Alabama vs. Florida: Score, Highlights and Reaction from 2016 SEC Championship | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Andrew Mccoy The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide won their third consecutive SEC title and secured the top seed in the College Football Playoff with a 54-16 victory over the No. 15 Florida Gators on Saturday in the SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Bama scored on offense, defense and special teams in the winning effort, improving to 13-0 on the season, while Florida dropped to 8-4.
According to Jon Solomon of CBSSports.com, Alabama accomplished something that hadn't been done in the SEC in two decades with its win:
Jon Solomon @JonSolomonAspenAlabama is the 1st team to win 3 straight SEC titles since Florida (1993-96). SEC had no repeat champs from 1999-2013.
Although freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts may have played his way out of Heisman Trophy contention with just 138 passing yards, one passing touchdown and a single rushing yard, the Tide's dominant defense was the game's biggest difference by virtue of just 261 yards allowed and three turnovers forced.
While few gave Florida a chance to compete Saturday, it came out of the gates superbly on its opening drive of the game.
The Gators covered 64 yards in 10 plays thanks to quarterback Austin Appleby completing six of seven attempts for 67 yards, including a five-yard touchdown to Antonio Callaway, as seen in the following video courtesy of SEC on CBS:
SEConCBS @SEConCBSWhat a drive for Florida! @GatorsFB caps off the opening drive with an Antonio Callaway touchdown. #SECChamp25
Florida's score ended a touchdown drought of more than one month for Alabama opponents, according to SEC on CBS:
SEConCBS @SEConCBSFlorida becomes the first team to score a TD against Alabama since Texas A&M. Bama played Texas A&M on October 22nd. #SECChamp25
That proved to be the high point of the game for UF, however, as its lead was short-lived. Set up by a Shaun Dion Hamilton interception of Appleby, Alabama cut the deficit to 7-3 with a field goal on its second offensive possession.
Just three plays from scrimmage after that, Alabama seized a lead it would never relinquish, as sophomore defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick returned another Appleby interception 44 yards for a touchdown, via SEC on CBS:
SEConCBS @SEConCBSThe @AlabamaFTBL defense strikes again! This the 10th defensive touchdown of the season for the Crimson Tide.
Despite Appleby's strong opening drive, ESPN's Derek Tyson was highly critical of the senior's play following two picks:
Alabama's non-offensive excellence continued on Florida's next series when running back Joshua Jacobs returned a blocked punt 27 yards for a touchdown.
The Gators were able to take some momentum back after that, though, as linebacker David Reese returned kicker Adam Griffith's blocked extra point for a two-point conversion to make the score 16-9 in favor of Alabama entering the second quarter.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, Alabama accomplished an impressive scoring feat despite registering negative yardage offensively in the opening quarter:
ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfoAlabama is the first team in the last decade to score more than 10 points in a quarter in which it had negative yardage.
The offense finally came to life for the Tide early in the second quarter, however, in the form of a seven-play, 88-yard drive that ended with a six-yard touchdown pass from Hurts to senior wideout Gehrig Dieter.
Alabama's key play on that drive was a screen pass to wide receiver Calvin Ridley, which he turned into a 52-yard gain, via SEC on CBS:
SEConCBS @SEConCBSThere goes Calvin Ridley! This long gain set up @AlabamaFTBL for another TD. #SECChamp25
The Crimson Tide extended their lead to 26-9 with a field goal, and another Florida offensive miscue allowed Bama to find the end zone again.
Appleby was picked off for the third time in the game by defensive back Tony Brown, and Alabama scored a touchdown five plays later when Jacobs hit paydirt from six yards out.
Despite gaining just 174 yards in the first half and scoring only two offensive touchdowns, Alabama set an SEC Championship Game first-half scoring record with 33 points, according to SEC Network.
The Gators were reeling, but they made things interesting late in the first half with a 92-yard drive capped by a 25-yard touchdown pass from Appleby to DeAndre Goolsby with 19 seconds remaining to help cut Bama's advantage to 33-16.
Florida's late score may have energized it, as it stopped Alabama on a three-and-out to open the second half and orchestrated a 12-play drive of its own.
As the Crimson Tide so often do, though, they locked down on defense, stopping the Gators four times from inside the 2-yard line to force a crucial turnover on downs, courtesy of SEC on CBS:
SEConCBS @SEConCBSSTUFFED! @AlabamaFTBL keeps the Gators out of the end zone with a goal line stand. #SECChamp25
To make matters even worse for Florida, Alabama covered 98 yards in just over three minutes for a 14-point swing, as running back Bo Scarbrough scored a two-yard touchdown to help balloon the lead to 40-16.
The powerful Scarbrough also had a 34-yard run on the drive, and Ryan Brown of WJOX in Birmingham, Alabama, suggested he could be a huge key to the Crimson Tide's national championship run:
Ryan Brown @RyanBrownWJOXI think Bo Scarbrough could have a massive postseason for Alabama. He's got fresh legs and is a beast.
Arguably no team in the nation is better equipped to play from ahead than Alabama, and that was evident on a 15-play, 91-yard drive that began near the end of the third quarter and took seven minutes, 34 seconds off the clock.
It ended with Scarbrough's second rushing touchdown of the day and extended the Crimson Tide's lead to 47-16 in the fourth.
Bama then put an exclamation point on its victory when Derrick Gore ran for a 10-yard touchdown with under four minutes remaining in the contest.
Alabama's performance wasn't a perfect one, as Hurts and the offense sputtered at times, but it still proved to be head and shoulders above the nation's No. 15 team.
Head coach Nick Saban should have plenty for his team to work on before the start of the CFP. However, the fact the Crimson Tide put so many points on the board even without their best offensive showing is encouraging.
It would have been easy for Alabama to look past Saturday's contest since it was essentially already locked in to the CFP, but that didn't happen, which bodes well for the Tide's chances of winning their second consecutive national championship.
Postgame Reaction
There is still plenty left for Alabama to accomplish this season, but Saban made it clear following the game that winning the SEC title was important to him and his players, according to Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News:
Cecil Hurt @CecilHurtSaban: "Other than a national championship game, there's nothing better."
Despite that, Saban doesn't necessarily want his players to dwell on the win since there are even bigger challenges forthcoming in the form of the College Football Playoff:
Cecil Hurt @CecilHurtSaban: "I think the players should enjoy this game. For 24 hours, at least."
Saban is notorious for not heaping praise on his players in the media, but he had no issue pointing out that he felt his team earned the SEC title, per Bleacher Report's Christopher Walsh:
Christopher Walsh @WritingWalshNick Saban: "You don't always get what you want in life, you get what you deserve. ... These guys deserved it."
Florida head coach Jim McElwain wasn't shy about showering Alabama with compliments, as he expressed his belief that the 2016 edition of the Crimson Tide is the most complete version in recent memory, according to Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee:
Barrett Sallee @BarrettSallee"The best team, top to bottom, since he's been there." McElwain on Nick Saban's 2016 Alabama team.
Alabama was in a different class than Florida on Saturday, and McElwain felt as though that had more to do with overall talent level than effort, per Knox Bardeen of CBS Sports Radio:
Knox Bardeen @knoxbardeenJim McElwain on Alabama being a measuring-stick: "Depth is an issue. ... We tried our tails off. ... Credit to Coach [Saban]." #SECChamp25
Although the Gators were essentially run out of the Georgia Dome by the Tide, McElwain stood behind his players, according to Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel:
Edgar Thompson @osgators'I'm proud of this football team because I know what they've been through,' Mac concludes.
Florida can still end its season on a high note with a strong showing in a bowl game, but Alabama showed once again why it is the team to beat for the national title.
