2008 Chick-fil-A College Kickoff

NCAAFootballSingleGameHeader
Name = 2008 Chick-fil-A College Kickoff
Date = August 30, 2008
Year = 2008
Visitor School = University of Alabama
Visitor Name Short = Alabama
Visitor Nickname = Crimson Tide
Visitor Record = 1–0
Visitor

Visitor Coaches = NR
Visitor Coach = Nick Saban
Visitor1 = 13
Visitor2 = 10
Visitor3 = 8
Visitor4 = 3
Home School = Clemson University
Home Name Short = Clemson
Home Nickname = Tigers
Home Record = 0–1
Home

Home Coaches = 9
Home Coach = Tommy Bowden
Home1 = 0
Home2 = 3
Home3 = 7
Home4 = 0
Type = Regular Season Game
Stadium = Georgia Dome
City = Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance = 70,097
Halftime = Million Dollar Band, Tigers Band
Odds = Clemson favored by 4.5 points
MVP = Offensive:
Defensive: Terrence Cody (Alabama)
US Network = ESPN on ABC (HD)
US Announcers = Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit
Ratings =The 2008 Chick-fil-A College Kickoff took place on August 30, 2008, in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. This was the first game of the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff series. The game featured the #9-rankedref label|Rank|A| Clemson Tigers and the #24-rankedref label|Rank|A| Alabama Crimson Tide.

The Crimson Tide quickly took control of the game, scoring on their first three possessions en route to a 34–10 rout of the Tigers. [cite web| url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282430228| title=No. 24 Alabama limits No. 9 Clemson's ground game in upset victory| publisher=ESPN| date=2008-08-30| accessdate=2008-09-07] Led by defensive MVP Terrence Cody, the Crimson Tide defense shut down the Tigers's running game to 0 yards.

Background

Alabama

The Alabama Crimson Tide football team was led by second-year head coach Nick Saban. In his first season, the Crimson Tide went 7–6, losing their final four regular season games, as the team won the 2007 Independence Bowl over Colorado. During the offseason, rivals.com gave the Crimson Tide the #1 recruiting class, headlined by wide receiver Julio Jones. [cite web| url=http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=771326| title=Alabama wins recruiting national title| publisher=Rivals| date=2008-02-06| accessdate=2008-09-07]

Clemson

The Clemson Tigers football team entered at 4.5 point favorites over the Crimson Tide. Clemson was led by head coach Tommy Bowden who was in eighth season as head coach of the team. In their 2007 season, the Tigers finished with a 9–4 record, after starting the season 8–0, which ended with a 23–20 overtime loss in the 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl to, Alabama's rivals, Auburn. Clemson entered the game with running backs James Davis and C. J. Spiller, who were referred to as "Thunder" and "Lightning" respectively. [cite web| url=http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=662045| title=Clemson's Thunder and Lightning set to strike| publisher=Rivals| date=2007-04-10| accessdate=2008-09-07]

Game

The Clemson Tigers, the preseason favorite to win the ACC, were favored going into the season opener at the Georgia Dome. Some believed that the Crimson Tide's youth and inexperience would prove a serious disadvantage against an experienced team like Clemson. However, Alabama quickly took control in what would eventually be a lopsided victory. By the end of the first quarter, Bama led 13–0, and they extended their lead to 23–3 by halftime. The only scare came when C.J. Spiller returned the second half kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. However, the Tigers failed to score again. James Davis and C.J. Spiller combined for only 20 yards on the ground, while the team's rushing total was 0. Clemson's redshirt senior quarterback, Cullen Harper, completed 20 of 34 passes but had no touchdowns and one interception. Alabama's John Parker Wilson completed 22 of 30 passes with no interceptions. He threw two touchdowns to Nick Walker and Julio Jones, and rushed for one himself. The Crimson Tide Tide went on to win by a score of 34–10.

Scoring summary

Panorama

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fullwidth = 1250
fullheight = 472
caption = The interior of the Georgia Dome prior to kickoff.
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Notes

A. : Rankings reflect those of the AP Poll at the time of the game.

References

External links

* [http://www.cfack.com/HOME/tabid/36/Default.aspx Official website]