consensus national champion SEC champion SEC Western Division champion Sugar Bowl champion
SEC Championship Game, W 28–21 vs. Florida
Sugar Bowl (BC NCG), W 34–13 vs. Miami (FL)
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Western Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1
AP	No. 1
Record	13–0 (8–0 SEC)
Head coach	Gene Stallings (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Mal Moore (11th season)
Captains	Prince Wimbley George Wilson Derrick Oden George Teague
Home stadium	Bryant–Denny Stadium (Capacity: 70,123) Legion Field (Capacity: 83,091)

1992 Southeastern Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Eastern Division
No. 10 Florida xy	6	–	2	–	0			9	–	4	–	0
No. 8 Georgia x	6	–	2	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 12 Tennessee	5	–	3	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
South Carolina	3	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Vanderbilt	2	–	6	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Kentucky	2	–	6	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Western Division
No. 1 Alabama x$	8	–	0	–	0			13	–	0	–	0
No. 16 Ole Miss	5	–	3	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 23 Mississippi State	4	–	4	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Arkansas	3	–	4	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
Auburn	2	–	5	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
LSU	1	–	7	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
Championship: Alabama 28, Florida 21
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 1992 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1992 NCAA Division I-A football season. This was the team's third season under head coach Gene Stallings. They played their home games at both Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season undefeated with a record of 13–0 (8–0 in the SEC) and as National Champions. The team was noted especially for its strong defense, which led the nation in fewest points allowed (9.2 per game during the regular season) and, in a strong bowl game performance, prevented defending national champion Miami from scoring an offensive touchdown.

The 1992 Crimson Tide won their twentieth Southeastern Conference title by defeating the Florida Gators 28–21 on December 5 in the inaugural SEC Championship Game. The team then capped off Alabama's eighth perfect season by winning the 1992 national football championship, defeating the heavily favored Miami Hurricanes 34–13 in the 1993 Sugar Bowl on January 1, 1993, a matchup resulting from the first ever Bowl Coalition national championship game. This would be the last national championship won by the Tide until 2009.

The Alabama Crimson Tide celebrated 100 years of Alabama Football in the 1992 season.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	11:30 a.m.	Vanderbilt	No. 9	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL	JPS	W 25–8	70,123
September 12	4:00 p.m.	Southern Miss*	No. 8	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	VideoSeat	W 17–10	83,091
September 19	7:00 p.m.	at Arkansas	No. 9	War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, AR	VideoSeat	W 38–11	55,912
September 26	1:30 p.m.	Louisiana Tech*	No. 7	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	VideoSeat	W 13–0	77,622
October 3	2:30 p.m.	South Carolina	No. 9	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL	VideoSeat	W 48–7	70,123
October 10	7:00 p.m.	at Tulane*	No. 6	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA	VideoSeat	W 37–0	50,240
October 17	2:30 p.m.	at No. 13 Tennessee	No. 4	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (Third Saturday in October)	ABC	W 17–10	97,388
October 24	11:30 a.m.	Ole Miss	No. 4	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	JPS	W 31–10	70,123
November 7	2:30 p.m.	at LSU	No. 3	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	ABC	W 31–11	76,813
November 14	6:30 p.m.	at No. 16 Mississippi State	No. 2	Scott Field Starkville, MS (rivalry)	ESPN	W 30–21	41,320
November 26	Noon	Auburn	No. 2	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Iron Bowl)	ABC	W 17–0	83,091
December 5	2:30 p.m.	vs. No. 12 Florida	No. 2	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (SEC Championship Game, rivalry)	ABC	W 28–21	83,091
January 1, 1993	7:30 p.m.	vs. No. 1 Miami (FL)*	No. 2	Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl)	ABC	W 34–13	76,789
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Roster

Position key

Back	B		Center	C		Cornerback	CB		Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE		Defensive lineman	DL		Defensive tackle	DT		End	E
Fullback	FB		Guard	G		Halfback	HB		Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR		Offensive tackle	OT		Offensive lineman	OL		Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS		Punter	P		Punt returner	PR		Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB		Safety	S		Tight end	TE		Wide receiver	WR

