9 Colorado, 41-10, to win the Pac 12 Championship on Friday, Washington (12-1, 8-1 Pac 12) must face the No. 1 overall seed Crimson Tide (13-0, 8-0 SEC) in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl national semifinal at 2 p.m. on December 31 in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome.
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But from then on, it was all Alabama. A pick six and a blocked punt for a touchdown later Alabama was starting to impose their will on the Gators. 15 Florida to claim its third consecutive SEC Championship, also in the Georgia Dome.
After Saturday’s game surrounded by reporters on the Georgia Dome’s confetti-covered playing field, Kiffin was asked what his next coaching move would be.
(3:32) Bo Scarborough runs it in from 2 yards out to expand Bama’s lead to 40-16. They had intercepted Appleby three times in the first half, with Minkah Fitzpatrick returning his 44 yards for a touchdown. What are they willing to do to do it? It was most points surrendered by Florida since a 62-24 loss to Nebraska in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl. “I think (this) is the best team, top to bottom, that he has had (at Alabama.) We knew we had to get them off-balance and we did that with some of the play-action stuff, but you can’t turn the ball over like that and have a chance”.
After Alabama went three-and-out to start the second half, Florida drove to the Crimson Tide 1. Appleby was the Gators’ only offense, completing 26/39 passes for 261 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. “And that 98-yard drive, it took the wind out of their defense, kind of put us on a whole step ahead of them”. But a goal line stand ended that threat and, effectively, the game. “That’s something we’ve got to do, sooner than later”, he said. “We had to persevere, overcome some hard times”. That’s what you do when you are at the University of Florida.
And while it went mostly as I expected it to, I do understand how it can be easy to hope for more when it is technically within reach.
The Tide offense broke loose in the second quarter as a Jalen Hurts-to-Gehrig Dieter 6 yard TD pass pushed the lead to 23-6.
Florida opened the game by marching 64 yards in 10 plays and taking a 7-0 lead on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Appleby to Antonio Callaway.
By securing the No. 1 seed in the CFP, Alabama should be playing in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on December 31. “Doesn’t matter who we play, I’m going to try to be here”.
The Gators awoke again late in the half, driving 92 yards in 10 plays and pulling within 33-16 on a 25-yard pass from Appleby to DeAndre Goolsby. Alabama’s 54 points are the third-most in the 25-year history of the SEC Championship game and its 38-point margin of victory is the second-highest in the conference title game.
The Gators, who entered the game ranked 114th in total offense, managed just 70 yards in the second half.
They’ll face off Saturday in the Southeastern Conference championships game, with the top-ranked Crimson Tide (12-0, 8-0 SEC) heavily favored to lock up its third straight trip to the College Football Playoff with a victory over the No. 15 Gators (8-3, 6-2). Florida can expect to drop at least four or five spots.
Florida: Two straight blowout losses probably cost the Gators a shot at the Sugar Bowl.
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Alabama will be gunning for back-to-back college football championships, and the Crimson Tide’s next step will be against the Washington Huskies.
