(5) Alabama 34, (7) Virginia Tech 24

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#5ALA (1-0)9701834
#7VT (0-1)7100724

Final

8:00 PM ET, September 5, 2009
Georgia Dome
ATLANTA, GA

Alabama shakes off kick return, turnovers to overcome Virginia Tech

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Top 25 Overview
It was over when... Greg McElroy connected with Mark Ingram for an 18-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter to put Alabama up 10.
Gameball goes to... Mark Ingram, who rushed for 150 yards and scored twice in the final quarter to give Alabama a two-possession lead and the win.
Stat of the game... 498-155. The Crimson Tide ended the night with 498 total yards compared to the Hokies' 155.
Team Stat Comparison
 
1st Downs2211
Total Yards498155
Passing23091
Rushing26864
Penalties10-836-45
3rd Down Conversions6-172-12
4th Down Conversions0-00-1
Turnovers22
Possession37:0222:58
Air/Ground Leaders
Alabama Passing
 C/ATTYDSTDINT
McElroy15/3023011
Virginia Tech Passing
 C/ATTYDSTDINT
Taylor9/209100
Alabama Rushing
 CARYDSTDLG
Ingram26150139
Upchurch790134
Virginia Tech Rushing
 CARYDSTDLG
Williams1371232
Oglesby61607
Alabama Receiving
 RECYDSTDLG
Maze257048
Hanks355035
Virginia Tech Receiving
 RECYDSTDLG
Williams242043
Boykin319010
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTERALAVT
FG09:56Leigh Tiffin 49 Yd 30
FG06:47Leigh Tiffin 34 Yd 60
TD06:35Dyrell Roberts 98 Yd Kickoff Return (Matt Waldron Kick) 67
FG03:05Leigh Tiffin 32 Yd 97
SECOND QUARTERALAVT
FG08:39Matt Waldron 28 Yd 910
TD03:09Roy Upchurch 19 Yd Run (Leigh Tiffin Kick) 1610
TD01:02Ryan Williams 1 Yd Run (Matt Waldron Kick) 1617
FOURTH QUARTERALAVT
TD12:23Mark Ingram 6 Yd Run (Greg Mcelroy Pass To Colin Peek For Two-Point Conversion) 2417
FG10:29Leigh Tiffin 20 Yd 2717
TD09:22Ryan Williams 32 Yd Run (Matt Waldron Kick) 2724
TD06:35Mark Ingram 18 Yd Pass From Greg McElroy (Leigh Tiffin Kick) 3424
Associated Press

ATLANTA -- "Sweet Home Alabama" blared from the speakers at the Georgia Dome.

The Crimson Tide felt right at home.

Getting off to another rousing start in Atlanta, No. 5 Alabama overcame a 98-yard kickoff return, costly turnovers and silly penalties to wear down No. 7 Virginia Tech for a 34-24 victory Saturday night.

Fast Facts

• Mark Ingram ran for a career-high 150 yards and a touchdown and also had a receiving score to lead the Crimson Tide.

• Alabama improved to 11-1 all-time against Virginia Tech.

• Despite giving up 24 points, Alabama outgained Virginia Tech 498-155 in total yards.

• Alabama ran its record to 3-0 in season-opening top-10 matchups.

• The win was Alabama's 800th, making it the seventh school in history to achieve the feat.

-- ESPN Stats & Information

Mark Ingram rushed for a career-high 150 yards and finished off Virginia Tech with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Greg McElroy threw for 230 yards in his debut as Alabama's starting quarterback, taking quite a beating but standing tall at the end.

The Crimson Tide began a national title run in Atlanta last season by thumping Clemson, and this sure looks like a team that will be in the thick of things again this year. Alabama held a 498-155 edge in total yards, even though it had to rally in the final quarter.

"We actually played better than the score is. We made a lot of mistakes," said Nick Saban, beginning his third year as coach. "But we responded better to adversity than maybe we ever have."

Saban wouldn't mind starting off every year at the Georgia Dome, playing on a neutral field in a bowl-like atmosphere. The Tide opened last season with a 34-10 rout of favored Clemson, sparking a 12-0 start that took Alabama to No. 1 in the rankings before a loss to Florida in the Southeastern Conference championship game ended any national title hopes.

Schlabach: Slow Starters

For three quarters, Alabama looked like a distracted team. In the fourth quarter, however, the Tide played like one of the best teams in the country, writes Mark Schlabach. Story

Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer saw nothing to indicate the Tide will slip back in the pack this year.

"They've got the defense. They've got veteran kickers. Their quarterback played well for them tonight. Their running back played well. They got some great receivers," Beamer said. "They've got it. We played one of the great teams in the country and just didn't play well enough to match 'em."

