Saturday, December 19
Atlanta, GA
8 PM
Florida Gators
vs
Alabama
Florida and Alabama play for the 10th time in the SEC Championship Game. (Photo: Courtney Culbreath/UAA Communications)
SEC Championship Game Day: No. 11 Florida vs No. 1 Alabama
Saturday, December 19, 2020 | Football, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Greetings this week from Steve Spurrier, ambassador to University of Florida athletics and resident icon inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, had nothing to do with the holidays or season's greetings. "It's Championship Week," Spurrier said as he roamed the halls around his third-floor stadium office.
Indeed, it is. Nothing was more important to Spurrier during his 11-year reign as UF football coach. And nothing is — or should be — more important to the No. 11 Gators (8-2) and their fan base as Saturday night's SEC Championship Game clash with mighty and No. 1 Alabama (10-0) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta draws near.
[Read senior writer Scott Carter's comprehensive "Opening Kickoff" preview here]
They used to roll their eyes in Tallahassee when Spurrier, in the aftermath of a regular season-ending loss to rival Florida State, would immediately turn focus to the SEC title game and its championship stakes (a format the Atlantic Coast Conference did not adopt until 2005). Championships, after all, were what you played seasons for, and the Gators won five of them under Spurrier during the title-game era, including four that followed heartbreak against the Seminoles (three after losses, one after an infamous tie). One of those wins, in fact, earned UF a rematch against FSU for the national championship.
Anyone remember what happened?
The 2020 regular season did not end against Florida State, but it definitely ended in profound disappointment. Florida's 37-34 home loss to LSU last weekend shook the program and its fan base to the core, in essence eliminating the Gators from the College Football Playoff picture.
Right?
Probably, yes, but what better second chance could a team ask for than playing the No. 1 team in the country? The Gators were going to have to face the Crimson Tide anyway, having clinched the SEC East Division and date in the championship game after nine games. The big-picture stakes may not be the same, but a SEC championship — Florida has just eight in program history; the last coming 12 years ago — is there for the taking, albeit against an opponent whose greatest strengths will be matched against UF's greatest weaknesses.
Offensively, the Tide rank first in the league (and among the top five nationally) in yards (537.8 per game), scoring (49.5 points pg), yards per play (7.90) and passing efficiency (198.2), which doesn't align very well against a Gators defense that is no better than fifth in the SEC (and 45th nationally) in yards allowed (384.7 per game), scoring (26.3 ppg), rushing (142.4 ypg), passing (242.3 ypg), the latter number checking in 78th in the country.
Alabama quarterback Mac Jones has completed a league-best 76.4 percent of his throws for 3,321 yards, 27 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He is one of three players on the Bama offense being mentioned in the Heisman Trophy race, along with tailback Najee Harris (1,084 yards, 22 TDs) and wideout DeVonta Smith (83 catches, 1,327 yards, 15 TDs).
Alabama is 6-1 in the SEC Championship Game under Saban, with the lone loss coming in 2008 when the Tim Tebow and the second-ranked Gators knocked off the top-ranked and unbeaten Tide.
Florida is a 17-point underdog in the game, the third-largest spread in an event that dates to 1992.
If the Gators are to make things interesting — and make history — they'll need a bounce-back performance from their quarterback, Kyle Trask, who entered last week as the odds-on favorite to the win the prestigious award. Trask was not terrible against LSU, far from it, but his three first-half turnovers proved crucial in setting the game's tone and giving the Tigers a reason to believe, as they opened a 10-point fourth-quarter lead. Trask went on to throw for 474 yards and two scores, plus rush for a pair of TDs, but LSU made the late plays — and field goal — where UF did not.
Trask and his friends on offense, who rank second to Bama and eighth nationally at 513.5 yards per, will have to play a near-perfect game to stick around. That means a turnover-free performance from Trask (70.2 percent, 3,717 yards, 40 TDs, 5 INTs), something from a running game that ranks 100th in the country (127.1 ypg), and a probably a mega-day from either tight end Kyle Pitts (36 catches, 641 yards, 11 TDs), who missed the LSU with a leg injury, or wingback Kadarius Toney (62 catches, 831 yards, 9 TDs). Probably both, plus more from others.
It's not out of the realm, either. This Alabama defense has shown, at times, to be far from dominant, starting with a pass efficiency rating that checks in at No. 57 nationally, low-lighted by the Oct. 10 game at Ole Miss when the Rebels scored 48 points and cranked out 647 yards. Then again, Bama scored 63 points and gained 723 yards, but you get the point. In defense of the Tide's defense, the unit has improved tremendously during the second half of the season, holding three of their previous five opponents to three points or less and 200 yards or less.
And two weeks ago, they pummeled LSU 55-17 at Baton Rouge.
For the Gators, the task looms enormous, especially considering the Tide has won 30 consecutive games against SEC East teams, dating to a 2010 loss to South Carolina and a coach named Spurrier. For the record, that wasn't during "Championship Week."
This is.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. on CBS, with the crew of Brad Nessler on play-by-play, Gary Danielson providing analysis, and Jamie Erdahl working the sidelines. The game will be rebroadcast Tuesday at 3 p.m., Wednesday at 9:30 a.m., and Thursday at 1 a.m., all on the SEC Network. For Gator Radio Network info, click here.
Finally, follow senior staff writer Scott Carter on Twitter (@GatorsScott) for commentary and analysis throughout the afternoon. FloridaGators.com will have complete coverage from the game Saturday and fresh content Sunday, as well.
Players Mentioned
Play Breakdown presented by Tower Hill Insurance 9-7-25
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Billy Napier Press Conference 10-6-25
Monday, October 06
Vernell Brown III Media Availability 10-6-25
Monday, October 06
Myles Graham Media Availability 10-6-25
Monday, October 06
