TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Urban Meyer didn’t want any “Southeastern Conference Championship rematch” talk last week.
The Gators coach said his team was too young to worry about what happened in December, when Florida’s hopes of back-to-back national championships were halted, crushed and stomped by Alabama. This week wasn’t about revenge. It was about potential win No. 5, he said.
If Meyer somehow succeeded in that goal, the accomplishment was offset the moment players walked on the field Saturday.
Entering to a chorus of boos from most of the 101,821 in attendance at Bryant-Denny Stadium, freshman receiver Andre Debose waved his arms to the Crimson Tide student section, begging the fans to make more noise.
And they did just that, erupting when a highlight video showed a clip of former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow getting tackled in last season’s meeting. Even Gators coaches were amped, hopping around on the sidelines.
But the pregame excitement was gone by the end of the first quarter, and the Gators were left with what they brought to Alabama: an inexperienced team (42 percent of Florida’s roster are freshmen), a struggling offense and an untested defense.
If last year’s game was embarrassing for Florida fans, this season’s 31-6 loss was depressing.
“No team is perfect,” linebacker Brandon Hicks said. “You can’t go through a perfect season without having some type of controversy, some type of obstacle in front of you. We felt like this is our point, this is where we actually hit reality.”
The No. 14 Gators (4-1, 2-1 SEC) looked ready to go toe-to-toe with the defending national champions during their opening drive. Junior quarterback John Brantley ran past a Crimson Tide blitz for a first down, connected with receiver Deonte Thompson for 21 yards and flipped the ball to sophomore Omarius Hines on a 19-yard reverse.
But Florida’s offense stalled at the goal line. Freshman Trey Burton, whom Meyer insisted would not be used to emulate Tebow following his school-record six-touchdown performance against Kentucky, was stuffed on consecutive runs before getting intercepted by linebacker Nico Johnson on the Tebow-trademarked jump pass.
“It was an aggressive call, something that we would probably do again,” Meyer said. “As a matter of fact, I know we would do it again.”
The Gators actually outgained the No. 1 Crimson Tide (5-0, 2-0 SEC) 281-273 and controlled the ball longer, but those stats were trumped by turnovers and red-zone woes.
In their first four games, the Gators scored on 17 of 19 red-zone possessions, highlighted by 16 touchdowns. But Florida managed just three points on four red-zone possessions, which included Burton’s interception, a fumbled snap and a turnover on downs.
“Florida beat Florida today,” center Mike Pouncey said after the game.
The Gators offense also turned the ball over four times and its defense forced none. Brantley threw two interceptions, both of which led to Alabama touchdowns.
And Florida’s defensive backs failed to get their hands on a pass from Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy.
In fact, McElroy moved the Alabama offense with ease early, completing eight of 11 passes for 80 yards on the Crimson Tide’s first two drives to give them a 10-0 edge.
Florida’s deficit went from manageable to out of hand when its defense was asked to defend a short field on Alabama’s next two drives. Receiver Julio Jones returned a punt 41 yards into Florida territory and, eight plays later, running back Mark Ingram scored his second touchdown of the night.
Brantley threw an interception on Florida’s next drive, leading to another Alabama quick strike. With receiver Marquis Maze lined up at the wildcat quarterback position, Florida’s defense predicted a run at the snap. But Maze pulled up and threw a touchdown to receiver Michael Williams in the back-right corner of the end zone.
“We were self-destructive,” senior strong safety Ahmad Black said. “In order to beat a great team like Alabama, we can’t do that.”
The focus entering the game was on Alabama running backs Ingram and Trent Richardson, who averaged 154 and 89 yards per game, respectively, before Saturday.
But, relatively speaking, the duo was held in check, combining for 110 yards on the ground. Florida’s offense was worse, though, gaining just 79 yards on 31 attempts (2.5 per rush).
Florida fans hoping for solace after Saturday can look at the play of the Gators defense in the second half. After jumping to a big lead, Alabama was limited to 71 yards in the final 30 minutes and only scored one touchdown: an interception return by Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosely.
“Nobody feels sorry for us,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “Nobody should feel sorry for us. And we don’t want people to feel sorry for us.”
