Florida Gators vs Alabama Crimson Tide Match Player Stats On Dec 05, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Dec 5, 2015

ATLANTA -- Derrick Henry enhanced his Heisman Trophy candidacy and Alabama is heading to the College Football Playoff as the SEC's first back-to-back champion in 17 years.

Henry rushed for 189 yards and a touchdown on 44 carries while passing former Georgia great Herschel Walker's single-season SEC yardage record and Alabama defeated Florida 29-15 on Saturday in the title game at the Georgia Dome.

The Crimson Tide (12-1) held Florida (10-3) to three first downs through three quarters and finished with 24 first downs to seven for the Gators while totaling 437 yards.

Jake Coker threw two touchdown passes for Alabama and Henry scored a TD for the 18th straight game while winning the game's MVP award.

Henry, a 242-pound junior, has 1,986 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. Walker gained 1,891 yards in 1981 -- the year before he won the Heisman Trophy.

It was Alabama's 10 straight victory and coach Nick Saban now has four wins in the SEC title game -- one more than former Florida coach Steve Spurrier.

Florida, which needed a safety last week against Florida State to avoid its first shutout since 1988, took a 7-2 lead early in the second quarter on the longest punt return in SEC championship history.

J.K. Scott's booming kick traveled 59 yards, but Antonio Callaway caught it on the move and sped up the middle 85 yards untouched through the Alabama coverage team.

From there, it was all Alabama.

The Crimson Tide's offense got untracked on the next two possessions, getting a field goal and touchdown for a 12-7 lead at halftime.

Adam Griffin kicked a 28-yard field goal and Henry bulled in from the 2-yard line after a 55-yard pass from Coker to Calvin Ridley.

Alabama's only points until then had come on a blocked punt by Keith Holcombe that went out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

The Crimson Tide also blocked a 40-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter, with D.J. Pettway getting a hand on Austin Hardin's kick.

Florida gained just a single net yard from scrimmage on 10 second-quarter plays and got off only five plays in the third quarter as Alabama took charge.

Alabama got a 30-yard field goal by Griffin and then a 32-yard touchdown pass from Coker to ArDarius Stewart that capped an 80-yard drive.

Coker, who completed 18 of 26 passes for 204 yards, connected with Richard Mullaney from 9 yards out early in the fourth quarter to pad the lead.

Florida made the score look a little more respectable on a 49-yard touchdown pass from Treon Harris to C.J. Worton with five minutes remaining.

NOTES: The last previous school to win consecutive SEC titles was Tennessee, in 1997 and 1998. ... Henry is the first player to have back-to-back 100-yard rushing games in the SEC championship. He had 148 yards last year against Missouri. ... A team from the SEC East hasn't won the title since 2008, when Florida defeated Alabama behind Tim Tebow. ... Alabama and Florida have met eight times in the 24-year history of the SEC title game, each winning four times. ... Florida's Jim McElwain, a former Alabama assistant, was the third coach to make the championship game in his first year, joining Les Miles of LSU in 2005 and Gus Malzahn of Auburn in 2013. ... The Gators, at 17.5 points, were the biggest underdogs in the SEC title game since Florida was favored by 24 over Arkansas in 1995. The Gators won that game 34-3.