Ingram put Alabama ahead to stay with a 6-yard touchdown run, set up by McElroy's 48-yard pass to Marquis Maze. McElroy was 15-of-30, a perfect complement to Saban's always-punishing ground game. Roy Upchurch rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown as the Tide finished with 268 yards on the ground.

Virginia Tech hung around following the mantra of Beamer Ball, which calls for all three phases of the game to contribute to the scoring. Dyrell Roberts had the special teams touchdown. An interception led to a field goal. Three costly Alabama penalties handed the Hokies another TD, and a long kickoff return and personal foul set up a late TD that gave the Hokies a chance. The Tide squandered another scoring chance when Upchurch was stripped of the ball after a run deep into Virginia Tech territory.

"We kept punching them," Saban moaned. "But we were also punching ourselves."

Even so, Alabama would not be denied. After Ryan Williams' spectacular 32-yard touchdown run made it 27-24 -- he was given the score after a replay showed he stayed inbounds long enough to stick the ball inside the pylon while flying through the air face up -- the Tide calmly responded with a lightning-quick 74-yard drive to clinch it with a McElroy-to-Ingram 18-yard touchdown.

"Everyone talks about our defense, but our offense can do it too," Ingram said. "We just want to prove that to people."

McElroy got off to a shaky start. Alabama took some of the pressure off its new starter by going frequently to the Wildcat formation, with Ingram taking the direct snaps. As the game went on, McElroy looked more and more like a worthy successor to three-year starter John Parker Wilson.

"At halftime, Shaun Alexander pulled me aside and told me to take it easy, that it will come to me," McElroy said, referring to the former Alabama star who was on hand to deliver a ceremonial game ball during the pregame festivities. "He knows about as much about it as anybody."

Virginia Tech came into this season hoping to do more than just repeat as Atlantic Coast Conference champions -- the Hokies think this might be the group that can contend for its first national title.

One loss doesn't doom those chances, especially this early in the season. But Virginia Tech clearly has some work to do on offense. And its defense took an uncharacteristic beating, too.

Taylor, who shared playing time with Sean Glennon the last two years, was only 9 of 20 for 91 yards passing and didn't show much of the running ability that had been his hallmark. Williams, taking over after star running back Darren Evans went down with a season-ending knee injury during the preseason, rushed for 71 yards.

"We can get there," Beamer said. "We're just a little bit too young right now, but we're going to be a little bit older next week."

Leigh Tiffin kicked four field goals for the Tide. After the second one, Roberts took the ensuing kickoff at the 2, burst through a seem, exploded down the left sideline and shook off Marquis Johnson's futile attempt to force him out off bounds with a stiff arm at the 10. It was the 121st touchdown scored by the defense or special teams in Beamer's 23 years as head coach.

Alabama regained the lead in first half but gave it right back with a series of sloppy plays that are most unlike a Saban-coached team. On the kickoff return, Tyrone King was penalized 15 yards for dragging down Roberts by the facemask. Taylor threw three straight incompletions, but Johnson was called for pass interference of the last of those throws to keep the drive going.

On the next play, Williams slipped past a blown coverage and was all alone when Taylor hit him with a 43-yard pass. Taylor's errant pitch resulted in a 14-yard loss, but it didn't matter when Alabama star Rolando McClain doled out an unnecessary shot on a Virginia Tech player at the goal line.

McClain drew a personal foul, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was tacked on when he bumped one of the officials stepping in. Williams scored on a 1-yard run to make it 17-16.

College Football Scores

Other Scores:

Thursday, September 3rd
16 Oregon 8 Final
14 Boise State 19
Utah State 17 Final
19 Utah 35
Saturday, September 5th
Charleston Southern 3 Final
1 Florida 62
Louisiana-Monroe 20 Final
2 Texas 59
20 Brigham Young 14 Final
3 Oklahoma 13
San Jose State 3 Final
4 USC 56
5 Alabama 34 Final
7 Virginia Tech 24
Navy 27 Final
6 Ohio State 31
Akron 7 Final
9 Penn State 31
13 Georgia 10 Final
9 Oklahoma State 24
11 LSU 31 Final
Washington 23
Maryland 13 Final
12 California 52
Jacksonville State 17 Final
15 Georgia Tech 37
Citadel 6 Final
21 North Carolina 40
Northern Iowa 16 Final
22 Iowa 17
Nevada 0 Final
23 Notre Dame 35
Florida Atlantic 3 Final
24 Nebraska 49
Northern Colorado 3 Final
25 Kansas 49
Sunday, September 6th
8 Mississippi 45 Final
Memphis 14
Monday, September 7th
Miami (FL) 38 Final
18 Florida State 34