Let there be no doubt, no question, no wondering, no what ifs. Tonight’s nationally-televised evisceration proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Alabama is the best, most complete team in the SEC for the 2009 season.
And, following their stunningly complete pulverization of the Florida football machine, the Tide will get to further test their mettle and fight for their right to hoist the crystal in Pasadena a month from now.
On the strength of… well… utter domination in every facet of the game, Alabama took Florida to the woodshed, dragged their limp carcass out at one point and mockingly danced a little jig around it for all to see, then took said carcass back into the woodshed and emerged with a resounding 32-13 win in the SEC Championship game.
By all accounts and any measure, this was a stunningly shocking conclusion to one of the most anticipated games of the decade. The general consensus was that this would be a close, back-and-forth affair.
Nick Saban‘s charges politely urinated all over that general consensus, however, as the Tide offense filleted a dominant Gator defense at will, and ‘Bama’s equally dominant defense took Florida’s spread offense and drove it headfirst into the Georgia Dome turf, never allowing it to come up for as much as a breath.
We could spout all types of statistics right about now, but the only thing you need to know about this game was Alabama’s 17-play, 88-yard bludgeoning of the vaunted Gator defense that began with 7:36 left in the third and ended with 13:49 left on the fourth-quarter clock.
And a Mark Ingram touchdown.
That eight-minute, 47-second drive was an in-your-face, “you can’t f—— stop me” microcosm of the Tide’s complete domination throughout this latest Game For the Ages. That drive stripped the last vestiges of the Gators’ 21-game winning streak bare, and proved beyond a reasonable doubt that ‘Bama is the best the SEC has to offer in ’09.
There should be no shame in Gatorville tonight, however. Make no mistake about it.
They were simply beaten by a better team, one that had anything and everything working for 60 straight minutes when it counted.
Waiting for all the arrogant Florida fans to chime in.
The arrest of what’s-his-name earlier this week made me wonder if it was just one boneheaded player or indicative of the attitude of the Gators in general about this game. As inspired as ‘Bama played, I think Florida really did not want it nearly as much, as well. They often looked confused and even lacking at times that extra something that indicates a team leaving it all out on the field for a championship.
Even Tebow’s legendary leadership ability was not enough to rouse the Gators for the improbable comeback. Failing to do so, now Tebow gets one more chance to show how much of a leader he is: by getting Florida to care about the Sugar Bowl enough to show up and beat either TCU or Cincinnati.
As for the Tide, we’re 0-7-1 all-time versus the Longhorns (assuming as of this writing that they win the Big 12 title game). It’s one of those odd little factoids of sport, though most of those games took place in the first half of the last century, and they have not met since the 1982 Cotton Bowl. It’s not just a chance for the Tide to get its first national title in 17 years, it’s an opportunity to finally hook the Horns for the first time ever.
ROLL TIDE!
So much for “The Promise”. Suck on it, Gator Nation. No crooked zebras could help your outclassed team tonight. You’ve proven what I said you were from week one: an overrated bunch of idiots, padding your stats with a cupcake schedule. When you actually play a team in the Top 5, you fold like a cheap suit. And now, without Timmy, let the long slow slide of Florida football begin. Enjoy your return to mediocrity.
To preface…I am a die-hard Gator. That out of the way, my hats of to the Tide. They outplayed, outcoached and outworked the Gators and I am rooting for them to beat the heck out of whoever is in the championship game against them.
As for a “The Promise” thing….that was for last year, and, gotta say, he put his game where his mouth was and won it all. Its a shame moron’s like overratedgators give themselves a nickname like that and can’t further appreciate Tebow for the gifted athlete he is. Buddy, you are witnessing a possibly once in a lifetime collegiate player.
I’ll be bleeding orange and blue for the Sugar Bowl but come Pasadena…ROLL TIDE!
