TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — With Alabama’s 42-21 victory over Florida, the Crimson Tide looks capable of winning both the Southeastern Conference title and earning a College Football Playoff bid.
"We eventually got control of the game, which speaks a lot about the competitive nature that the players have," coach Nick Saban said.
"They just kept hanging in there. This is not something that we want to be a part of our team, in terms of how we execute and what we do."
Alabama’s offense was balanced against the Florida defense, as the Tide ran the ball well and quarterback Blake Sims had his first breakout game of the season.
Sims, a senior in his first year as a starter, completed 70 percent of his passes for 445 yards and four touchdowns.
His one interception came in the second half.
"I thought Blake did a really good job on third down all day," Saban said.
"We had several third-and-shorts, but we had some third-and-longs that we converted. When Blake takes what the defense gives, he’s instinctive and he makes good plays and decisions."
Sims left the game in the fourth quarter with a bruised shoulder, but Saban said Sims will be ready to play Alabama faces Ole Miss in two weeks.
"He made a couple of nice plays scrambling today, which is going to be a real asset for him," Saban said. "People have to respect him as a passer. He has made too many plays and too many good throws for people to not respect him as a passer. He’s done a really good job for us."
The Tide’s run game exploded in the second half, gaining 110 yards on the ground and averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
Equally impressive in the second half was running back Derrick Henry, whom Florida’s front seven had no answer for. Henry finished Saturday with 111 yards on 20 touches and a touchdown.
"We were able to gain control of the line of scrimmage and were able to run the ball effectively," Saban said.
"We made big plays on offense; some of them were actually planned designs if they were in a certain look. We got the looks and we made big plays."
Amari Cooper continued to play well on Saturday. After averaging 151.3 yards per game through Alabama’s first three games, Cooper grabbed 10 passes for 201 yards against Florida.
Cooper was expected to be placed in man-on-man situations with cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III.
But the Gators defense gave him looks in zone coverage as well as safety reads. Cooper averaged 20.1 yards per catch and had three touchdowns.
"Coop did a great job in the game," Saban said. "We have a lot of respect for their No. 1 guy (Hargreaves III). He is a very good player. But when you have matchups like that with two good players, I think when you analyze the whole thing; both guys will end up making some plays."
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Alabama coach Nick Saban hypes up his team prior to the Crimson Tide's 42-21 win against the Gators on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
