UNIVERSITY, Ala. -- Sherman Williams rushed for 106 yards and scored two first-half touchdowns and Chris Anderson also rushed for a pair of TDs Saturday as second-ranked Alabama opened defense of its national championship with a 31-17 victory over Tulane.
Alabama, which completed a 13-0 season with a win over Miami of Florida in the Sugar Bowl for the national title, extended the nation's longest winning streak to 24 games.
The Crimson Tide are hoping to become the first team to win consecutive national titles since they accomplished the feat in 1978-79.
For Alabama, Jay Barker rotated at quarterback with sophomore Brian Burgdorf and completed 9-of-10 passes for 158 yards. Burgdorf was 4-of- 10 for 19 yards.
Alabama's defense intercepted four passes, including two by cornerback Tommy Johnson. Cornerback Antonio Langham and safety Chris Donnelly also had interceptions for the Crimson Tide.
Williams' one-yard scoring run less than 3 minutes into the game gave Alabama a 7-0 lead.
Tulane tied the game at 7-7 when Craig Randall hit Derrick Franklin with a 23-yard touchdown pass with 7 minutes left in the first quarter.
Anderson's nine-yard scoring run less than a minute later put Alabama back on top, 14-7. A five-yard touchdown run by Anderson and Williams' four-yard scoring run in a three-minute span of the second quarter opened a 28-7 advantage for Alabama.
Michael Proctor kicked a 25-yard field goal in the third quarter for the Crimson Tide.
Jerald Sowell scored on a 98-yard run in the fourth quarter for Tulane and became the first player to rush for more than 100 yards against Alabama since Florida's Errict Rhett in 1991. Sowell rushed for 138 yards.
