Utah State {{AFB game box start •
Source: Alabama opened the 2004 season by defeating the
Utah State Aggies 48–17. Brian Bostick scored the first Alabama points of the game with his 28-yard
field goal. Two plays later,
Brodie Croyle threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Clint Johnston to give the Crimson Tide a 10–0 lead. After the Alabama defense forced a
punt on the ensuing Aggies drive, Croyle threw a 57-yard touchdown strike to Keith Brown on the Crimson Tide's first offensive play of the second half to give them a 31–10 lead. Alabama opened conference play by defeating their
long-time rival, the
Ole Miss Rebels 28–7. After a scoreless first, the Crimson Tide took a 14–0 halftime lead after scoring a pair of second-quarter touchdowns.
Tim Castille scored first on a one-yard run and
Tyrone Prothro scored second on a 15-yard
Brodie Croyle touchdown pass. Alabama won their third straight game to open the season against the
Division I-AA Western Carolina Catamounts 52–0.
South Carolina {{AFB game box start •
Source: Kentucky {{AFB game box start •
Source: Southern Miss {{AFB game box start •
Source: Tennessee {{AFB game box start •
Source: Mississippi State {{AFB game box start •
Source: LSU {{AFB game box start •
Source: Auburn {{AFB game box start •
Source: In the 2004 edition of the
Iron Bowl, the Crimson Tide took a 6–0 lead at halftime over favored
Auburn, but ultimately fell 21–13 to the
Tigers. Alabama took a 6–0 halftime lead on field goals of 42 and 22-yard by Brian Bostick. After finishing the regular season with an overall record of 6–5, the Crimson Tide accepted an invitation to play in the
Music City Bowl on December 4. Their appearance was the second for Alabama in the game, marked the first all-time meeting against the
Minnesota Golden Gophers on the gridiron and a return to postseason play for the Crimson Tide following a two-year bowl ban imposed by the NCAA. Led by
running backs
Marion Barber III and
Laurence Maroney who each rushed for over 100 yards, Minnesota defeated Alabama 20–16. The Crimson Tide scored first when Spencer Pennington threw a two-yard touchdown pass to
Le'Ron McClain for a 7–0 Alabama lead. Minnesota tied the game later in the first on a defensive touchdown. The score happened after
Anthony Montgomery forced a Pennington
fumble that was recovered in the endzone by Keith Lipka. The Gophers took a 17–7 lead in the second quarter after a five-yard Barber touchdown run and a 27-yard
Rhys Lloyd field goal. The Crimson Tide responded with a one-yard McClain touchdown run to cut the Minnesota lead to 17–14 at halftime. The second half was dominated by both defenses with Minnesota only managing to score on a 24-yard Lloyd field goal in the third and Alabama only scoring on a
safety in the fourth to make the final score 20–16. ==Coaching staff==