No. 1 Alabama Romps Past Florida 54-16 in SEC Title Game

“First of all, so very proud of our team for, first of all, having an undefeated season, but secondly, for winning the SEC championship”, Alabama coach Nick Saban said.

The second quarter was a bit more what everyone expected going into the game.

Alabama (13-0) scored on offense, defense and special teams to capture its third consecutive SEC championship and cement a spot as the top team in the upcoming College Football Playoff.

BYU (8-4) accepted a bid to this year’s Poinsettia Bowl back in November 2013 – and will also be there in 2018, provided the Cougars aren’t in the College Football Playoff that season.

1 in the final AP Top 25 of the regular season Sunday, just as it has been since the preseason.

Afterward, Alabama coach Nick Saban called it the “turning point in the game”.

That eighth title also makes them the leader in SEC titles, passing Florida’s 7.

The SEC may have been the best conference by itself at one time, while Alabama is number one for now. No team is invincible, but to beat Bama it will take superb quarterback play and defense and an avoidance of mistakes the Tide routinely turns into touchdowns. Running back Bo Scarbrough had 91 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. Gore came in for mop-up work at tailback and scored the final touchdown.

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.

Adam Griffith had two field goals, but had one blocked (and returned for a two-point conversion by Florida), and was good on five of six extra point kicks. It would certainly rate as a huge upset if the Gators were to win the game and coach Jim McElwain – a former Alabama offensive coordinator – understands the history of the matchup.

Looking at the team statistics, Alab ama had 18 first downs, Florida 16.

Alabama finished with the second-most points ever scored on the Gators, topped only by Florida’s 62-24 loss to Nebraska for the national title in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl. Altogether, the trio combined for 212 yards on 25 carries, an average of 8.5 yards per touch. Westbrook caught four passes for 111 yards before being knocked out of the game on a crushing hit by safety Jordan Sterns.

“The thing you point out is really how close you are from a consistency standpoint”, McElwain said, doing his best to put a positive spin on such a dire predicament.

It was 33-16 at intermission, Alabama scoring the most first-half points in an SEC title game.

But things went south for Florida after that.

Appleby then threw incomplete in the back of the end zone on fourth down, giving the Tide all the momentum.

Reese has started just three games this year yet entered Saturday ranked fifth on Florida in total tackles (48).

This huge stop turned the tide in this contest.

Alabama’s offense was about to get a nice rest. “Now the offense is going to milk the clock”. They added a field goal and another touchdown started by Appleby’s third interception of the day, extending the lead to 33-9. Alabama accomplished this despite being outgained 191-172 in the first half.

Tony Brown then stepped in front of Appleby’s pass and picked it off at the Florida 38.

WEST VIRGINIA 24, BAYLOR 21: Skyler Howard threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and West Virginia (10-2, 7-2 Big 12) held off Baylor (6-6, 3-6) at Morgantown, West Virginia. Alabama rushed the ball 26 times for 174 yards and those three touchdowns in the second half. Had the Buffaloes not lost quarterback Sefo Liufau before the end of the first quarter perhaps that game would have ended differently. The score completed a 72-yard, 11-play drive that consumed 7:34.

Following Saturday’s result, McElwain admitted that he hasn’t ruled out the idea of playing one of the two true freshmen quarterbacks. It was all Gore. They played in the first three contests, and this will be their ninth meeting overall with the title on the line.