Against the leading rush defense in the country, which had allowed barely 62 yards per game, Alabama piled up 205 yards and four touchdowns rushing.

Mark Ingram, the Heisman Trophy winner, rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns and freshman Trent Richardson rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns.

"It's an advantage for our team to have two running backs, three, four running backs," said Ingram. "We said we'd both go for 100 yards. We said we'd have our team on our back tonight.

"It's going to be nothing but a headache for other teams for the next year or two."

Running back Mark Ingram was asked if Alabama has "surpassed" SEC rival Florida, which won two of the previous three BCS title games:

"I don't know if we surpassed them, but we beat them. We won the national championship and right now we're on top."

As a freshman, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy watched from the Rose Bowl sidelines as his predecessor, Vince Young, guided Texas to a legendary comeback over USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl.

Four years later, in his final collegiate game, McCoy suffered a pinched nerve in his shoulder that put his arm to sleep and changed the complexion of a matchup of unbeatens with No. 1 Alabama.

"That's a hit I've taken over and over in my life," said McCoy. "Feels like I slept on my arm, woke up and it's just dead."

After completing his first two passes, McCoy was hit on his fifth offensive snap, a short keeper to the left, by Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus. He went down on one knee on the Texas sideline and didn't return.

"I didn't really want to hurt him," said Dareus. "It's just a part of the game."

Mark Ingram, the Alabama running back who edged McCoy for the Heisman trophy, was watching from across the field.

"I saw the hit," said Ingram. "I said, 'Ooh that kind of hurt.'

"It's really unfortunate that he didn't get to play."

In McCoy's place, Texas thrust Gilbert, the son of former NFL quarterback Gale Gilbert, who holds the distinction of playing for teams that lost five straight Super Bowls from 1991 to 1995.

"I can't imagine what it was like for him," said Texas receiver Jordan Shipley.

In his final news conference before playing No. 1 Alabama for the Bowl Championship Series title game Thursday night, Texas coach Mack Brown said Wednesday morning that Jan. 7 is too late to play a game:

"For the coaches it's probably not. We can use it all. For the players, they lose part of their Christmas, they lose part of their new year, and as we all talk about trying to take care of the players, our guys go back to school here in about a week, and then we have spring practice at the end of February.

"I wish there was a way that we could move this game at least back maybe a week. And I think that when you see for the kids, because of what's at stake, they're excited to be here, so I don't want to insinuate in any way our guys are griping about how much time they've spent. But it's a lifetime experience for them, but I do think that if it could be
cut down, it would be better.

"Our game in the Fiesta Bowl last year was the 4th, and we thought that was even manageable. But when you get to the 7th, it starts getting into the semester. I think Alabama had to call school off for two or three days because they were getting ready to start school before the game. And then a lot of our friends that are teachers and coaches had to start school again and couldn't come out to the game."

In his final news conference before Thursday's Bowl Championship Series title game with Texas, Alabama coach Nick Saban turned the tables on the assembled media during his opening remarks:

"I know somebody is going to ask me what do you do different to get ready for this game. So before you ask me, I'm going to ask you, what do you do different to cover the game?"

One particularly clever member of the media answered Saban's question in coachspeak:

"I just take them one day at a time."

Which might have been the one big-game cliche the Alabama left out of his opening statement:

"Before I finish, I just wanted to put it in perspective for you so you could kind of understand that at this point you want to focus on execution. You want to make things simple for the players.

"It's a little bit like being in the batter's box before you've got to go up to the plate; two out in the bottom of the ninth and you've got to get a hit to win the game. What do you do? You go through the routine you always go through, which is what we're trying to accomplish with our players in terms of how we practiced yesterday, how we'll walk through today, the things that we'll do leading up to the game, make them as same and simple as we can, because the focus right now is on getting the best execution in the game.

"And I think those are the things that the players need to be able to focus on."

Looking for the turnover battle to make a difference Thursday? Both teams are in the Top 8 in the country in turnover margin.

Alabama (No. 5, plus 16) has turned the ball over a national-low 10 times. McElroy has thrown only four interceptions in 314 attempts.

"One of the things we preach is taking care of the football," said Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain.

Behind Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, Texas (No. 8, plus 13) has forced 35 turnovers, the best figure among teams from BCS conferences.

"Coach Muschamp has really emphasized... forcing turnovers and how those change games," said Texas defensive end Sam Acho, "so we focus in practice and in games on trying to get at least three turnovers every single practice, every single game."

NEWPORT BEACH -- First he left the state, now Southlake, Texas product Greg McElroy will attempt to foil Texas in the BCS title game Thursday, as Alabama quarterback.

"It sometimes feels like you're breaking the law by looking out of state, but eventually you have to do what's best for you," said McElroy, who originally committed to Texas Tech before signing with Alabama.

McElroy was actually born in Los Angeles where his father, Greg Sr., worked in marketing with the Kings and Dodgers.

"I grew up in the locker room," said McElroy, "so that always helped me."

But he moved to the Dallas area when he was 10 and, like most Texas fans, is hopeful of the first Dallas Cowboys postseason victory in more than a decade this week.

"Hopefully, I'll have my favorite memory (as a Cowboys' fan) this upcoming week," said McElroy.

From Star colleague David Lassen at the first day of media days for the Bowl Championship Series title game Thursday in Pasadena:

NEWPORT BEACH -- There's a school of thought -- particularly, it seems, among those from the Southeastern Conference, which relentlessly promotes itself as the best conference in college football -- that Alabama might somehow have a hard time getting up for the BCS championship game after beating Florida for the SEC title.

To that end, Alabama coach Nick Saban -- apparently big on sporting analogies --has invoked the 1980 U.S. hockey "Miracle on Ice." After that team beat the Soviet Union in its historic upset, it still had to play another game, against Finland, and if it lost, it could have finished without a medal.

This might not be the ideal reference for a bunch of young men in the South, as was pointed out when defensive back Javier Arenas was asked about it.

"I don't watch hockey," he said.

After drawing a big laugh, he added, "but of course you hear what he's saying. ... I don't watch hockey, so I don't know exactly what he's talking about, but I get the concept of the story. And it's effective."

Before the SEC title game, Saban's analogy of choice was the Sugar Ray Leonard-Roberto Duran boxing match.

"That was something I could relate to," Arenas said, approvingly.

"Each and every player on this team understands what he's saying, no matter sport it is, who he compares, who he throws in there. We get it. We understand it. We take it in. And we're going to use it."

Other quotes of note from Sunday's BCS media session:

Learning French: Arenas, on the complexity of the Crimson Tide defensive scheme: "When you first come in, you think it's like trying to learn French. ...

"For a lot of guys, it won't take that long, but for me, I've never been part of a defensive scheme such as this one. So it took me just a tad longer. But once you get it and understand it, it's very fun to be in."

Big problems: Crimson Tide defensive lineman Terrence Cody, on the challenges of life when you're 6-foot-5, 354 pounds: "You go to theme parks, you can't get on rides, because of how tall you are and how big you are. Some of those straps and pull-downs don't come down the way. ...

"I had to use the restroom on the airplane, and it was terrible. It took a while to get in there because it's not that big of a door to get in, and then once I got in, it was like, 'This is it?' "

Socked away: Texas receiver Jordan Shipley has a championship ring from the 2005 BCS title game at the Rose Bowl -- the sixth-year senior was a medical redshirt that year, sidelined by a knee injury -- but hasn't really worn it.

"Part of the reason is I'm just not real good with keeping up with my stuff," he said, "so my mom keeps it locked away."