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Football Rolls Over Florida, 38-10
GAINESVILLE,
Fla. - Junior running back Trent Richardson rushed for 181 yards on 29
carries, both of which were career highs, as the No. 3/2 Alabama
football team took down No. 12/12 Florida 38-10 Saturday at Ben Hill
Griffin Stadium. With the win, the Crimson Tide remains undefeated on
the season at 5-0 overall and 2-0 against Southeastern Conference
opponents, while the Gators fall to 4-1 overall and 2-1 versus league
foes.
Alabama held Florida to 15 rushing yards for the game, 244
yards shy of its season average. The Tide collected 366 total yards of
offense in the game compared to the Gators' 222 yards. During head
coach Nick Saban's 59-game tenure, the Alabama defense has now limited
its opponents to less than 300 yards of total offense on 34 occasions
and has not allowed more than 251 yards this season.
The Gators
wasted no time getting on the board with a 65-yard touchdown pass 19
seconds into the game for the early 7-0 lead. On the ensuing drive, the
Tide used 12 plays to get downfield for a 32-yard field goal setting
the score at 7-3 with 9:47 remaining in the opening quarter. The next
two drives also resulted in scores, this time with Florida getting the
field goal and Alabama tacking on the touchdown thanks to a five-yard
run from Richardson. Richardson's touchdown was the first rushing
touchdown given up by the Gators this season.
The Tide defense
came up big on the next drive as junior linebacker Courtney Upshaw
intercepted a pass, the first of his career, and returned it 45 yards
for the touchdown, giving Alabama the 17-10 lead with 12:57 to go in
the half. In addition to his interception, Upshaw would finish the game
with four total tackles, including three for a loss of 21 yards and a
sack for a loss of 10 yards.
The Tide continued putting up
points as sophomore quarterback AJ McCarron ran for one yard at the end
of a 10-play drive for Alabama's third touchdown of the night, and a
24-10 advantage.
After over 20 scoreless minutes, Richardson
delivered again, this time with a 36-yard run, which was followed by a
successful point-after attempt from junior placekicker Jeremy Shelley,
to put the Tide in front 31-10 with 12:25 remaining. Alabama would
score once more as sophomore running back Eddie Lacy capped off a
four-play drive with a 20-yard run at the 8:45 mark of the fourth
quarter.
With its pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the
Tide has now outscored its opponents 45-8 throughout the final 15:00 in
addition to outgaining the opposition 639 yards to just 59 yards.
Next
up, Alabama will return to Bryant-Denny Stadium where it will take on
Vanderbilt on Saturday, October 8, at 6 p.m. CT. The game will air on
ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.
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