Tide Tidbits – November 30, 2009

Dream matchup: Florida vs. Alabama
Finally, the SEC dream matchup everyone has been talking about since September is in place. No. 1 and undefeated Florida will play No. 2 and undefeated Alabama in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta on Saturday, with the winner moving on to Pasadena and the BCS Championship Game in January. “College football wants this game,” Florida coach Urban Meyer said Sunday. “We’ve been hearing it for a long time.” Alabama coach Nick Saban said, “I’m very proud of what our team has been able accomplish this year to create this opportunity to play a team the caliber of Florida, which is a fantastic football team. This is two great teams with the opportunity to play in the SEC Championship Game with the chance (to move on to the national title game). It will be a great football game.” [More]

SEC title game turns into playoff
A rematch of the 2008 game between No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Alabama has been mentioned from the beginning of the season and by some as the two teams walked off the Georgia Dome field last year. Last year’s game between top-ranked Alabama and second-ranked Florida, many analysts felt, was for the national championship, regardless of who went on to play Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship Game. This year’s game between the top two teams, set for Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Georgia Dome, is once again seen as a type of semifinal playoff game to play for the title. Alabama players seemed to have trouble keeping the game out of their minds as the 12-0 Tide struggled to beat Auburn 26-21 on Friday. “I think we sort of played reactionary in the game,” said Alabama coach Nick Saban. “That’s not really the way we want to play football at Alabama. We want to play every play like it has a history and life of its own and try to dominate and play that way all the time and not have any complacency at all in terms of how we play. That’s something I hope our players learned from this game.” [More]

Saban expects Ingram to play against Gators
Tailback Mark Ingram is expected to play in Saturday’s SEC title game against Florida despite suffering a hip pointer during the fourth quarter of Alabama’s win against Auburn. “I think he’ll be fine,” Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Sunday. “We don’t think he has a significant problem.” Ingram said he hurt his left hip while being tackled on a pass reception early in the Crimson Tide’s game-winning touchdown drive. UA medical personnel were examining him on the sideline before the end of the game. “I think those things are a little bit painful,” Saban said, “especially when you first get them. It was late in the game when it happened. He just never really had an opportunity to go back in. We’ll see more (Monday) and how he moves around in practice, but we feel like he’ll be fine for the game.” [More]

A Tale of Two Teams
The University of Alabama and Florida will clash for the Southeastern Conference title with equal footing in so many areas that distinguishing between them comes down to hair-splitting: Same overall records, same conference records, same salty defenses. The similarities are everywhere. But how each performed in the prior week provides a stark contrast. In nipping rival Auburn 26-21, Alabama struggled in a number of areas. “Auburn’s team played extremely well, and I didn’t feel like we came out with the intensity we needed to, to control the tempo of the game from the outset on either side of the ball,” UA coach Nick Saban said Sunday. [More]

Tigers do favor for Alabama
There are wake-up calls and there are warning shots. Alabama got one of each against Auburn. A close game, one in which it had to make plays and remain patient, was more valuable to Alabama than marching into Auburn and slapping around the Tigers, as it did a year ago. Heading into the most important game of the year, it served Alabama well to test itself, even to play below expectations while still managing to produce in a crucial situation. Ingram’s numbers fell far below his average and his Heisman hopes may have been bruised, but Alabama found out it can win when he doesn’t rush for 100 yards and produce two or three touchdowns.Alabama discovered that quarterback Greg McElroy, while no Joe Namath, has the confidence and ability to make a play when called on. [More]

Tide, Gators meet great expectations
Florida coach Urban Meyer isn’t trying to deter the overwhelming buildup and hype sure to accompany Saturday’s SEC title game against Alabama. Instead, he’s diving right in. “I can’t think of a bigger football game that I’ve been a part of,” Meyer said Sunday. Welcome to college football theater at its highest level, and to borrow a line from that genre, it appears they’ve had this date with each other from the beginning. If there’s something to celebrate in the prelude to Saturday’s 3 p.m. showdown, it’s that top-ranked Florida (12-0) and second-ranked Alabama (12-0) each successfully walked a season-long tightrope to make this much anticipated rematch a reality. [More]

Gators, Tide still lead BCS
After a weekend when all the national championship contenders stayed undefeated, the BCS standings were unchanged. Florida is first, Alabama is second and Texas is third in the latest rankings released Sunday. The Gators will play Alabama in the SEC championship Saturday for a spot in the BCS national title game. For the second consecutive season, the teams are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the Associated Press poll going into the game. The Longhorns can earn the other spot with a victory against Nebraska in the Big 12 title game. [More]

Roll Tide!

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