*Alabama is 41-2-1 in Tuscaloosa season openers. The 20-17 loss to UCLA marks the first loss by Alabama in a Tuscaloosa season opener since a 4-0 setback to Birmingham Athletic Club in 1893. Alabama and Howard also played to a 7-7 tie in 1935. The 2001 season opener marked only the sixth time since 1941 that Alabama has opened the season in Tuscaloosa, with the last coming in 1998.

*In all-time season openers, Alabama is now 83-21-3.

*Alabama has lost back-to-back season openers to UCLA. The Bruins claimed a 20-17 win here tonight and posted a 35-24 win in Pasadena last year. The last time Alabama lost back-to-back season openers was 1975-76. In 1975, Missouri handed Alabama a 20-7 loss on Labor Day night. In 1976, Ole Miss handed Alabama a 10-7 loss in Jackson.

*Coach Dennis Franchione suffers a loss in his Alabama head-coaching debut. The UCLA Bruins handed Alabama to spoil Franchione’s debut. Alabama head coaches are now 19-5 in their UA coaching debuts. The last Alabama coach to lose his debut was Gene Stallings in 1990 (Southern Miss 27, Alabama 24) at Birmingham’s Legion Field. The five Alabama coaches not to win their coaching debut are Eli Abbott (1894), J.B. Whitworth (1955), Paul Bryant (1958), Gene Stallings (1990) and Franchione (2001). It is interesting to note that the last two Alabama coaches to lose their debut won a national championship during their tenure. Bryant won six national titles (1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978 and 1979) and Stallings won one championship (1992).

*Alabama is now 14-2 all-time in Tuscaloosa night games. The 20-17 loss to UCLA snaps the Crimson Tide’s 11-game winning streak in Tuscaloosa night games. Prior to tonight, Alabama had not lost under the lights in Tuscaloosa was a 41-18 loss to Villanova on Oct. 8, 1948.

*UCLA is the first California team ever to play the Alabama Crimson Tide in Bryant-Denny Stadium. In fact, the last PAC 10 team to visit Tuscaloosa was the Washington Huskies on Oct. 11, 1975. Alabama won that game 52-0. The last time a team from California played the Crimson Tide in the state of Alabama was Southern California on Sept. 23, 1978. The Trojans won that game 24-14. Both Alabama and USC shared the national championship that year.

*Alabama used 13 first-time players in the loss to UCLA. The list of first-time players includes Carlos Andrews (LCB), Roberto McBride (LCB), Charles Jones (FS), Waine Bacon (SS), Ray Hudson (TB), Corey Ferguson (LCB), Chris James (SS), Lance Taylor (Special Teams), Evan Mathis (Special Teams), Wesley Britt (QT), Atlas Herrion (QT), Justin Smiley (QG) and Anthony Bryant (NT).

*The Alabama offense featured four first-time starters in the game against UCLA, including quick tackle Wesley Britt, quick guard Justin Smiley, center Alonzo Ephraim and tailback Brandon Miree. Wesley and Britt are redshirt freshmen, making their Alabama debuts against the Bruins. Ephraim, a junior from Birmingham, has played the last two years on the Tide o-line but had never started a game. In addition, the starting unit featured three wide receivers (Freddie Milons, Jason McAddley and Antonio Carter) and two tailbacks (Ahmaad Galloway and Miree). Tyler Watts earned the start at quarterback, making his first appearance for the Tide since a season-ending knee injury suffered last year against Ole Miss.

*On defense, Alabama had two first-time starters, including rover Brooks Daniels and strong safety Shontua Ray. Ray, a senior, played I every game last season as a junior. He played in all 13 games in 1999, mainly on special teams. As a freshman, Ray appeared in five games while playing tailback. Daniels appeared in all 11 games last year as a true freshman, but did not have a career start until tonight. In addition, the 2001 season opener marked the return of junior defensive lineman Kindal Moorehead, who missed the entire 2000 season with an Achilles injury.

*Watts threw for a career high 204 yards in the loss to UCLA. The junior completed 12 of 22 passes with one touchdown and one interception. In addition, Watts ran 18 times for 69 yards, both career highs. His previous high was 14 rushing attempts for 69 yards in a 28-21 loss at Arkansas last year.