As a die hard Gator Fan I must say the better team won, we were out coached, out played and again predictable. But what you Tide fans are forgetting is that we have a young man named John Brantley waiting in the wings. If and this is a big IF Coach Meyers lets him open up he will be better than Tim Tebow and as usual we will be back on top of the SEC. And overrated how do you figure a cup cake schedule we played almost the same teams Bama did.
Oh, and incidentally, who do you think had the worse night? Tebow and seeing his hope for history dashed, or the Florida guy who lost in the Dr. Pepper football throwing contest at halftime…to a GIRL! Now, to be fair, she was money: she made her first nine throws before missing the last one just off the bottom of the hole. The eight he made would have won most of the time. But still…you just KNOW he’s not going to hear the end of this one for a long, long time…if ever.
Kodiak: I have posted my respect for Timmy’s atheticism on many occassions. Right after his concussion, I was on CFT posting that I hoped he recovered quickly, because although I was sick of the Timmy hype, I recognized him as a great player and all-around decent kid. Even my post tonight says that “WITHOUT TIMMY”, the Gators are nothing. My distaste is for UF, not for Tebow.
And yes, they’re overrated. If you don’t believe me, go back and check the final score. And if that’s not enough, go replay the game. They were outclassed on every level.
And Dallas, just because you played “almost the same teams Bama did”, it does not necessarily follow that (a) Bama’s schedule was any harder (I said that Florida’s schedule was cupcake; I made no comment about Bama’s), or (b) that you dominated those same teams with the same level of quality as ‘Bama (face it, without some questionable officiating, UF clearly would have lost to Arkansas, and probably LSU).
(But, by the way, Bama’s was in fact slightly harder. Tonight was their third game against a current top 25 team. It was only the second such game for UF.)
I always knew they didn’t teach humility, sportsmanship or civility in Gainesville. Guess they don’t teach reading comprehension or logic either.
Awfully said when reality catches up to your egos, eh, Gator Nation? I always thought the Gator fans were saying “chomp”. Who knew that all this time you were really chanting “choke”? I haven’t seen Timmy cry like that since Michigan handed him his ass in the Capital One bowl.
All the gator fans that were boasting the last few weeks are gone….til sometime in the future.
Where are all the arrogant Florida fans now
woodman: hopefully the jackasses are gone. I’m a Gator fan, still proud of the team, and I acknowledge (as I did in the predictions thread during before the fourth quarter started) that Florida got beat by a better team tonight. Period. Every time there was a play to be made, ‘bama made it and Florida didn’t. I have no idea what would happen if they played again — but it doesn’t matter. Alabama is the SEC champions and I fully expect them to represent the conference with class and distinction, and bring the title home in Pasedena. So Roll Tide, and congratulations.
You were right in your prediction that neither team will win by 20, but just barely.
Seeing Tebow cry like a little girl made my week. Thank you Timmy.
BTW Dallas, We know who John Brantley is. He’s a pro-style QB who won’t be able to do the things in Meyer’s offense that Tebow (or Alex Smith) could. Florida is still full of talent, but without Tebow at the helm of that offense, without the threat of him trucking pas somebody for a first down, Florida’s offense suddenly isn’t that much different then Ole Miss or Auburn.
Ooooo, John! “Evisceration” is such a lovely word! Being a native Floridian living in the heart of Gator Country, I’ve had to swallow the unbelievable arrogance of this Gator team’s fans for quite some time now. And it’s been hard to take. Sorry, hrudey, though I appreciate the concession, if the game were played again tonight, the outcome would be the same. It wasn’t a fluke victory. It was, as John said, an evisceration. It wasn’t the better team on the day. It was the better of these two teams … period.
For a year, I’ve gotten a daily dose of people like gator_prof talking as though the third championship was already won. I’ve read newspaper headlines from moronic columnists telling me to “revel” in the extraordinary journey of Tim Tebow, the “greatest QB” ever to play the game (talk to me when he’s putting on a gold jacket in Canton–otherwise he’s just an amateur). They talked to us and about us like we were a Pop Warner team. That kind of arrogance is nauseating and it crashes to earth with a BIG LOUD WELL-DESERVED THUD.
