No. 2 Alabama runs over No. 1 Florida to claim SEC championship
ATLANTA — Mark Ingram and Greg McElroy sliced up the fearsome Florida defense and Tim Tebow finally met his match, no matter how hard he tried to fire up his teammates.
With Ingram and McElroy leading an emphatic 32-13 chomping of top-ranked Florida on Saturday, No. 2 Alabama again stands supreme in the Southeastern Conference.
More importantly, the Tide is just one win away from an even bigger title — its first national crown since 1992.
“Everyone had to buy into not to be denied in this game,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said, getting back to business after a raucous celebration at the Georgia Dome. “To be a champion, that’s what you had to do. I’ve never been prouder of a group of players.”
The no-nonsense coach, who talks of “The Process” instead of the houndstooth, needed only three years to bring Alabama back from a grim era to a place it was accustomed to under Paul “Bear” Bryant. Champions, indeed.
“They seemed like they wanted it a whole lot,” Florida cornerback Joe Haden said.
Ingram, making a strong bid to claim the school’s first Heisman Trophy, rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns. McElroy threw for 239 yards and a touchdown to claim the MVP award, showing he is no weak link. The Alabama defense held Tebow in check and left him crying at the end.
“It’s tough. You know it’s not how you want to go out,” Tebow said. “They were just better than us today.”
Alabama (13-0) moves on to Pasadena for the BCS championship game, an accomplishment they noted by passing out roses in the locker room. In fact, the school fight song, “Yea Alabama,” refers to a long-ago Rose Bowl appearance.
Tebow and the Gators (12-1) will likely settle for the Sugar Bowl, denied a shot at their second consecutive national title and third in four years.
“Our standard was to be as good as Florida,” Alabama linebacker Cory Reamer said. “Today, we were better than them.”
Tebow, who came back for his senior year in hopes of winning another title, was 20 of 35 for 247 yards but his last gasp was picked off in the end zone.
“He’s a great player,” Alabama receiver Julio Jones said, “but man, we’re tired of him.”
Saban led LSU to a share of the 2003 national title. After a brief, unhappy stint in the NFL, he returned to take over an Alabama program that had gone through four coaches in seven seasons. It didn’t take long for Saban to realize just how passionate the Tide faithful are about their football — more than 90,000 fans turned out for the spring game.
Saban’s first year was a struggle, including a loss to Louisiana-Monroe, but it was clear he had the program back on the right track. A year later, the Tide ripped off 12 consecutive regular-season wins before Florida ruined their title hopes, rallying for a 31-20 victory in the SEC title game.
It turns out that Saban’s team was just putting it off a year.
With that SEC loss on everyone’s mind every step of the way, Alabama went 12-0 in the regular season again — and this time, not even Tebow and the mighty Gators could stem the Tide.
“Everything we did all year long was to beat them, to be better than them,” Ingram said.
As the new SEC champions celebrated, “Sweet Home Alabama” blared over the speakers at the Georgia Dome.
“Roll, Tide, roll!” the fans cheered along.
Florida was short-handed for a rematch that has seemed preordained from the first practice of the season.
Carlos Dunlap, the team’s best pass rusher, could not play after being arrested on drunken-driving charges Tuesday. Another key player, receiver-returner Brandon James, was hobbled in the second half and could not return.
The Tide held the ball for nearly 40 minutes and piled up 490 yards against a defense that was ranked No. 1 in the country, allowing less than 10 points and about 233 yards a game.
Ingram passed Bobby Humphrey for the school rushing record in a season (1,542 yards) and also had a 69-yard reception on a screen pass.
