ATLANTA - Joe Haden thought his ankle was ruined.
UF's cornerback was squirming in pain midway through the second quarter on the Georgia Dome turf, teammates crowding around him to see if he was alright.
No. 2 UF's entire defense was hurting at that point in the game, as No. 1 Alabama was racking up rushing yards at will behind running back Glen Coffee.
But Haden got back up. He tested his ankle on the sideline, ran a few sprints and when the trainers asked if he could continue, he answered definitively.
"I was like, "Yeah, I can go,'" Haden said. "I didn't know if I was gonna get out of this (without) my ankle having to get cut off."
Nothing that dramatic had to happen. Haden recovered in time to break up a pass and make a tackle on Alabama's next drive.
"I was going to get hurt even worse if I was thinking about it," Haden said. "I just had to go out there and just act like I was healthy."
The UF defense recovered, too, in time to stonewall Alabama's running backs in the fourth quarter.
Coffee, who had dominated up the middle and collected 110 yards in the first three quarters, finished the game with 112 and couldn't add to Alabama's final tally of 20 points.
"Twenty points against that outfit?" coach Urban Meyer said. "We'll take that and go."
And even when the Crimson Tide passing game tried to get things going with time slipping away, the Gators' decimated defensive line - down to just four healthy players - had an answer.
Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson completed just a single pass for 10 yards in the game's final frame, and the Tide ran just seven plays.
Defensive end Carlos Dunlap laughed when he recalled how crazy he made Wilson in the final minutes.
"I knew I had to get back and get in his face, otherwise he would make the plays," Dunlap said. "I figure I had to make the play first."
Defensive lineman Brandon Antwine, who tore his ACL against UF State on Nov. 29, was standing on the sidelines with "SEC 2008" shaved into his head. After the game, he leaned on crutches and had tears rolling down his eyes.
"It's family effort," Antwine said. "I wouldn't say team effort. We're a family, man."
In Alabama's final drive, UF defensive lineman Jermaine Cunningham put pressure on Wilson, caused him to heave up a desperation pass.
On the other end of that throw?
Haden and his seemingly fine ankle.
"That's just how he's been preparing all year," Dunlap said. "He's been practicing all summer and getting everything ready and being one of the best lockdown corners in the nation."
