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Alabama is the king of the SEC again.
The Crimson Tide defeated Florida 52-46 to earn yet another SEC Championship on Saturday night. The Tide’s gaudy offensive performance is yet another win for ‘Bama, who are 11-0 on the year entering their latest appearance in the College Football Playoff.
The two squads combined for over 1,000 yards of total offense, with 605 of them attained by the Tide. Both teams averaged at least 7.0 yards/play, with ‘Bama edging UF 7.3-7.0 in that category. Alabama crushed Florida on the ground, outpacing them 202-83. Neither team missed any opportunity to score in the red zone, as they went a combined 10-for-10 on red zone attempts.
DeVonta Smith had yet another ridiculous showing. The all-world wide receiver hauled in 15 catches for 184 yards with two touchdowns, and was targeted 18 times on the night. No other receiver in the game had more than eight receptions, so needless to say it was another busy night for Smith. There aren’t too many, IF any, better players than Smith is this season, and recognition will no doubt be coming his way.
Najee Harris meanwhile was a monster. Harris ran the ball 31 times and picked up 178 yards. He scored two touchdowns on the ground and three through the air, giving him five total touchdowns. That’s an SEC Championship Game record, by the by. And of course, Mac Jones had five passing touchdowns while going for 418 yards on 33 completions.
Florida’s Kyle Trask had 408 yards through the air, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Kadarius Toney led the way with eight catches for 153 yards and a score, while Kyle Pitts had seven for 129 and a score as well. Trevon Grimes caught the other touchdown pass, as Grimes had 78 yards on just four total receptions. 46 points will get you wins on most days... but today was not that day against the mighty Tide.
We’ll await the pleasantries that whatever this CFB Playoff announcement bring us, but Alabama will rest easy knowing they’ll be the #1 seed without much doubt or drama. As for everything else? Well, it’s a giant kerfuffle. But that ain’t Alabama’s problem to deal with.