1992 Alabama Crimson Tide football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 1 Chad Key Fr WR 2 David Palmer So TE 5 Tony Johnson Fr WR 6 Willis Bevelle Sr QB 7 Jay Barker So QB 14 Brian Burgdorf Fr WR 15 Donnie Finkley Sr QB 16 Jason Jack So QB 18 Danny Davis So RB 20 Sherman Williams So RB 25 Derrick Lassic Sr FB 30 Craig Harris Sr WR 32 Prince Wimbley (C) Sr RB 33 Chris Anderson Jr FB 35 Martin Houston Sr WR 37 Kevin Lee Jr WR 38 Mike Campbell Sr WR 40 Lorenzo Cole Jr FB 41 Robert Strain So TE 42 Myron Pope Jr FB 45 Tarrant Lynch So TE 49 Chris Cochran Sr C 50 Don Dover Sr C 57 Derek Weaver Jr G 59 John Clay Jr OT 60 Joey Harville So C 61 Tobie Sheils Jr G 62 William Barger Jr OT 63 Matt Hammond Jr G 65 Napoleon Folks So C 66 Tim Barnett Fr OT 66 John Wall So OL 67 Scott Mullenix Jr OT 68 George Wilson (C) Sr G 69 Jon Stevenson So OT 70 Rory Segrest Fr OT 74 Kareem McNeil Fr OT 75 Johnny Howard Sr OT 77 Roosevelt Patterson Jr WR 80 Roman Colburn So WR 82 Rick Brown So TE 83 Steve Busky Sr WR 85 Curtis Brown So WR 88 Dabo Swinney Sr TE 95 Jason Abrams Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 1 Darren Greenwood Sr CB 9 Alvin Hope Sr CB 10 Tommy Johnson So LB 11 Lemanski Hall Jr FS 13 George Teague (C) Sr FS 17 Will Brown So FS 21 Chris Donnelly Jr SS 25 Alex Jordan Jr CB 28 Michael Ausmus Fr CB 29 Rock Woody So DB 31 Sam Shade So LB 36 Andre Royal So DB 40 Mickey Conn So CB 43 Antonio Langham So LB 44 Dameian Jeffries So SS 47 Jackson Lowery So LB 48 Jay Brannen So LB 51 DeLan Trimble So LB 52 Michael Rogers So LB 53 Jeff Torrence Fr LB 55 Antonio London Sr LB 56 Derrick Oden (C) Sr LB 58 Mario Morris So LB 59 Thad Turnipseed So LB 60 Jeff Foshee So DT 67 James Gregory Jr DT 71 Bart Pritchett Sr DE 73 Jeremy Nunley Jr DE 76 Elverett Brown So DT 77 John Phillips Sr DE 80 Eric Curry Sr DE 92 Jason Milner So DE 93 Shannon Brown Fr DE 94 John Copeland Sr DE 95 Chuck Aaron So DE 96 Bryan Thornton Fr DE 98 Vann Bodden Fr LB 99 Victor Lockett Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 2 Stan Moss Sr K 3 Michael Proctor Fr K 4 Matt Wethington So K 8 Steve Cole Jr P 12 Bryne Diehl So K 19 Matt Mundy Fr P 28 J.J. Adams So K 81 Hamp Greene Fr LS 87 Matthew Pine Jr K 92 James Tuley Jr LS 99 Jared Watson So	Head coach Gene Stallings Coordinators/assistant coaches Ellis Johnson (outside linebackers) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

Game summaries

Vanderbilt

See also: 1992 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

1 2 3 4 Total Vanderbilt 0 0 8 0 8 • # 9 Alabama 9 7 0 9 25 Date: September 5 Location: Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL Game start: 11:30 am CDT Game attendance: 70,123 Game weather: 84, Partly Sunny, Wind S @ 3-5 mph Television network: JPS

Scoring summary Q1 8:17 UA Michael Proctor 46-yard field goal UA 3-0 Q1 7:03 UA Michael Proctor 43-yard field goal UA 6-0 Q1 2:21 UA Michael Proctor 42-yard field goal UA 9-0 Q2 11:01 UA Derrick Lassic 4-yard run (Michael Proctor kick) UA 16-0 Q3 7:53 VU Royce Love 5-yard run (Eric Lewis run) UA 16-8 Q4 7:42 UA Michael Proctor 32-yard field goal UA 19-8 Q4 1:59 UA Michael Rodgers 36-yard interception return (PAT blocked) UA 25-8

In the opener, freshman Michael Proctor kicked four field goals and Alabama defeated Vanderbilt 25–8 despite the absence of star WR/KR David Palmer, then serving a suspension for a drunk driving arrest. One Alabama touchdown came after Tide pressure caused the Vanderbilt punter to fumble the ball at his team's 6-yard line and the other came on an interception return in the fourth quarter.