My favorite moment was when Saban had his players take a knee just shy of scoring again. Like Lundquist said, that’s what class looks like, though some coaches wouldn’t recognize it–they’re too busy running up the score on unranked opponents.
I’ve always liked the and respected the Gators and respected that 96 championship team. And I don’t mean to rub it in the face of good fans like tampalawyer or hrudey or Kodiak Kid. But at the risk of sounding like an ungracious winner, most of the rest got the comeuppance they deserved. And no matter what happens to us in the championship game, it was delicious.
ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Impressive win for teh Tide. I enjoy greatness, but was definitely ready to see the Gators out.
Humility is a wonderful thing. Keeps folks from feeling entitled or charmed.
Still have to earn what you want, which Bama did convincingly. They will lasso Texas by the horns, insert bit and bridle and break the beast. Maybe even saddle them up for a nice gentle Sunday ride.
Jesus got tired of propping Tebow up. All that crying, he was not God’s chosen one.
Snotty little Laney Kiffin was only half right when he said Florida has the better players, Alabama the better coaches. Only half-right. 50% won’t cut it. FL was outcoached and unprepared! One game, two losers, FL and Kiffin.
Sorry Gators for being so right about your squad. The biggest fraud in college football was exposed for the Urban Legend they are. Total domination up front and Bama had the best QB on the field. Go ahead and give Ingram the Heisman. He has been the best player week in and week out all year. Oh yeah, Joe Haden and Janoris Jenkins would not start at Bama.
Congrats to Bama fans…
Saban is a great coach and had his team prepared and focused.
Bama crushed the gators in ever aspect of the game.
McElroy looked phenomenal.
Ingram should get the HT, period. The guy got most of his yards after contact. He made the Gator D look like a Pac 12 team tackling wise.
I hope that Bama brings the same intensity and focus to the title game. If so, Texas has zero chance.
Seeryer…Gators aren’t a fraud, Bama is just a better team, period.
deb: If the ‘bama team that showed up Saturday night and the Florida team that showed up Saturday night played a hundred times, you’d win them all. If the teams that had showed up the weekend before played, Florida would probably win most of them. But on the one day that they did play, Bama showed up and won it. That’s all that matters.
I can see how everyone feels about UF and Tebow. I felt the same way hearing about USC and about Vince Young once he hit the NFL. I just hope that everyone gets the opportunity to have that type of run themselves, and to watch their favorite team experience success so overwhelming that failing to win three titles in four years is a major letdown. (Well, not *everyone* — offer void in Athens.) Because the joy of seeing someone else’s hype train crash to earth is nothing compared to being there while they’re shooting at the stars. Deb, you in particular might know how that feels in another year or two — I’m not sure who’s going to have the horses to put even a scare into ‘bama next year, but a season of being the hunted team is on the way.
“Urban Legend”. Damn, seeryer, why didn’t I think of that? Brilliant.
@hrudey …
I’m having an interesting weekend. On CFT, I’m riding high on Bama’s win because it’s sooo good to see the program finally back where it belongs–contending for championships. And on PFT, I’m having to grin and bear it while the haters take all the shots they can at my Steelers. Fans of all those teams that don’t have six Lombardis love to see the Steelers crash and burn.
One day at a time.
Yeah, I’ve been on that shooting star before. It’s quite a ride
As for Bama’s future, it looks bright, but like I said, I never count my chickens before they’re hatched. Cringed when the Steelers talked about repeating. Cringe when Bama fans say they’re not worried about Texas. Will think about next year AFTER this year
overratedgators,
Thanks. I have been calling them that on this board for weeks. If you want to really get a laugh please read some posts of mine from the Dunlap’s Dad thread. How I said this game would play out is exactly what happened. And I have let the sports talkers in Jacksonville have it today. My goal is to be as despised by Gator fans as Gator fans are despised by everyone else.