Breaking down the ingredients in Alabama's championship effort
Alabama repeated as SEC champions and almost certainly punched a ticket to the College Football Playoff with a 29-15 win against Florida Saturday night in Atlanta.
Here’s what transpired:
5 TAKEAWAYS
- If you’re going to beat Alabama, you better be able to throw the football: That’s not a knock on the Crimson Tide secondary, which is actually quite good in its own right. It is a compliment to the Crimson Tide front seven, which completely stifled the Florida rushing attack on Saturday. The Gators gained 15 yards on 21 rushing attempts, and that was only after a late 23-yard scamper by Treon Harris brought them out of the negative. The only team to beat Alabama this season (Ole Miss) did so by throwing the ball and creating turnovers.
- Derrick Henry just gets things done: Henry had 46 carries in the Iron Bowl the week before? No problem. Offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin called Henry’s number another 44 times on Saturday. And all Henry did was exactly what they needed, tallying 189 yards, a touchdown and melted away the Florida defense’s will in the fourth quarter. He set the SEC single-season rushing yardage record in the process, surpassing Herschel Walker.
- Two quarters, three yards defined the game: That’s what the Alabama defense allowed during the second and third quarters. Three total yards of offense from Florida. There isn’t much analysis to be made there. For a game that was a one-possession contest up until the final moments of the third quarter, you don’t have to break things down any further to understand the importance of that stretch as it pertained to securing a win.
- Third down was on lockdown: The Crimson Tide entered the contest ranked third in the league at stopping opponents from converting on third-down attempts, trailing only Vanderbilt and Tennessee with a 70.4 percent success rate. That number went up after the championship game, when Florida went 0-for-11 on third down, and also failed to convert on its lone fourth-down attempt.
- Jake Coker will be the reason this team wins a national championship: If it is meant to be, it likely will be because of Coker’s performance. The defense has shown it is championship caliber, Henry has shown he’s the best runner in college football and ArDarius Stewart and Calvin Ridley have matured into legit targets on the outside in the passing game. The final piece to the puzzle is Coker captaining the ship. He did a fantastic job Saturday, completing 18 of 26 passes, throwing for two key touchdowns, extending drives with his legs and protecting the football.
REPORT CARD
Offense: (B-plus) — This was a really nice performance against a really good defense. Derrick Henry carried the load once again, and his first-half fumble was only a minor blemish. QB Jake Coker did a nice job as well.
Defense: (A-plus) — It’s hard to complain about what happened here. Florida had 180 yards of offense and couldn’t convert a third down all day. Seven of Florida’s 15 points came via special teams, leaving the only blemish on the defense’s record a 46-yard Gators touchdown pass with the game well in hand.
Special Teams: (B-minus) — The Crimson Tide blocked a punt that resulted in a safety and blocked a field goal. That would usually warrant a better grade, but they also allowed a punt return for a touchdown and had two crippling block-in-the-back penalties that were costly on their own punt returns.
Coaching: (A) — Nick Saban is the best in the business, and his staff is one of the best as well. That showed in what was a very solid championship performance. He got a little conservative at the end of the first half, but that’s really nitpicking.
Overall: (A) — Championship trophies are displayed forever, and this is one that the program is sure to enjoy. It took a team effort to get to Atlanta, and the Crimson Tide gave a team effort to get out of there with the SEC trophy in tow.
GAME PLAN
Florida’s offense has been built around RB Kelvin Taylor since the suspension of QB Will Grier, and it was clear that the coaching staff had no intention of letting the Gators establish that type of power running game. He carried the ball seven times for eight yards. With the Crimson Tide so easily forcing three-and-out possessions, the offensive philosophy became one of ball control and high percentage throws, which allowed the Crimson Tide to hold the ball for 43:29 of a 60-minute game.
GAME BALLS
- RB Derrick Henry: 44 carries for 189 yards and a touchdown is a full day’s work. Game ball and an ice bath for him.
- QB Jake Coker: 18-for-26 passing for 204 yards and two scores. No turnovers. Efficiently effective.
- WR Calvin Ridley: Eight catches for 102 yards, including a 55 yarder, inspite of coverage from Vernon Hargreaves III.