“I think the shock and awe of their size and speed might have got them a little bit”, McElwain said. “It’s going to be an exciting playoff”.
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The Crimson Tide (12-1, No. 2 CFP) held the Gators to just 3 yards of offense in the second and third quarters, assuring itself of a spot in the semifinals at either the Cotton or Orange Bowl on New Year’s Eve. Bama may be the No. 1 seed when the CFP parings are announced Sunday morning.
Last Tuesday, Long said there was division among the 12 committee members about possible ranking Alabama No. 1 over Clemson.
“Shoot, they won the line of scrimmage”, said first-year Florida coach Jim McElwain, whose 10-3 team is likely headed to the Citrus Bowl. It fell at home to Ole Miss on September 19, leading some to predict that this was the twilight of the great Saban’s reign.
“I don’t know that there’s any player on the team that the team means more to them than it does to Derrick”, Saban said.
The Braves (9-3) become the first team since 2002 to repeat as SWAC champions and joined Grambling State as the only program to accomplish the feat. “And probably more than any other time I’ve ever coached, I wanted to see these guys succeed”.
All Henry’s strength came to good use on Saturday as he had 44 carries against one of the nation’s top defenses. Coker completed 18 of 26 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns.
Just like a week ago in the loss to Florida State, the Gators played well enough on defense to win, but not almost well enough on offense to give UF any chance of possibly pulling the big upset.
Punt return Florida’s 85-yard second punt return for a touchdown was the second against the Crimson Tide.
Derrick Henry carried Alabama in this one.
NO. 17 HOUSTON 24, NO. 20 TEMPLE 13: Greg Ward Jr. ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns and Houston beat Temple in the inaugural American Athletic Conference championship game.
But Henry did set the SEC record for rushing yards in a season (1,986), and will go to the playoffs with an opportunity to put together the first 2,000-yard season in the history of the conference.
Alabama got on the scoreboard early when a blocked punt went out the back of the end zone for a safety. The drive stalled at the Gators’ 16-yard line, but in a game where points were hard to come by, Alabama kicked a field goal for a 15-7 lead. The rushing total is Taylor’s worst since failing to gain a single yard in the Birmingham Bowl against East Carolina.
Alabama linebacker Ryan Anderson (22) sacks Florida quarterback…
Once Alabama claimed the lead late in the second quarter on Henry’s touchdown run, the only real drama came from the Dr Pepper throw-a-football-for-$100,000 at halftime.
“We didn’t make a lot of adjustments”, Saban said. The SEC superpower should head to the College Football Playoff as the favorite.
The Tide complemented its pound-and-ground offense with a couple of huge passing plays. The lead was solidified for good after that Henry touchdown.
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On Alabama’s next possession, the freshman receiver Calvin Ridley got behind the Florida defense down the middle of the field on a 55-yard pass play. (For reasons that never made a lick of sense, bowl stats weren’t counted back then.) But Henry is terrific in his own right.
