The SEC Championship Game is this Saturday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. With Alabama coming in as clear favourites, most people are hoping they can avoid the upset to confirm their place in the college football playoff. The Florida Gators have slowly fallen apart on offense with Will Grier suspended for a year due to performance enhancing drugs and Treon Harris continuing to struggle at quarterback in his place. With a shaky offensive line the running game has also been a problem this year for the Gators. The Florida defense will be the Gators’ best shot at the biggest upset of championship weekend.
One of the big strengths for the Gators has been their defense which has kept them in games and helped them to grind out some key victories against Kentucky, Georgia and Ole Miss. Florida finished fifth in total defense during the regular season which is impressive given how much they struggled on offense down the stretch. The sheer time on the field for the Gators defense in the game against Florida State meant they were bound to wear down through exhaustion.
Facing off against Alabama and their #2 ranked defense is a terrible matchup for this Gators offense and this is why the Crimson Tide are so highly favored. But Florida’s defense has proven that it can shut down good rushing attacks which are the recipe for success when facing Alabama. Last week Dalvin Cook from Florida State only padded his rushing totals in the fourth quarter once the defense had completely worn down. If the Gator defense can limit Derrick Henry to four or five yards per carry then it will force Jake Coker into passing on third down which plays into arguably the biggest strength of this Florida team, its secondary.
The likes of Vernon Hargreaves in the secondary will make it hard for the Alabama receivers to get separation. Alabama quarterback Jake Coker has shown improvements over the course of the season but the offensive game plan is usually to put him in manageable situations which didn’t happen when they lost to Ole Miss. This year they don’t have that elite wide receiver that requires special consideration like Amari Cooper last year or Julio Jones a few years prior. The Florida cornerbacks can be aggressive in man coverage and force Coker to beat them one on one.
Keeping Derrick Henry from running all over them is easier said than done; but Florida is one of the few teams in the SEC capable of managing this and at least keeping themselves in the game. If the Florida offense can get anything going early on then it’s possible that Florida can push the Crimson Tide all the way in a game that many have pegged as being an ugly blowout.
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