The Alabama Crimson Tide face the Florida Gators in the SEC Championship Saturday afternoon at the Georgia Dome. The Crimson Tide has been on a roll since taking their only loss to Ole Miss back in September, and head coach Nick Saban is looking to earn his fourth SEC title since arriving to Alabama. Florida head coach Jim McElwain has the Gators back in the SEC Championship game for the first time since 2009, and he will need his team to bounce back after a tough loss to Florida State in their final game of the season.
Gators quarterback Treon Harris will try to lead the Gators to a big upset over Alabama and will need to protect the ball against a stingy Crimson Tide defense. Harris has thrown for 1,365 yards this season with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. The Gators sophomore quarterback is a dual threat behind the center and has rushed for 193 yards this season. McElwain will need a strong ground game against the Gators, as time of possession could be a big factor in this game.
Running back Kelvin Taylor will likely get plenty of opportunities Saturday afternoon, as he leads the team with 977 rushing yards this season. The Gators junior running back is averaging 4.1 yards per carry and has scored 13 touchdowns this season. The Gators will need a strong ground game and their defense to continue to step up. Florida's defense is giving up an average of just 15.5 points per game but face arguably the toughest challenge of their season in stopping Alabama running back Derrick Henry and Nick Saban's offense.
The Crimson Tides junior running back has rushed for 1,797 yards this season and has scored 22 touchdowns. Henry is one of the leading candidates to win the Heisman Trophy this season and is a huge reason Alabama is currently ranked second in the College Football Playoff poll. Saban is looking for his fourth National Championship at Alabama, and quarterback Jake Coker will need to play big down the stretch if the Crimson Tide want to hoist another championship trophy.
Alabama's senior quarterback has played well this season and made some big plays in their final game against in-state rival Auburn. Coker has struggled at times with turnovers this season, and ball security will be of the utmost importance to Coker and the Crimson Tide offense.
While the Crimson Tide offense has played great this season, it's Alabama's defense that is arguably the best in the entire country. The Crimson Tide are holding opponents to 14.3 points per game, and linebacker Reggie Ragland leads their defense as he is continually making plays on the field. Ragland leads the team with 90 total tackles this season and creates havoc for opposing offenses with 6.5 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks this season.
This SEC Championship game looks to be a matchup of two of college football's best defenses, and the Crimson Tide know they are one win away to returning to the College Football Playoff. The game starts at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live stream here. To listen to Alabama's radio broadcast, click here, and for the Gators' radio broadcast, go here.
