Alabama no. 1 faced the toughest test of the season and barely escaped Saturday night, beating No. 7 Florida 52-46 in the 2020 SEC Championship to win its ninth conference title and fifth in the last seven seasons. The game lived up to its high octane hype at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith recovered Florida’s 2:09 left-footed attempt to end a furious charge that made a game out of what once looked like an explosion. The Gators ran 75 yards in 10 games and hit paydirt to reach a striking distance in a remarkable 22-yard throw from Kyle Trask to Kyle PItts. Florida coach Dan Mullen then decided to go for two, with Trask converting. Trask finished with 408 yards, four total touchdowns and a fumble.
That’s after Crimson Tide, QB, Mac Jones hit Smith for a 15-yard touchdown with 4:59 in the game to push Alabama’s lead to 52-38 and put pressure on the Gators. Jones finished with 418 yards, five touchdowns and an interception.
Alabama made things run fast by going 70 yards on nine game pieces in its first race of the game. Landing units of 31 meters, 73 meters, 70 meters and 78 meters followed during the first half in which the pointer Charlie Scott never saw the ground.
Najee Harris was the star of the show. The senior totaled 245 yards (178 rushing), with five total touchdowns (two rushing), surpassing the program records, obtaining 54 general touchdown and 44th hurried touchdown. His 27 touchdowns in 2020 are slightly less than the former ex-Alabama Derrick Henry had in the 2015 Heisman Trophy.
Smith broke Amari Cooper’s career record of 3,463 meters in the first quarter and ended the night with a school record in a single game of 15 catches for 184 meters and two touchdowns.
Alabama scored its own record card and offered cases to the Heisman Trophy for its three stars, but Florida didn’t seem to suffer the hangover due to LSU’s shocking loss last weekend. He came back from the deck in the second half after falling into a 35-17 break. The Gators scored 45-38 at the start of the fourth quarter after a 1-yard touchdown pass from Dameon Pierce. This came after a torn third, which saw Trask hit Trevon Grimes for a 50-meter touchdown on the first unit, plus a 12-yard, 80-yard drive that ended with a 3-touchdown. yard from Nay’Quan Wright to get the Gators striking distance at 35-31. It was only the second quarter of the entire season that Alabama failed to score.
Gators player Kators Pitts had 129 yards and a seven-catch touchdown, while WR Kadarius Toney received 153 yards and his own touchdown.
Victoria scored Alabama’s seventh title under coach Nick Saban, who arrived before the 2008 season. An 11-0 season is coming to an end that will undoubtedly result in a trip to the playoffs. college football for the sixth time in seven years that there has been a four-team post-season event.
Florida ends its regular season at 8-3 and will find out on Sunday if it will head to the third bowl of Six of the New Year this year. CBS Sports Bowls expert Jerry Palm has the Gators projected into the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma.
Keep it locked here for SEC Championship Game food and attractions.