Alabama rolls over Florida into playoffs
It was third-and-19 in the third quarter, with Florida desperately needing to stop Alabama if it was to have any chance of climbing back into Saturday’s SEC championship game.
But calmly, Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts took the snap out of the shotgun and seemed to have an infinite amount of time to figure out where to go with the football. Receiver ArDarius Stewart faked the deep out before splitting in over the middle.
While Hurts’ throw didn’t hit Stewart in stride, it was in enough of a vicinity for the junior receiver to make a play on the ball and turn the play into a 31-yard gain.
That play was the highlight of a 98-yard drive that lasted only 3 minutes, 16 seconds.
It served as the exclamation point on Alabama’s 54-16 victory over Florida, once again showcasing its dominance in a conference that has rarely competed with the Crimson Tide the past decade.
Thing is, Florida (8-4) jumped out as good of a start as it possibly could have. The Gators drove 64 yards in 10 plays on their opening possession to score a 5-yard touchdown on a pass from quarterback Austin Appleby to receiver Antonio Callaway.
Alabama (13-0) began to assert its will on defense and special teams from there. The Crimson Tide recorded three first-half interceptions, including one cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick returned 44 yards for a touchdown.
Running back Derrick Gore blocked a punt that running back Josh Jacobs returned 27 yards for a score.
Alabama jumped out to such a lead thanks to those two phases that it ended the first quarter with minus-7 yards of total offense.
Of course, that wouldn’t last the entire game. Alabama compiled 372 yards, with 234 coming on the ground.
Three who mattered
Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster: Foster was a game-changer for the Crimson Tide on defense. Foster recorded a game-high 11 tackles, with nine being solo stops. He was in the backfield repeatedly and recorded two sacks. Foster feasted on a Florida front that could not contain him whatsoever.
Hurts: Hurts has found himself in the Heisman Trophy race thanks to a late-season surge. It also helps that he’s working with an incredibly talented cast of offensive players. Hurts finished the game 11-of-20 passing for 138 yards and a touchdown.
Florida punter Johnny Townsend: The Gators didn’t exactly have anyone on offense or defense who could make this game competitive past the first quarter. The lone player to stand out was Townsend, who booted four punts for an average of 54.5 yards. He had a long of 62 with two downed inside the 20-yard line.
Turning point
Trailing 7-3, Fitzpatrick picked off Appleby and returned the ball 44 yards for a touchdown. That gave the Crimson Tide their first lead and opened the floodgates for a variety of ways of scoring to continue.
Observations
Defense and special teams: Alabama’s offense didn’t get going until the second quarter. Its defense was lights out after Florida’s opening drive. Florida couldn’t get the run game going and finished with zero rushing yards. Yes, zero. Appleby was forced into quick decisions that didn’t end well a lot of times. And then the special teams unit accounted for a blocked punt for a touchdown that helped cement all the momentum on Alabama’s side.
Scarbrough, others boulders through: Alabama running back Bo Scarbrough rumbled his way to 91 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. He bounced off Florida defenders and found some big creases along the way. But it wasn’t just Scarbrough having a good day. Alabama’s committee got Damien Harris (86 yards) and Jacobs (35 yards, touchdown) involved as well.
Worth mentioning
Unhappy company: Appleby tossed three interceptions against Alabama, all of which came in the first half. This tied him with Florida’s Jesse Palmer (1999) and Georgia’s David Greene (2003) for the most interceptions thrown in an SEC championship game.
New record: Alabama set an SEC championship game record with 33 points in the first half. This bested Auburn’s mark of 28, which took place in 2010 and 2013. The record for points scored in either half is still held by LSU, which scored 35 in its 42-10 win over Georgia in 2011.
Long return: In the second quarter, Alabama freshman receiver Trevon Diggs returned a punt for 47 yards, which became the longest in an SEC championship game not to go for a touchdown. That beat Tennessee’s Terry Fair, who had a 45-yard punt return in 1997. Diggs later had a 36-yard punt return in the fourth quarter.
They said it
Foster on slowing Florida down after the early scoring drive: “Man, it was a rough start at first, but we had to overcome it, show mental toughness, and really just dominate for real. Like, we don’t like that. We don’t like giving up points. We don’t like giving up first downs. We hate that. So we had to overcome that and step up.”
Alabama head coach Nick Saban on his team recording 14 non-offensive touchdowns this season: “This group, we've scored more nonoffensive touchdowns this year, I think, than any team I've ever been associated with. I think it speaks to the playmaker type guys that we have, the good job the coaches do putting them in position. When you block a punt, it's always a schematic thing based on their protection, and the guys did a good job of executing it. Gore did a great job of hitting it. And Josh, the ball went right to him, and he ran it for a touchdown.”
Florida head coach Jim McElwain on this being a measuring stick game for his program: “I'll tell you what I saw. Obviously, the depth was a huge issue, and where it really shows up, guys, you know. You've been around a long time. It's in special teams. Obviously, we got our tails kicked in that area. When you're thin like that, that's the nature of it.”
What’s next?
Alabama, the nation’s only undefeated team, has locked up the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and will play in either the Peach Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. Florida will await its bowl assignment, with the Citrus Bowl and Outback Bowl among the expected contenders.
This story was originally published December 3, 2016 at 7:43 PM with the headline "Alabama rolls over Florida into playoffs."