Almost nobody except the loyal denizens of The Swamp believes that the SEC East champion Florida Gators have a chance to knock off the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide in Saturday's SEC title game. However, we're not one to go with the crowd. Here's 3 Reasons Why Florida WILL Beat Alabama On Saturday.
3. Track Record Against The Run
Florida faced a running back of similar size and athleticism Bama RB Derrick Henry when they faced the Tennessee Vols' Jalen Hurd earlier in the season, and they made Hurd work for every inch of his 102 yards on 28 carries. Henry's a much more proven commodity than Hurd at this time, but Florida's run defense is built to contain big halfbacks like Henry. Bama's offense will only go as far as Henry can take them, and that's not going to be very far against a swarming Gators front seven. When that happens...
2. Jacob Coker Will Struggle
Coker works best when he's throwing just 35-40% of the time. A workhorse back like Henry usually gives Coker than luxury, papering over his tendency to force throws when he's called upon with more regularity. Once the Gators defense takes a bite out of Henry's explosiveness, Coker will fall right into the trap that cornerbacks Vernon Hargreaves III and Jalen Tabor set for him. Each have four interceptions this season and will be primed to add to their totals on Saturday.
1. No Pressure
The Florida Gators' College Football Playoff hopes were dashed in last week's loss to Florida State. While that's majorly disappointing, it's also a blessing in disguise for Jim McElwain's crew heading into Saturday's games. UF comes in as a 17-point underdog. Even if they give Bama a good fight, people will be praising how far this team has come. On the other side, Alabama's College Football Playoff dreams hinge on the outcome of this game. The pressure's squarely on the players and coaches in the Bama locker room.
Don't let Florida's recent offensive woes fool you -- they're plenty good enough to beat Bama, ESPECIALLY if and when they can get things locked into a battle of field position. Those who have their Alabama blinders on are going to be gasping when this free-and-loose Gators team puts together the conference title game shocker to end all shockers.
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