But the only way this season will be considered a true success is Alabama claiming another national title. “Nick Saban gets those boys right from the day they step on campus”.
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“As tight as this group is and how hard we play together and how we have each other’s backs, I’m real confident in this team”, quarterback Jake Coker said.
“I would say it’s sweeter for me because I consider myself a leader on the team, and all I want to do is make these guys better by the way I work and by the way I practice and by the way I carry myself. It’s going to be an exciting playoff”.
Florida covered a 17-point spread despite getting exactly as many turnovers as Alabama did.
Baylor was in line to be the Big 12’s representative in the Sugar Bowl, with the expectation that league champ Oklahoma (11-1) will get into the College Football Playoff. Bama may be the No. 1 seed when the CFP parings are announced Sunday morning.
“I don’t think anybody really thought after the Ole Miss game that this team would wind up here”, the former LSU coach said after his team trounced the Gators 29-15. It was the program’s sixth title game victory and the 25 conference championship. “And probably more than any other time I’ve ever coached, I wanted to see these guys succeed”. He put the Crimson Tide ahead to stay on a 2-yard run late in the first half.
Start with a power running game, sprinkle in some athletic receivers and a smart, decisive quarterback who can make every throw needed, add offensive and defensive lines that go two-deep with little talent drop-off, mix in linebackers so fast they can even cover some wide receivers and toss in defensive backs with jaw-dropping closing speed.
Defense was the story of the game for Alabama, especially early as the offense sputtered.
Henry came into the game as a Heisman favorite and certainly did nothing to hurt his chances with an MVP showing. The Gators were limited to 180 total yards and seven first downs (the majority of those after the game was out of reach), while holding the ball for less than 17 minutes.
“My main focus is on finishing and helping the team win”, Henry said. The junior running back tied the SEC record for touchdowns in a season (23) and eclipsed Herschel Walker’s 34-year-old conference mark for rushing yards in a year.
Alabama broke the game open in the second half.
The Gators managed only 3 yards of offense in the second and third quarters. Quarterback Treon Harris, who, aside from a 46-yard heave to Antonio Callaway, played quarterback like your dad was controlling him in a video game.
Harris was sacked five times and completed only 9 of 24 passes, with an interception. He’s the first player in history to rush for more than 100 yards in successive SEC championship games.
“We know what it takes to get here now”, Davis said.
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The Tide complemented its pound-and-ground offense with a couple of huge passing plays. He didn’t really run wild Saturday – he gained 189 yards on 44 carries, which is 4.3 yards per tote – but he kept pounding against a good defense that had to spend far too much time on the field. ArDarius Stewart made an even more spectacular grab in the third quarter, going up in traffic to snare a 32-yard scoring pass before flipping to the turf on his head. But it all changes later this month against Oklahoma or Clemson or Michigan State – teams that can press you on both sides of the field, and teams that can throw the ball and expose the Tide secondary.
