| Year Game Played: | 2006 |
| Title Sponsor: | AT&T |
| Game Name: | Cotton Bowl Classic |
| Subheader: | 70th Cotton Bowl Classic |
| Football Season: | 2005 |
| Visitor Name Short: | Texas Tech |
| Visitor Nickname: | Red Raiders |
| Visitor School: | Texas Tech University |
| Home Name Short: | Alabama |
| Home Nickname: | Crimson Tide |
| Home School: | University of Alabama |
| Visitor Record: | 9–2 |
| Visitor Conference: | Big 12 |
| Home Record: | 9–2 |
| Home Conference: | SEC |
| Visitor Coach: | Mike Leach |
| Home Coach: | Mike Shula |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | 18 |
| Visitor Rank Coaches: | 15 |
| Visitor Rank Bcs: | 15 |
| Home Rank Ap: | 13 |
| Home Rank Coaches: | 13 |
| Home Rank Bcs: | 13 |
| Visitor 1Q: | 3 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 7 |
| Home 1Q: | 7 |
| Home 2Q: | 0 |
| Home 3Q: | 3 |
| Home 4Q: | 3 |
| Date Game Played: | January 2 |
| Stadium: | Cotton Bowl |
| City: | Dallas, Texas |
| Mvp: | QB Brodie Croyle (Alabama) LB DeMeco Ryans (Alabama) |
| Referee: | Terry Leyden (Mtn. West) |
| Payout: | 2,850,000 per team[1] |
| Us Network: | FOX |
The 2006 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic was held on January 2, 2006, in Dallas, Texas at the Cotton Bowl. The game featured the Alabama Crimson Tide of the SEC, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders of the Big 12 Conference.
During the 2005 season, Alabama — led by quarterback Brodie Croyle — earned a 9–2 regular season record (all nine wins were later vacated by the NCAA due to violations).[2] Following a 9–0 start, the Crimson Tide's two losses came to SEC West rivals LSU and Auburn.
Texas Tech — led by quarterback Cody Hodges — also suffered two defeats during their season, including a 52–17 defeat to eventual national champion Texas and a 24–17 loss at Oklahoma State.
In 2009, the NCAA vacated Alabama's Cotton Bowl win due to infractions committed during the season.[2]
In a matchup of Alabama's first-ranked scoring defense and Texas Tech's second-ranked scoring offense, the Crimson Tide held the Red Raiders to ten points — thanks to numerous pressures and four sacks of Texas Tech senior quarterback Cody Hodges — who completed only 15 of 32 passes for 191 yards and was knocked out of the game for a period in the second half.
The Alabama defense was assisted by an efficient offense that controlled the ball much of the game and kept the defense off the field; Alabama ultimately possessed the ball for 38:56, largely thanks to Kenneth Darby, who rushed for 83 yards on 29 carries.
Alabama scored first — less than four minutes into the game — as Croyle hit sophomore wide receiver Keith Brown for a 76–yard touchdown. Replay showed Brown's knee was down when he caught the ball, but referees refused to review the only touchdown Alabama scored.[3] Brown finished as Croyle's top target, gaining 142 yards on five catches. An Alex Trlica 34-yard field goal brought Texas Tech to within four. Alabama kicker Jamie Christensen missed a field goal from 38 yards early in the second quarter and the teams traded blocked field goals to end the first half.
Though the Crimson Tide defense kept the Red Raiders in check most of the second half, Hodges engineered late drives for Texas Tech, using both his legs (he finished as his team's top rusher, gaining 93 yards on 13 carries) and arm. He eventually hit Jarrett Hicks for a game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter. It was the Alabama offense that finally secured the win for the Crimson Tide, as quarterback Brodie Croyle, who completed 19 of 31 passes for 275 yards, drove his team 55 yards late in the fourth quarter to set up kicker Jamie Christensen's 45–yard game-winning field goal attempt on the final play. The kick was low, wobbly, and spinning sideways yet somehow managed to find its way through the uprights, giving Alabama the 13–10 victory.[4]
The game-winning field goal by Christensen was the first game-ending score in a Cotton Bowl Classic since 1979, when Joe Montana brought Notre Dame from behind to defeat the University of Houston.[5]
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Tech | Alabama | ||||||
| 1 | 11:37 | 2 plays, 84 yards | Alabama | Keith Brown 76-yard touchdown reception from Brodie Croyle, Jamie Christensen kick good | 0 | 7 | |
| 3:00 | 10 plays, 69 yards | Texas Tech | 34-yard field goal by Alex Trlica | 3 | 7 | ||
| 3 | 6:53 | 17 plays, 67 yards | Alabama | 31-yard field goal by Jamie Christensen | 3 | 10 | |
| 4 | 2:56 | 2 plays, 38 yards | Texas Tech | Jarrett Hicks 12-yard touchdown reception from Cody Hodges, Alex Trlica kick good | 10 | 10 | |
| 0:00 | 10 plays, 58 yards | Alabama | 45-yard field goal by Jamie Christensen | 10 | 13 | ||
| 10 | 13* Win Vacated | ||||||