Statistics

Statistics	Vanderbilt	Alabama
First downs	15	15
Total yards	210	289
Passing yards	72	185
Rushing yards	138	104
Penalties	4-35	3-15
Turnovers	6	2
Time of possession	35:14	24:46

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Vanderbilt	Passing	David Lawrence	1-1, 41 yards
	Rushing	Eric Lewis	8 carries, 37 yards
	Receiving	Brandon Berry	2 receptions, 15 yards
Alabama	Passing	Jay Barker	14-27, 185 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Derrick Lassic	9 carries, 51 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Kevin Lee	3 receptions, 78 yards

Southern Mississippi

See also: 1992 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

1 2 3 4 Total Southern Miss 0 0 10 0 10 • #8 Alabama 7 0 3 7 17 Date: September 12 Location: Legion Field Birmingham, AL Game start: 4:00 pm CDT Game attendance: 83,091 Game weather: 84, Partly Cloudy, Wind N @ 3-5 mph

Scoring summary Q1 11:18 UA Tommy Johnson 73-yard pass from Bryne Diehl (Michael Proctor kick) UA 7-0 Q3 13:52 USM Bobby Hamilton 18-yard interception return (Lance Nations kick) Tied 7-7 Q3 11:29 USM Lance Nations 33-yard field goal USM 10-7 Q3 0:31 UA Michael Proctor 25-yard field goal Tied 10-10 Q4 10:19 UA Chris Anderson 1-yard run (Michael Proctor kick) UA 17-10

Alabama held the Golden Eagles to only 54 yards of total offense and three first downs. Alabama had 383 yards total offense, but lost two fumbles and an interception and struggled to score. Alabama's only TD in the first half came on a fake punt. When the Golden Eagles tipped a pass by Alabama quarterback Jay Barker in the air in the third quarter, intercepted it, and ran it back 18 yards for a touchdown, the game was tied 7–7. On the next possession, Alabama fumbled the ball away to Southern Mississippi at its own 18-yard-line. After the Golden Eagles subsequently kicked a field goal, they led 10–7 despite a total inability to move the ball on offense. It was the first of only four times all year that Alabama trailed in a game. Towards the end of the third quarter, Southern Miss returned the turnover favors, fumbling the ball away to Alabama at its own 20. Michael Proctor's field goal tied the game up with 38 seconds to go in the third. Finally, in the fourth quarter, Alabama put together its only sustained drive of the game, a 63-yard march that ended with a 1-yard Chris Anderson TD. Alabama won, 17–10.

Statistics

Statistics	Southern Miss	Alabama
First downs	3	19
Total yards	54	383
Passing yards	26	200
Rushing yards	28	183
Penalties	10-81	9-78
Turnovers	2	3
Time of possession	23:47	36:13

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Miss	Passing	Tommy Waters	7-19, 26 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Dwayne Nelson	8 carries, 28 yards
	Receiving	Marcus Pope	1 receptions, 14 yards
Alabama	Passing	Jay Barker	13-21, 127 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Chris Anderson	15 carries, 67 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Tommy Johnson	1 receptions, 73 yards, 1 TD

At Arkansas

See also: 1992 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

New SEC member Arkansas (the Razorbacks joined the conference along with the South Carolina Gamecocks for the 1992 season) proved no match for the Tide. Derrick Lassic scored on a 33-yard TD run on Alabama's first play from scrimmage, the Tide was up 28–0 halfway through the second quarter, and from there Alabama cruised to a 38–11 victory. Jay Barker threw for 192 yards and three touchdown passes, and Alabama had 467 yards in total offense. Arkansas governor and Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton was in attendance.

