INDEPENDENCE BOWL NOTEBOOK: Hall re-writes record book

SHREVEPORT, La. | University of Alabama wide receiver DJ Hall’s impressive assault on the school’s record book came to a conclusion Sunday night, and included a few final additions.

Hall finished the game with four catches for 58 yards.

For the season, he had 67 catches for 1,005 yards and six touchdowns, and became the first player in Crimson Tide history to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.

Coming into the game he needed two receptions to tie, and three to break, Freddie Milons’ single-season record of 65 set it 1999. He also needed 110 yards to break his own single-season mark of 1,056 set last year, and one touchdown to tie Dennis Homan’s career mark of 18 (1965-67).

Hall finished his career with 194 receptions for 2,923 yards, both school records. He also had at least one reception in 32 consecutive games, which dated back to the Ole Miss game on October 15, 2005.

In terms of the SEC, he finished fourth in all-time in receiving yards, and tied for seventh with Kentucky’s Anthony White in receptions. Coming in, he needed 228 yards to catch Georgia’s Terrence Edwards (3,093, 1999-2002), and was 46 receptions short of current Vanderbilt player Earl Bennett (2,692, 2005-present).

Wilson’s record night

Junior quarterback John Parker Wilson set two Alabama records in the first half.

His three touchdown passes gave him 18 for the season, and snapped his own mark of 17, set last year.

Wilson also surpassed his single-season record of 2,707 yards (2006), and finished with 2,846 yards, after passing for 2,707 yards last year. His 280 yards of total offense gave him a total of 2,870 to set a new UA single-season record. Wilson set the previous mark of 2,790 yards in 2006.

Wilson and Brodie Croyle are the quarterbacks in Alabama history to have two 2,000-yard passing seasons.

Incidentally, Wilson’s record as a starter is 13-13.

Injuries and starters

With redshirt freshman running back Terry Grant still experiencing some trouble with his hip, sophomore Glen Coffee started at tailback. He sustained a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter.

Alabama came out in a three-receiver set, so Hall, senior Matt Caddell and junior Nikita Stover all started. Hall was deep on kickoffs with sophomore Javier Arenas (ankle).

Defensively, sophomore Brandon Deaderick remained the starter at defensive tackle. True freshman Rolando McClain started at linebacker and intercepted Colorado’s first pass attempt. He sustained a broken left thumb early in the game, but missed only a couple of plays and sported a cast in the second half, only to dislocate his right shoulder in the third quarter.

Again, McClain returned.

Senior guard Justin Britt (right ankle) limped off the field late in the first quarter and did not return. Sophomore Even Cardwell entered the game at center, and junior Antoine Caldwell slid over to left guard.

Justin Woodall (shoulder)

Umpire Mike Rose of the Western Athletic Conference, who was officiating his last game, injured his left rotator cuff in the second quarter and was taken to a local hospital.

Tide-bits

Sophomore Leigh Tiffin’s first field goal, 41 yards, set an Alabama single-season record for most points by an Alabama kicker, 102, breaking Phillip Doyle’s mark of 100 in 1989. With his second field goal he tied Doyle’s single-season record for most field goals, 24 (1990). … Arenas returned the opening kickoff 22 yards to set an Alabama single-season record for kickoff return yards. For the game, Arenas totaled 76 yards on three kickoff returns to end the season with 657 yards, eclipsing the previous Alabama record of 595 kickoff return yards set by Arvin Richard in

1998. … Attendance was announced at 47,043 as the game wasn’t close to being a sellout. Colorado used only 8,000 of its 12,000 ticket allotment, which included 5,000 donated to area organizations and charities. … The temperature at kickoff was 47 degrees. Alabama coaches had told players that anyone who was a ball carrier could not wear sleeves because it would be easier to knock the ball out. They also half-jokingly told the defensive backs that those who had make a lot of interceptions, like junior safety Rashad Johnson, couldn’t wear sleeves, but the others could. … Alabama’s game captains were the team’s permanent team captains, selected last month, junior center Antoine Caldwell, Johnson, and senior linebacker Darren

Mustin.

Reach Christopher Walsh at christopher.walsh@tuscaloosanews.com or at

205-722-0196.