Texas and Alabama played a teeth-gnashing, bloody-knuckles game that fit the style of their forefathers, Alabama's Bear Bryant and Texas' Darrell Royal. On Texas' fifth snap of the Bowl Championship Series title game Thursday night, the Alabama defensive lineman Marcell Dareus leveled Texas quarterback Colt McCoy with a punishing hit on an option play. Out trotted the freshman Garrett Gilbert and the Texas offense became helpless against a vicious Alabama defense. Alabama's dynamic tandem of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson ran between the tackles and outside the edges and rolled to a 24-6 halftime lead. All seemed lost for Texas. McCoy never returned to the game from a shoulder injury and it was up to the Longhorns' defense to somehow hold the Crimson Tide at bay, hoping Gilbert could find some rhythm. Indeed, Texas stormed back as Gilbert found wide receiver Jordan Shipley for two touchdowns to cut the deficit to 24-21 with 6 minutes 15 seconds remaining. The Longhorns forced Alabama to punt but on the ensuing possession, Gilbert was blasted by linebacker Eryk Anders and fumbled at his own three-yard line with 3:02 left. Ingram scored on a one-yard run and Richardson trotted in from the two-yard line after Gilbert was intercepted by Javier Arenas and the Tide sealed a 37-21 victory before 94,906 at the Rose Bowl. The difference in the game ended up being a questionable play call and bobbled shovel pass that Dareus returned for a touchdown with three seconds left in the first half. Alabama claimed its 13th national championship and first since 1992, putting behind its years of NCAA problems, disastrous coaching hires and beatings from arch-rival Auburn. Coach Nick Saban further solidified himself as one of the elite coaches in football became the first coach since 1936 to lead two different teams to a national title. He also joined Florida's Urban Meyer as the second coach in the BCS era to win a pair of BCS titles. The difference in the game ended up being a questionable play call and bobbled a shovel pass that Dareus returned for a touchdown with three seconds left in the first half. For a coach with a perpetual grimace, an obsession with fundamentals and an affinity for toughness, the style of this Tide victory came straight from Saban's script. It also marks the fourth consecutive national title for the Southeastern Conference. The last team outside the SEC to win a national title was Texas here at the conclusion of the 2005 season. Plenty of stars from that Texas team traveled here to watch from the sideline, including that night's transcendent star, Vince Young. No one would have blamed the Texas coach Mack Brown for trying to lobby for Young to get another year of eligibility. McCoy went out on the first series of the game, was in obvious pain and soon after was rushed to the locker room with a right shoulder injury. His career as the all-time leader for victories as a starting quarterback in college football history ended in the cruelest way possible, watching on the sideline as his true freshman understudy struggled with Alabama's prolific defense. Thanks to Dareus' crushing hit, Alabama locked in and teed off on Texas's offense. The Longhorns gained just 276 yards, including 186 passing by Gilbert. Alabama could also play conservative, as they needed just 263 total yards and a 58-yard performance by quarterback Greg McElroy. The football-obsessed fans in Texas will have plenty to second-guess coach Mack Brown about this winter. At the site of Brown's greatest achievement as coach, his title game victory that ended the Southern California dynasty here, Brown's team suffered perhaps the biggest loss of his tenure. After McCoy went down, the Texas offense retreated into the fetal position with Gilbert under center. 'It sort of made them change their offense,' Saban said in his halftime interview of the loss of McCoy. Texas entered the game with the No. 55 rush offense in the country and was thought to be one-dimensional because of its inability to rush the ball. Once McCoy left the game, the Longhorns transformed into a one-dimension team that would only run the ball. The results weren't good, as Texas managed just four first downs the entire first half. While Alabama appeared to be imploding at the start of the game, Brown went conservative and it backfired. Alabama opened the game with a baffling decision to fake a punt on fourth-and-23 looking atrocious on its opening possession. Texas took over at the Alabama 37, McCoy got hurt five snaps later and Texas never truly exploited the gaffe. 