Louisiana Tech

See also: 1992 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team

Alabama had its worst offensive game of the season against Louisiana Tech. The Tide mustered only 167 yards of offense in the game. In the first quarter, a drive to the Tech 19 ended in a field goal. In the second Bama started a possession on the Louisiana Tech 30 after a short punt and a penalty, but again could muster only a field goal. In the third Tech nearly took the lead after a 62-yard pass completion (more than half of their 117 yards total offense for the entire game) advanced the ball to the Alabama 9, but the Bulldogs could not punch it into the end zone and a field goal attempt missed. In the fourth quarter, with Alabama still clinging to a 6–0 lead, David Palmer ran a punt back 63 yards for a touchdown, making the final score 13–0. It was his first game after sitting out the first three games of the season due to his drunk driving arrest.

South Carolina

See also: 1992 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

The other new arrival to the SEC proved to be even less of a challenge. By the time South Carolina got its first 1st down, late in the second quarter, Alabama was ahead 38–0. Alabama gave almost all of its starters the second half off, and still managed to rack up 485 yards of total offense while limiting USC to one touchdown and nine first downs. The Tide won 48–7.

At Tulane

See also: 1992 Tulane Green Wave football team

One year after Alabama annihilated the Green Wave 62–0, Tulane put up stiffer resistance against the Tide, in the first half at least. Alabama penetrated inside the Tulane 25 three times in the first half but came away with only two field goals. Tulane lost a touchdown when the lineman carrying the ball on a fumblerooski touched his knee to the ground as he picked the ball up. A third field goal put Alabama up 9–0 in the third, and after another Tulane drive ended in an interception at the Tide 2, Alabama pulled away, scoring four touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters to win 37–0.

At No. 13 Tennessee

See also: 1992 Tennessee Volunteers football team and Third Saturday in October

Alabama dominated the Third Saturday in October matchup with Tennessee, outgaining the Vols 355 yards (301 on the ground) to 194, but nearly blew the game late after taking a 17–0 second quarter lead. Proctor missed two field goals, then, late in the third, Bama had the ball up 17–3 and with a 4th and goal at the Tennessee 2. Coach Stallings elected to go for it, but Derrick Lassic was tackled for a 1-yard loss. Heath Shuler's touchdown pass with 12:53 to go cut the deficit to 17–10, and a Tide fumble at the Tennessee 48 with 1:33 left gave UT one last chance. However, Shuler threw an interception two plays later and the Crimson Tide escaped with a victory, its seventh in a row over Tennessee. Lassic rushed for 142 yards and both Alabama touchdowns. Tennessee backup quarterback Jerry Colquitt, who came into the game in relief after a hit forced Shuler to the sideline, said of the Alabama defense that "These guys are unbelievable [sic]. They beat you to the pocket."

Ole Miss

See also: 1992 Ole Miss Rebels football team and Alabama–Ole Miss football rivalry

Against Ole Miss, the usually dominant Tide running attack was held to 83 yards after averaging 241 yards per game going in, but Jay Barker responded by completing 25 of 39 passes for 285 yards, all career highs, and the Tide rolled over the Rebels 31–10. Kevin Lee had 82 yards receiving and David Palmer had 67 yards as well as a touchdown reception.

At LSU

See also: 1992 LSU Tigers football team and Alabama–LSU football rivalry

Chris Anderson ran for 149 yards on only 15 carries to help lift Bama to an easy 31–11 victory over LSU after starting tailback Derrick Lassic left the game with a shoulder injury in the first half. LSU had only 22 yards rushing. LSU's field goal on the first possession of the ball game was only the second time all season that Alabama had trailed.

At No. 16 Mississippi State

See also: 1992 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team and Alabama–Mississippi State football rivalry

The Bulldogs gave Alabama its hardest test of the entire season. In the first half, it did not appear that would be the case. Alabama's first drive was an easy 67-yard march ending in a 23-yard shovel pass from Barker to Lassic for a touchdown. Mississippi State got the ball back, went nowhere, and attempted to punt, but Antonio Langham blocked the punt, recovered it at the MSU 5, and scored a touchdown to put Bama up 14–0. In the second quarter, the Tide kicked two field goals and the Bulldogs kicked one, making the halftime score 20–3.

Alabama, which had not allowed any opponent to score more than 11 points in a game, led by 17 at the half. Then Mississippi State caught a break, picking off a Barker pass and returning it to the Alabama 11. A touchdown and a two-point conversion followed to make it 20–11. Bama went three and out on its next possession, the Bulldogs got the ball at the Tide 47, and they capitalized with a quick TD drive. Suddenly the score was 20–18. Bama got one first down, then punted again. Mississippi State drove down to the Alabama 1, but an illegal participation penalty pushed the ball back to the 16 and the Bulldogs settled for a field goal. Eighteen unanswered third quarter points gave the Bulldogs a 21–20 lead. It was only the third time all year Alabama had trailed, and it was the only time in the 1992 season that they trailed in the fourth quarter.

