SEC Championship: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Florida Gators

Top-ranked Alabama has such a cushion in the College Football Playoff rankings that it will qualify for the four-team national championship competition even if it should lose to No. 16 Florida in Saturday’s SEC Championship Game at Atlanta.

End of 3rd Quarter.

They were stopped on three straight runs.

TEMPLE 34, NO. 20 NAVY 10: At Annapolis, Md., Phillip Walker threw two touchdown passes, Temple stuffed Navy’s running game and the Owls claimed their first American Athletic Conference title.

St. Petersburg Bowl (Dec. 26): The Bulldogs had the second-best April score among the 12 FBS teams that went 5-7.

Instead, the three interceptions thrown by Austin Appleby played a big role in Alabama leading 33-16 at halftime.

It sounds odd to say in the wake of allowing 54 points, but the only reason this game wasn’t worse was a borderline heroic performance by Florida’s defense.

The Gators, on the next drive, were forced to put from their own 27.

After an impressive 10-play, 64-yard opening drive, capped by the first touchdown Alabama had given up in 17 quarters, the Gators led 7-0.

However, Florida’s Jabari Zuniga blocked Adam Griffith’s extra point attempt and David Reese returned it the distance for two points. Freshman David Reese picked it up and ran it all the way back for a score. Florida was the underdog going into the game, but the Gator struck first by scoring a touchdown on their very first drive.

SOUTH ALABAMA 35, NEW MEXICO STATE 28: Xavier Johnson rushed for 154 yards and three touchdowns, both career bests, and South Alabama (6-6, 2-6 Sun Belt) became bowl eligible with a win over New Mexico State (3-9, 2-6) at Mobile, Alabama.

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 10, VILLANOVA 7: Chase Vinatieri – nephew of National Football League kicker Adam Vinatieri – banked a 42-yard field goal off the right upright with 1:21 left to lift the Jackrabbits (9-3) over Villanova (9-4) in the second round at Brookings, South Dakota. The goal line stand also fired up the offense, which scored touchdowns on its final three possessions. However, Florida would not sniff the end zone again. WMU went undefeated, and no other Group of 5 conference champion (including Navy, had it won Saturday) had fewer than two losses.

San Diego State’s defense forced three Wyoming turnovers and held the Cowboys (8-5) to 2-of-14 on third down and 0-3 on fourth down. It ran six offensive plays to Florida’s 23, but still led by that 16-9 margin. “It was a little bit of a slow start, but I think it was excellent!” I would have liked to have pounded that one in there (from the goal line).

“Can’t really fall in love with what we’ve done in the past”, he said. “I think that was the turning point of the game psychologically for our team and for their team”. “I’m not sure it’s fair, but at the same time, I know they want to play”. Then came a blocked UF punt that Josh Jacobs took for a touchdown and a blocked PAT that Florida ran in for a safety. UA went on a 98-yard touchdown run, scored 21 unanswered points – the final 54-point total was Alabama’s largest single-game output of the season – and spent the post game dodging confetti for a third straight year. SEC Championship Game MVP Reuben Foster finished with two sacks, while Jonathan Allen added 1.5 sacks in the fourth quarter.

The defense and special teams showed out when the offense couldn’t really show up as we’re used to seeing. “It wasn’t ideal, man”.

“I tell you this, I didn’t come here to be close, we came here to be champions in the SEC”.

The Sooners could be bumped from the Sugar Bowl if they reach the College Football Playoff. More likely, they will settle for either the December 31 Citrus Bowl or the January 2 Outback Bowl. Alabama went on to score and never looked back.