*Watts hooked up with a wide-open Antonio Carter for a 78-yard touchdown pass with 6:06 left in the first quarter for the first touchdown of the 2001 season. The 78-yard touchdown pass is the longest of Watts’ career by 37 yards. Watts’ previous high was 41-yard completion against Houston in 1999.

*The 61-yard touchdown reception is the longest career reception for Carter. The Tallahassee, Fla., native’s previous high was a 60-yard reception against Ole Miss last year.

*The 78-yard TD pass is the ninth longest scoring pass play in Alabama history.

*Senior quarterback Andrew Zow fired a 71-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Milons, cutting the UCLA lead to 20-17 with 2:13 left in the game. The 71-yard TD pass was the longest of Zow’s career, eclipsing his 60- yard pass against Central Florida last year.

*Milons 71-yard TD reception is also the longest of his career, eclipsing his previous best of 56 yards last year at Miss. State.

*Senior tailback Ahmaad Galloway ran the ball 21 times for 79 yards against UCLA. The 21 rushing attempts equal his career high set last year at LSU.

*Alabama was penalized 15 times in the game for 93 yards. The 15 penalties are the most by Alabama since the 2000 Miss. State game in Starkville, where the Tide was flagged 15 times. The 15 penalties fell one short of the all-time single-game record. UCLA was not penalized in the game.

*Former Alabama kicker Brian Cunningham (1996-98), a native of Birmingham, sang the National Anthem before tonight’s game.

*Allan Guenther is the new interior press box public address announcer for the Alabama stats crew. Guenther replaces the legendary Frank Rumore, who passed away in the off-season. Rumore worked his first Alabama football game as press box PA announcer on Sept. 10, 1970 as Southern Cal defeated Alabama 42-21. Rumore spent 31 years on the Alabama stats crew before his death this past January. Rumore was an Alabama graduate and also worked as a student assistant in the Alabama Media Relations Office. In addition to his football duties, Rumore also worked freshman football games for the Crimson Tide as well as basketball and baseball games. Guenther is the current Marketing Coordinator for Distance Education at the University of Alabama. In addition to his football duties, Guenther is also the stadium public address announcer for women’s basketball and baseball.

*The Alabama stats crew also has to replace Dr. Merrill Jones, a native of Huntsville, Ala., who retired following the 2001 Alabama A-Day football game. Jones had been a member of the Alabama stats crew since the 1958 season, Coach Paul Bryant’s first season as head coach of the Crimson Tide. During his 43- year career, Jones missed only a handful of games due to business and hunting trips. Howie Lester, a native of Madison, Ala., is Jones’ replacement on the stat crew. Jones’ son, Buddy, is also a member of the football stats crew and begins his 18th year on the stats crew.

The following players saw their first action in a Bruin uniform: 
SO Blane Kezirian
FR Manuel White Jr.
FR Pat Norton
FR Eyoseph Efseaff
FR Craig Bragg
FR Ben Emanuel II
FR Steven Vieira
SO Garrett Lepisto
FR Jibril Raymo
SR Adam Peters
FR Matt Ware
FR Matthew Clark 
(true freshmen bold).

Senior TB DeShaun Foster moves into 10 th place all-time on the UCLA career-rushing list with 2,195 yards passing Brian Brown. Foster is only 20 yards shy of passing Kevin Williams for ninth all-time.

Junior PK Chris Griffith takes over sole possession of seventh place on the Bruins’ all-time list for field goals made. Griffith kicked two field goals giving him 26 on his career. He is three shy of tying Louis Perez for sixth place.

Sophomore WR Tab Perry’s 53-yd touchdown reception in the third quarter was the first touchdown of his career.

Junior QB Cory Paus moved into a tie for seventh place on UCLA’s all-time touchdown with his 53-yard touchdown pass to Tab Perry in the third quarter. Paus tied Paul Cameron with 25 th career touchdown and is four behind Dennis Dummit for sixth place.

Paus also moved into eighth place in the all-time completions category with 237. Paus was 8-22 while within six completions of Gary Beban for seventh all-time.

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