An interception ended one Alabama drive and a sack ended the next one. Finally, a Mississippi State fumbled punt gave Alabama momentum. Barker completed a 24-yard pass to Prince Wimbley to advance the ball to the Bulldog 16, and a 26-yard field goal by Proctor made the score 23–21 with 8:10 left. Shortly thereafter George Teague intercepted a pass by MSU's Greg Plump, giving Alabama possession at the Bulldog 20. A five-play drive ended in a Chris Anderson TD run made the score 30–21 with 5:07 to go. Alabama stopped two Mississippi State drives in the waning minutes and the Tide escaped Starkville with a 30–21 victory.

Auburn

See also: 1992 Auburn Tigers football team and Iron Bowl

In the Iron Bowl finale against Auburn, the Tide offense struggled. Jay Barker threw two interceptions, including one on 2nd and 11 at the Auburn 16, and the game was scoreless at the half. Auburn got the ball to start the second half, but Antonio Langham intercepted a pass by Auburn's Stan White and returned it 61 yards for the first points of the game. Barker's struggles led Stallings to direct an ultra-conservative game in the second half, as the Tide attempted only one pass after halftime. That one pass, a 20-yard completion from Barker to Curtis Brown, set up a Michael Proctor field goal that stretched the lead to 10–0. A 16-yard Auburn punt gave Alabama the ball on the Tiger 40 as the third quarter ended, and the clinching touchdown in a 17–0 victory followed. Auburn had only eight first downs and 119 yards of total offense. It was Alabama's third shutout of the season, the most since the 1980 team also recorded three.

Vs. No. 12 Florida (SEC Championship)

See also: 1992 Florida Gators football team, 1992 SEC Championship Game, and Alabama–Florida football rivalry

Pregame line	Over/under
Alabama by 10	36.5

As champions of the SEC Western Division, the Crimson Tide faced off in the first-ever SEC Championship Game against the Eastern Division champion Florida Gators. It was a tight contest. Florida QB Shane Matthews passed for 287 yards against a Tide defense that had been averaging 126 passing yards allowed per game. Florida scored a touchdown on the game's opening drive, driving 77 yards on an array of short passes completed by Matthews. It was the only first-quarter touchdown yielded by Alabama in all of 1992. Alabama responded immediately with a 72-yard drive that ended on a 5-yard TD run by Lassic. Jay Barker's 30-yard pass to Curtis Brown put Alabama out in front 14–7 in the second quarter. In the third quarter, a 39-yard completion from Barker to David Palmer was the key play in a drive that put the Tide ahead 21–7. Florida rallied, going on 68-yard and 51-yard marches to tie the game up with 8:09 left. Alabama's perfect season hung in the balance, until Antonio Langham picked off a Matthews pass with 3:16 to go for the game-winning touchdown, and another Matthews interception at the 2:54 mark sealed the victory. Palmer had 101 receiving yards and Derrick Lassic rushed for 117 yards. It was Alabama's 20th SEC Championship.

Vs. No. 1 Miami (Sugar Bowl)

See also: 1992 Miami Hurricanes football team and 1993 Sugar Bowl

Pregame line	Over/under
Miami by 8	36

1 2 3 4 Total #1 Miami 3 3 0 7 13 • #2 Alabama 3 10 14 7 34 Date: January 1, 1993 Location: Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA Game start: 7:30 pm CST Game attendance: 76,789 Game weather: Indoors Referee: Rogers Redding TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson and Bob Griese

Alabama faced #1 Miami in the Sugar Bowl for the national championship. The result was an emphatic 34–13 Alabama victory that completed the perfect season and won a national championship. Jay Barker managed only 18 yards passing in the Sugar Bowl and threw two interceptions, but the Tide running game punished Miami for 267 yards, 67 more than Miami had allowed all season. This included 135 rushing yards by Derrick Lassic. 1992 Heisman Trophy winner Gino Toretta threw for 278 yards but, critically, also threw three interceptions, all of which led to Alabama touchdowns. Toretta was often flummoxed by Alabama's 11-man fronts.

