Florida need look no further than its opponent last Saturday to try and draw hope in the SEC Championship game.
The Gators opened up as a 16.5 point underdog to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Alabama is averaging 49.5 points per game and giving up 16.8, both tops in the SEC. Starting in the second half against Georgia, the Alabama defense has given up just 53 points in those 26 quarters.
This Alabama team has been the safest and surest No. 1 team ever since the College Football Playoff Committee started ranking teams a month and a half ago. So, as Florida prepares to take on Goliath, they can look to their own David, the LSU Tigers, who walked into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium a week ago as 24-point underdogs and hurled a stone into the Gators’ eye.
How can Florida attack an Alabama defense that has seemingly figured things out? In its first 14 quarters the Tide gave up 115 points and everyone was asking what’s wrong with Alabama? They have figured it out, but they’re not perfect. Surely, there’s a way the Gators can attack Alabama’s defense?
Let’s check.
Alabama has the SEC’s No. 3 ranked rushing defense (113 yards per game). No matter, Florida can’t, and seemingly has lost interest in running the ball, so that shouldn’t matter. What about passing defense? The Gators will need to throw the ball with their Heisman hopeful quarterback. Alabama ranks second in the SEC there, surrendering just 227.1 per game in the air, and have only allowed 300-yards through the air twice, the last time was October 10 to Ole Miss.
“Obviously they’ve got talent at every position all over the field. Not a lot of weaknesses in any aspect of their game,” Dan Mullen said. “Obviously they can put up a lot of points offensively. They can do it through the running game, they can do it through the short passing game with getting the ball to their athletes in space, letting them go make big plays, or they can do it with shots deep down the field. They do a great job protecting the quarterback and let him take those deep shots down the field.
“Defensively solid upfront at the linebacker level and on the back end. Just great athletes all the way around. There's a reason they're the No. 1 team in the country. You see it on film, how they play, how they execute.”
Well, that isn’t confidence-inspiring, but that doesn’t mean the Gators aren’t going to show up this Saturday in Atlanta.
The task at hand isn’t easy but it’s an opportunity. Only two teams each year earn the right to play in this game and Florida has earned that. It may take a biblical effort to come away with a win, but that’s why you play the games on the field and not on paper.
“Our guys think they're pretty good players, too. I think they're going to be excited for this opportunity to go compete. Our guys are competitors. They love playing the big games. I think they're going to be excited for this opportunity.
