SEC Championship Game: Gators confident they can slow down Derrick Henry, Alabama
By John Hollis
Published:
Florida has seen its share of the nation’s elite running backs this season, so the Gators aren’t intimidated by the prospect of trying to slow down Alabama’s Derrick Henry in Saturday’s SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.
The bruising junior tailback chewed up a career-best 271 yards and a touchdown on a school-record 46 carries to lead the Crimson Tide past Auburn 29-13 last weekend and establish himself as a Heisman Trophy frontrunner.
Henry becomes the latest NFL-bound back to face the Gators, along with LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Florida State’s Dalvin Cook.
Florida sophomore cornerback Jalen Tabor said he likes his team’s chances against the bruising 6-foot-3, 242-pound Henry, whom Gators coach Jim McElwain likened to an “out-of-control train.”
“We feel like we can stop the run,” Tabor said. “We feel like we can shut a team down on defense. If we do that, we should put ourselves in position to win an SEC Championship.”
And that’s just what the Gators have in mind.
“You come to Florida to play in these games,” senior tight end Jake McGee said. “You come to Florida to play in the SEC Championship Game. It’s where you belong.”
Florida has had mixed success against the elite backs it has faced. Fournette ran for 180 yards and two touchdowns in the Tigers’ 35-28 win on Oct. 17. Cook had just 33 yards for the Seminoles through three quarters before erupting against a worn-down Florida defense and finishing with 158 yards and two scores on 26 carries.
The Gators would have faced another elite back, but Georgia’s Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending knee injury against Tennessee on Oct. 3 and did not play when Florida and Georgia met in Jacksonville on Oct. 31.
Henry, however, is an entirely back who poses entirely different challenges.
Nevertheless, the Gators seem to like their chances.
“I expect a dominant performance from our defense,” Tabor said. “We’ve got talent at every position.”
John Hollis is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia and Florida.