On the opening possession, Alabama drove deep into Miami territory but could not get into the end zone, settling for a Michael Proctor field goal and a 3–0 lead. A 34-yard pass from Toretta to Kevin Williams set up a 49-yard field goal that tied the game. Jay Barker threw an interception in the first quarter that gave Miami the ball at the Alabama 39, but Lamar Thomas fumbled it right back after catching a pass from Toretta and the opportunity was wasted. Barker's second interception killed a drive at the Miami 23 before the first quarter ended. In the second, Alabama drove down to the Miami 1, the key plays being runs of 24 yards and 10 yards by Lassic and a six-yard pass from Barker to Palmer to move the chains on a third down. However, after Lassic's 10-yard run he and Alabama were penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct (Lassic spun the ball on the ground as he got up), and the Tide was pushed back 15 yards. Alabama settled for another Proctor field goal and a 6–3 lead. Sam Shade intercepted a Toretta pass in the second quarter and returned it to the Miami 31, setting up a five-play drive that ended in a 2-yard TD run by Sherman Williams, putting Alabama ahead 13–3. A late Miami field goal made it 13–6 at the half.

Early in the third, Tommy Johnson intercepted a Toretta pass and returned it 23 yards to the Miami 20-yard line. A Lassic TD followed soon after. On the first play from scrimmage after Lassic's touchdown, George Teague picked off another Toretta pass and ran it back 31 yards for another touchdown and a 27–6 Alabama lead. Later in the third, Toretta hit Lamar Thomas on what briefly appeared to be an 88-yard touchdown pass. George Teague somehow caught Thomas from behind, so the play briefly appeared to be an 82-yard completion, but instead, Teague actually stripped Thomas of the football. Miami retained possession of the ball due to an offsides penalty on Alabama, but Teague's feat in catching Thomas and stripping him of the ball prevented a Hurricane touchdown and sent the ball back deep in Miami territory. Miami was forced to punt three plays later.

Kevin Williams ran a punt back 78 yards for Miami in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 27–13, but Derrick Lassic's four-yard run with 6:46 to go for his second touchdown of the game closed the scoring. Alabama beat Miami 34–13 and finished 13–0.

It was Alabama's twelfth national championship and the seventh by vote of either the AP Poll or Coaches' Poll. It was the first 13–0 season in Alabama history, and it was the eighth perfect season in Alabama history, following the perfect seasons of 1925, 1930, 1934, 1945, 1961, 1966, and 1979 (the 1897 season consisted of a single game which Alabama won).

Statistics

Statistics	Miami	Alabama
First downs	16	15
Total yards	326	285
Passing yards	278	18
Rushing yards	48	267
Penalties	6-37	7-46
Turnovers	4	2
Time of possession	23:56	36:04

Rankings

See also: 1992 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	9 (1)	9 (1)	8 (1)	9 (1)	7 (1)	9 (1)	6 (1)	4 (1)	4 (1)	4 (1)	3 (1)	2 (1)	2 (1)	2 (1)	2 (1)	2 (1)	1 (62)
Coaches	9	9	8	9	8	9	7	5	4	4	3	2 (1)	2 (1)	2	2	2	1 (60)

Awards and honors

Coaches

Gene Stallings

• AFCA Coach of the Year
• Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
• Paul “Bear” Bryant Award
• Walter Camp Coach of the Year

All-Americans

Consensus Selection

• Eric Curry (AFCA, AP, UPI, WCFF, GNS, SH, TSN, WA)
• John Copeland (AFCA, AP, FWAA, WCFF, FN, GNS, SH, TSN)

All-SEC

First Team

• Eric Curry, Defensive End (AP-1, Coaches-1)
• John Copeland, Defensive End (AP-1, Coaches-1)
• Antonio Langham, Cornerback (AP-1, Coaches-1)
• George Teague, Safety (AP-1, Coaches-1)

Players drafted into the NFL

See also: 1993 NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Team
1	5	John Copeland	DE	Cincinnati Bengals
1	6	Eric Curry	DE	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1	29	George Teague	DB	Green Bay Packers
3	62	Antonio London	LB	Detroit Lions
4	94	Derrick Lassic	RB	Dallas Cowboys
6	163	Derrick Oden	LB	Philadelphia Eagles