PASADENA - It was Bama, all right. BAM-a. As in the hit Marcel Dareus put on Colt McCoy. BAM-a "It was a great hit,'' said Nick Saban the Crimson Tide coach. "It sort of made them change their offense.''

Sort of? Texas loses its heart and arm, loses the quarterback who won an NCAA record 45 games, loses the guy who was supposed to keep Alabama guessing, and the BCS Championship becomes a mismatch.

A kid off the bench, a freshman, Garrett Gilbert, finally made it interesting for the Longhorns, as McCoy's replacement, but he also made it painful.

He had four interceptions. He fumbled when sacked.

"I can't even imagine what it was like for him,'' said Texas coach Mack Brown.

What no one has to imagine is Alabama as national champion, because on the wings of a 37-21 victory before 94,906 people at the Rose Bowl, that's what the Crimson Tide became.

For the first time in 18 years but also the eighth time in history.

They're good, the Tide. Maybe great. They crash on defense. They swarm on defense. And then they have Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram on offense, who runs for 116 yards and two touchdowns.

He gains the Offensive MVP Award, as Dareus earns the defensive trophy.

But who knows what might have been, if McCoy, hadn't been crushed by Dareus some four minutes into the game. Maybe the Tide still rolls. After all, they were 4-point favorites.

Or maybe, Texas, which came in 13-0 as did Bama, pulls off the upset.

"After Colt got hurt,'' conceded Mack Brown, "obviously we were limited in the things we could do.''

Gilbert's going to be a winner. He was Gatorade Player of the Year in high school 12 months ago. His dad, Gale, played quarterback in the pros, and at Cal and was the starter in that famous 1982 game against Stanford, the one with five laterals and a bent trombone.

But Garrett Gilbert had only thrown 26 passes all season. And if he wasn't shell-shocked early on - 10 passes in the first half, one completion, two interceptions - his teammates were.

"I can't imagine what it was like for Garrett,'' said Jordan Shipley, the receiver, echoing Brown. "Colt had an unbelievable career, but Garrett played well tonight.''

He threw two touchdown passes to Shipley, the second, after a two-point conversion, bringing Texas to within 24-21 back from 24-6. And when the Longhorns got the ball on their own seven with 3:14 remaining, visions of magic and miracles floated above the most famous of stadiums.

"I actually thought when we got the ball back,'' said Brown, (Garrett) was going to take it down.''

Instead he was taken down. Gilbert was sacked and fumbled. Alabama scored in two plays. Gilbert followed with an interception which was returned for a touchdown. BAM-a!

McCoy had stripped to his T-shirt as he was led to the locker room, but even unable to return to the game, he put on his jersey, the No. 12, once again and returned to the sideline, linked to the coordinator and Gilbert by headphones.

"I love this game,'' said McCoy, his college career coming to a wretched close. "I made it this far. It's unfortunate I didn't get to play. But I never question when things happen the way they do. There was no pain in my arm. I just can't throw. It wasn't painful, it was just dead. I'd been hit like that before.''

Not in the BCS Championship. Not in the game he believed would be the pinnacle of his sporting life.

McCoy wanted to play after the hit. Brown wasn't going to let him play.

"He and his dad were sitting there at halftime with the doctors,'' said the coach. "I never even asked the doctors, because I could tell. He didn't need to be back on the field.''

He didn't need to be. Texas needed him to be. McCoy had completed 70 percent of his throws, thrown for 112 touchdowns. He made the Longhorns go.

Marcel Dareus, the Alabama defensive end, made them stop. He hit McCoy. Then on what was an ill-chosen shovel pass at the end of the first half, Dareus intercepted and rumbled 28 yards for a touchdown.

"We knew we were going to struggle with points,'' Brown said, justifying the call, "so we called the safest thing, a shovel pass I never had seen intercepted before.''

Nor had they seen Colt McCoy miss a game before. As a freshman in 2006, McCoy was injured in the fourth quarter a couple of times and didn't finish.

This one he barely started. This one he was in for five plays.

"We got shorthanded offensively,'' agreed Mack Brown, not making excuses, "and had too many turnovers.''

A combination that will beat you every time. Bam.