With the regular season now in the rearview mirror, the No. 12 Gators (10-2) will head to Atlanta for a matchup against No. 2 Alabama (11-1) with the Southeastern Conference Championship on the line.
Coach Jim McElwain has a tough task coaching against his mentor, Alabama coach Nick Saban, who McElwain served under as the offensive coordinator of the Crimson Tide from 2008-2011. Here’s a look at what McElwain and Co. will have to face come Saturday:
More than just Henry on offense:
The Crimson Tide have the No. 6 total offense in the SEC and while running back Derrick Henry gets all the praise on Alabama’s offense — rightfully so, he leads the nation with 1,797 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns — quarterback Jake Coker is second in the SEC with a 65.4 percent completion percentage. Coker’s favorite target is freshman wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who has 67 receptions for 791 yards and five touchdowns.
Ridley has become one of the most explosive freshman wide receivers in the country and he’s drawn comparisons to former Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper, who is now in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders.
Of Ridley’s five touchdown catches this year, four have gone for 30 yards or more.
He does most of his damage on first down as he has 36 receptions for 502 yards and three touchdowns.
A stout defense: Saban and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart have another strong defense this year as Alabama ranks No. 1 in the conference in scoring defense (14.3 PPG), rush defense (78.9 YPG) total defense (264.6 YPG) and No. 5 in pass defense (185.7 YPG).
Defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and A’Shawn Robinson anchor a line that has 41 sacks this season, good for third-most in the country, and they’ve added 86 tackles for loss.
The Crimson Tide defense is also stingy on third down, holding opponents to just a 29.57 conversion rate this year, which ranks eighth best in the nation.
Special Teams: Alabama kicker Adam Griffith has been reliable this season as he’s made 19-of-26 field goals this season. He’s also perfect on extra point attempts, going 48-for-48. Punter JK Scott is averaging 43.4 yards per punt this season but only 13 of his 51 punts have pinned opponents inside their 20-yard line.
Punt returner Cyrus Jones is an X-factor on special teams as he leads the country with three punt returns for touchdowns.
Player to watch: Reggie Ragland is one of the best linebackers in the nation. Ragland leads Alabama with 90 tackles and he has 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Ragland’s play hasn’t gone unnoticed this season, as he’s been named either a semifinalist or finalist for four major defensive awards this season.
The senior linebacker is a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award and a finalist for the Nagurski, Bednarik and Butkus Awards.
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In this Nov. 7, 2015, file photo, LSU quarterback Brandon Harris (6) is hit by Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland (19) and Alabama defensive back Marlon Humphrey (26) in the first half of an NCAA college football game, in Tuscaloosa , Ala.
