Comments from Alabama RB Derrick Henry after the Crimson Tide’s 29-15 victory over Florida in Saturday’s SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome.

DERRICK HENRY: “Like Coach said, I’m very proud of the team. It’s a team effort. Like Coach said, I feel like the Ole Miss loss, we really came back together and mentally locked and was focused.”

“We wanted to get to this SEC Championship, and we knew that we had to come battle every week and we got better week after week. I’m proud of the team and proud of what we accomplished.”

Question: Derrick, how would you rank the defense that you went against today as opposed to the rest of the ones you faced this year?

DERRICK HENRY: “I think it’s the best defense that we faced. They’re very physical, very disruptive, very fast on the defensive line. Athletic linebackers who are very physical and try to knock you out and good secondary. So I think it’s the best defense that we’ve faced all year.”

Question: Derrick, the last couple of weeks have been almost like high school was for you, where you get almost 40 carries a game. Why do you get so much better as you get the ball more?

DERRICK HENRY: “My main focus is on finishing and helping this team win. I’m going to do whatever it takes to help this team win. Whether it’s me running the ball, catching the ball, or pass blocking, I just want this team to win. It’s a team effort. All the success I’ve had, I credit my teammates and coaches and God, because I couldn’t do it without them.”

Question: Throughout this game, you just seem to be getting stronger again. Talk about that focus and what you’re thinking about. You get carry, you’re up the middle, feel you’re going to break one, you get more yards, you get more yards. What are you thinking? What’s your mental outlook at that point?

DERRICK HENRY: “I’m just finished. We wanted to start fast and finish fast. Credit to the offensive line. They really take pride in controlling the line of scrimmage. Throughout the week, they work hard and keep pushing the defensive line. All credit to my teammates, but my main focus is to finish and helping the team win.”

Question: Nick has complimented your ability to pick up pass blocking the last year or so. How much of a focus was that for you this off-season, and how much did you struggle with that earlier in your career?

DERRICK HENRY: “I’m still not where I want to be with pass blocking. Still some things I’ve got to improve on. I could have did better in the game. I feel like if you want to be a complete back, you’ve got to know how to pass block at this level and at the next level.

“This whole off-season and during the season, I just worked on trying to get better at that week after week. Like I said, I’m not where I want to be right now, but I’m going to keep on working.”

Question: Derrick, two-part question. First, how’s it feel the last two weeks, you break Bo Jackson’s Iron Bowl record for rushing yards in a game and now Herschel Walker’s all-time SEC record. I’m sure you grew up watching them on film and hearing about them. How does it feel to break their records? And second, what has Burton Burns meant to your career?

DERRICK HENRY: “It’s a blessing, and God is good. Like I said, I’m still going to give credit to my teammates and coaches because without them it wouldn’t be possible. But they are like my heroes, my football heroes. Growing up and hearing their name and just watching what they did is incredible. For my name to be mentioned with theirs, it’s an honor and a blessing.

“Coach Burns is like a father figure and like a brother. He’s really taught me a lot about the game, helping me get better the fast few years. Week after week, we’re always talking about what we need to get better on. Never complacent, never satisfied, just staying hungry week after week.”

Question: Your offensive line gets stronger in the fourth quarter as the game goes on. What’s it like in the huddle with your teammates when it’s time to put away a game?

DERRICK HENRY: “Offensive line stays motivated. I just tell them to keep running it and keep staying hungry. Like I said, they practice hard in practice. So in the game it’s not surprising when they’re controlling the line of scrimmage and we’re moving the ball like we did.”

Question: You guys are used to winning these games. Is this one any sweeter than last year’s championship game?

DERRICK HENRY: “I would say it’s sweeter for me because I consider myself a leader on the team, and all I want to do is make these guys better by the way I work and by the way I practice and by the way I carry myself. The younger guys really just bought in.

“We’re really like a family. Like I said, the Ole Miss loss, when we lost, nobody really hung their head. Everybody came back and refocused and wanted to get here and that’s what we tried to do. I’m just proud of this team. We’re like a family. It just means everything to win this.”