BAMATIME’s Halftime Tidbits (vs. Washington)
ALABAMA 17, Washington 7
PREGAME
- The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl’s line closed with Alabama as a 13-point favorite, marking the 11th consecutive postseason appearance the Crimson Tide has been considered the favorite. During this 11-game stretch, Alabama has been favored by an average of approximately 8½ points. The last time the Tide was an underdog for a bowl was the 2006 Independence Bowl versus Oklahoma State when the Cowboys were 2-point favorites.
- Alabama entered the game having scored in 51 consecutive bowl appearances, which ranked as the second-most in NCAA history. Currently, Georgia is the all-time leader, having extended its scoring streak in bowl games to 52 games yesterday. The last time the Tide was held scoreless in a bowl game was the 1959 Liberty Bowl versus Penn State.
OFFENSE
- The first-quarter touchdown scored by Bo Scarbrough was his eighth rushing touchdown of the season, which is twice as many as the Alabama running back with the second-most rushing touchdowns in 2016.
- In the first half, the Tide averaged just 4.1 yards per offensive play. The only opponent this season to hold Alabama to less than five yards per play is LSU (4.6).
DEFENSE /SPECIAL TEAMS
- When Washington scored to go up 7-0 in the first quarter, it marked the seventh time this season of 14 games, including four in a row, whereby Alabama’s opponent scored first.
- Ryan Anderson’s 26-yard interception for a score right before halftime was the senior linebacker’s first touchdown in four seasons at Alabama.
- In the first half, the teams’ punters—Alabama’s JK Scott and Washington’s Tristan Vizcaino—combined to average 46.8 yards per punt on 8 attempts.