After posting an 11-13 record over the past two seasons, the Gators are 10-2 and have a date with Alabama in the SEC championship game on Saturday.
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“So it’s important for him to get on the perimeter and use his size to his advantage”.
The Gators have an opportunity on Saturday to not only prove they are the second best team, but to win the entire conference. The first experience didn’t end so well as the upstart Gators – led by quarterback Tim Tebow and head coach Urban Meyer – knocked off Alabama 31-20 en route to winning the 2008 BCS National Championship.
Predictably, it’s No. 2 Alabama.
If the rankings stand pat after conference championship games, Alabama would play Oklahoma in a repeat of the 2013 Sugar Bowl. They have won seven titles and will look to extend their lead on Alabama with an eighth.
But McElwain has a much grander vision for the Gators. “I just wish him the best, and it’s going to be fun playing him Saturday”.
The coach preparing to meet the 12-ranked offense in a 14-team league said without triggering his gag reflex even once that the Gators “are probably the best overall team that we have played against all year long”.
Saban has carried the torch of legend Bear Bryant into the 21st century in Tuscaloosa.
“He’s our quarterback”, McElwain said.
“I thought our offensive line, for the first time, really kind of came together and played with a objective and a sense of urgency”. Yeah, he could. But I think he would also have moments when he would have to take his lumps.
McElwain closed the open portion of practice Tuesday and Wednesday, a sign he might be making tweaks on that side of the ball.
“There was this movie one time about this train that was like out of control, going really fast and they have to stop it before it blew up the city”. I’m sure he was a dominant player.
Could McElwain have adapted and accomplished the same things as his successors, Doug Nussmeier and Lane Kiffin?
“He’s a good teacher”, Saban said. “We’ve got to be multiple in our shifts and formations and try to keep them off balance”. “Very innovative in terms of creating issues for the defensive team”.
SEC officials said fans can check tickets for their legitimacy by looking for the SEC holographic foil on the back of the ticket. It also helps that Henry has the vision to make the right cutback should one of those one-on-one situations go awry and a defender gets penetration, as happened on many occasions against Auburn.
One reason is Saban, 64, had the exact the words to reach McElwain.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in our guys that they’re certainly committed to our team and doing the things they need to do to help our team be successful”, Saban said, “and I think each and every one of them know that, if they are being considered, it’s certainly an honor for them, and I certainly want to help them every way I can”.
Like Frank McElwain, Saban holds an exalted place for Jim McElwain. The Gators have failed to crack 300 total yards in three of their last four games and needed a fourth-quarter safety to avoid being shut out by the Seminoles. Win or lose, McElwain hopes he and the Gators gain Saban’s respect.
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The quarterback has become a greater focal point, play-makers have been spotlighted more than ever, and pushing the tempo and going without a huddle has been embraced where before it was shunned. “I’m proud he’s a Gator”.
