The No. 18 Florida Gators (10-3) came to play, and put forth an inspired effort on defense, but were ultimately worn down as No. 2 Alabama (12-1) used ball control to finally roll to a 29-15 victory. An early 7-2 UF lead was erased by halftime and Florida’s offense had a miserable multi-quarter stretch in which it could not sustain a drive. The Gators will likely spend New Year’s Day at the Citrus Bowl as the SEC’s No. 3 team.

5 TAKEAWAYS

  • Encouraging start, predictable finish: Florida outgained Alabama 83-38 in the first quarter, and looked ready to compete in a low-scoring defensive battle. But in the second and third quarters, the Gators gained a total of 3 yards, while the Crimson Tide scored 20 unanswered points.
  • Florida’s roster wasn’t built to challenge Alabama in 2015: In Florida’s first spring practice under head coach Jim McElwain, the team had six offensive lineman and two quarterbacks on scholarship. On Saturday night, the Crimson Tide defensive line lived in the UF backfield, manhandling the offensive line, and QB Treon Harris was ineffective under constant pressure (9-of-24, 165 yards, TD, INT).
  • The defense deserved better: In what has become a multi-season narrative, Florida has a defense with elite talent that plays with an offense that simply doesn’t carry its weight (ranked No. 104 among FBS teams in total offense). And they have been especially bad after Will Grier’s suspension. His magical play against Tennessee and Ole Miss seems so long ago now.
  • A third loss doesn’t take away from 10 wins: In a year when many experts predicted a 7-5 record for the Gators, they have 10 wins with a chance to notch one more.
  • But what might have been looms large: There’s no way to predict the future, but one of the safest bets imaginable is that the Florida offense would have been more effective with Grier at quarterback. Many fans will blame the last two losses on Harris, but that frustration should be directed at Grier for his selfish decision to get caught failing NCAA drug tests for performance enhancing drugs. Harris was never meant to start seven games for McElwain this season, and it showed.

REPORT CARD

Offense: (F) – The Gators went 0-for-11 on third downs and finished with 180 yards of offense. They gained 83 yards in the first quarter and another 46 came late on a deep pass to WR C.J. Worton in the fourth quarter. In between they did nothing. Four ballcarriers finished with a combined 15 yards on 21 carries.

Defense: (A-minus) – The final box score isn’t the prettiest, but Florida’s defense was on the field for 43:29 of the game’s 60 minutes. The only reason the Gators were in the game was because they relatively contained RB Derrick Henry (44 carries, 189 yards, long run of 21 yards) and pressured QB Jacob Coker (4 quarterback hurries, 2 sacks).

Special Teams: (C) – The first half was all about special teams, as the Gators fell victim to two blocked kicks that gave the Crimson Tide a five-point swing, but freshman speedster Antonio Callaway returned a punt for touchdown, giving UF a 7-2 lead in the second quarter.

Coaching: (B-minus) – Defensive coordinator Geoff Collins’ unit was ready for Henry and brought pressure to Coker. The offensive play-calling lacked originality, and attempting a field goal given their problems in that area all year was a questionable call.

Overall: (C) – UF was a 17-point underdog and lost by 14. Alabama predictably pulled away in the second half, but the Florida defense forced a 60-minute game even with an offense that had less than half of its drives (6-of-14) result in positive yardage.

GAME PLAN

Florida’s strategy appeared to be focused on controlling field position and winning the turnover battle. Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier’s play calls were standard fare, lacking any trick plays or new wrinkles to try to catch Alabama off guard. The Gators dared Coker to throw, and that strategy didn’t work. Crimson Tide receivers came up with multiple clutch receptions in coverage.

GAME BALLS

  • DL Jonathan Bullard: As a senior leader and face of the Florida defense, Bullard deserves a game ball for helping the Gators get back to Atlanta for the first time since 2009. He finished with eight total tackles, including two for a loss and one sack.
  • WR Antonio Callaway: Callaway’s 85-yard punt return for a touchdown set an SEC Championship Game record.

INJURY UPDATE

  • DE Alex McCalister (foot), LB Alex Anzalone (shoulder), DL Andrew Ivie (knee), DB Chris Williamson, WR Raphael Andrades (undisclosed), DL Taven Bryan (undisclosed) were all listed on pregame injury reports and did not play according to the game’s participation report. McElwain did not address injuries in his postgame press conference.