page_title: 2012 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
section_title: Florida Atlantic
hierarchical_section_title: 2012 Alabama Crimson Tide football team / Game summaries / Florida Atlantic
caption_attribution_description: English: The Alabama Crimson Tide line up on offense against the defense of the Florida Atlantic Owls at Bryant–Denny Stadium.
context_page_description: The 2012 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2012 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football season. It marked the Crimson Tide's 118th overall season of playing college football, 79th as a member of the Southeastern Conference and 21st within the SEC Western Division. The team was led by head coach Nick Saban, in his sixth year, and played its home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It finished the season with a record of 13 wins and 1 loss, as SEC champion and as consensus national champion after it defeated Notre Dame in the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game.
  After they captured the 2011 national championship, the Crimson Tide signed a highly rated recruiting class in February 2012 and completed spring practice the following April. With twelve returning starters from the previous season, Alabama entered the 2012 season as the defending national champions, ranked as the number two team in the nation and as a favorite to win the Western Division and compete for both the SEC and national championships.
context_section_description: In their fourth game of the 2012 season, Alabama defeated the Florida Atlantic Owls in their first all-time meeting by a final score of 40–7. The Crimson Tide scored on the third play of their first offensive possession when AJ McCarron connected with Kenny Bell for an 85-yard touchdown pass and an early 7–0 lead. After the Alabama defense held the Owls to a three-and-out on their first possession, the Crimson Tide took a 14–0 lead on their drive that ensued when McCarron threw a four-yard touchdown pass to DeAndrew White. After the defense again held FAU to a three-and-out, Christion Jones fumbled the punt that was recovered by the Owls' Tim Raber at the Alabama 25-yard line. After another defensive hold, Jesse Williams blocked the Vinny Zaccario field goal attempt to keep the score 14–0.
  In the second quarter, the Crimson Tide scored on a 52-yard Cade Foster field goal and on field goals of 26 and 30 yards by Jeremy Shelley before McCarron threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Christion Jones to make the halftime score 30–0. The defense also dominated the quarter and did not allow FAU a single third down conversion during the period. In the third, Foster connected on a 46-yard field goal and early in the fourth quarter Kenyan Drake scored on an eight-yard touchdown run for a 40–0 lead. With the game in hand, Alabama played many of their backups in the second half. As such, late in the fourth quarter the Crimson Tide shutout streak that stretched back to the third quarter of their week one victory over Michigan ended when the Owls' Graham Wilbert threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Alex Deleon that made the final score 40–7.
  In the game, Eddie Lacy rushed for 106 yards on 15 carries for his first 100-yard rushing game of the season. The late FAU touchdown ended the Alabama shutout streak at 192:25 minutes that stretched back to the 0:14 mark of the third quarter in their game against Michigan.
caption: The Alabama offense set for a play in the first quarter
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