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Four Alabama backs share in victory over Florida
Ben Jones | Editor
Alabama running back Damien Harris (34) jukes Florida defensive back Quincy Wilson (6) as he runs during Alabama's 54-16 SEC Championship win in the Georgia Dome Saturday, December 3, 2016.
Gary Cosby Jr. | The Tuscaloosa News
ATLANTA – The University of Alabama's running backs only needed a handful of plays in the first half to show what they could do against Florida's defense.
They got a lot more than a few plays in the second half.
Bo Scarbrough, Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs combined for nine carries for 73 yards and a touchdown in the first half of the SEC Championship Game to put Alabama on top. Then the running backs posted 20 carries for 160 yards and two touchdowns in the second half to put the Gators away.
It was the same kind of collective effort that was characteristic of the Alabama backfield all season. Scarbrough had a team-high 11 carries for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Harris had eight runs for 86 yards. Jacobs finished with six rushes for 35 yards and a touchdown.
"That's what we pride ourselves on, being a stable," Harris said. "We have a lot of guys who come in and contribute and produce. We were able to get that done today. We always talk about how we've got our own backs. Anytime somebody gets tired or breaks a long run, somebody else comes in. You just try to keep the ball moving forward. We did a good job of that today."
Each player got a piece of the action. Harris earned the start. Jacobs had five of his six carries in the first half and scored two touchdowns, one of which came on a blocked punt. Eight of Scarbrough's 11 carries came in the second half as Alabama hammered away at a grisly Florida defense.
Scarbrough capped off an authoritative 98-yard drive in the third quarter with his first touchdown of the day. His second came on a 1-yard plunge in Alabama's "Black Hole" package, with 319-pound defensive tackle Da'Ron Payne as Scarbrough's lead blocker. Payne leveled a Florida defender, then turned to celebrate the score.
"I just hit him and went on about my business," Payne said.
Even walk-on Derrick Gore got in on the action. He took the field with the second-team offense in the fourth quarter and scored his first career touchdown on Alabama's final possession.
"Some guys like (Gore), sometimes they don't get the credit they deserve," Harris said. "They work as hard as anybody else in practice. I'm glad he got to go out and show on a stage like this that he's a contributor. We're all contributors. No one guy is better than anybody. We're all as good as our last guy. For him to be able to come in and get in the end zone like that, it was special."
The four running backs combined to average more than eight yards per carry. The running backs didn't post a single carry in the first quarter as Alabama ran just six plays and went three-and-out twice. But they took over from there. Harris, Scarbrough, Jacobs and Gore accounted for 270 of Alabama's 372 total yards.
"We have to thank the guys up front," Harris said. "They did an incredible job today of opening holes. I'm sure some of you guys could have run through them … Those guys up front did a tremendous job and we're really thankful to have them."
TideSports.com - Four Alabama backs share in victory over Florida
Ben Jones | Editor
Alabama running back Damien Harris (34) jukes Florida defensive back Quincy Wilson (6) as he runs during Alabama's 54-16 SEC Championship win in the Georgia Dome Saturday, December 3, 2016.
Gary Cosby Jr. | The Tuscaloosa News
ATLANTA – The University of Alabama's running backs only needed a handful of plays in the first half to show what they could do against Florida's defense.
They got a lot more than a few plays in the second half.
Bo Scarbrough, Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs combined for nine carries for 73 yards and a touchdown in the first half of the SEC Championship Game to put Alabama on top. Then the running backs posted 20 carries for 160 yards and two touchdowns in the second half to put the Gators away.
It was the same kind of collective effort that was characteristic of the Alabama backfield all season. Scarbrough had a team-high 11 carries for 91 yards and two touchdowns. Harris had eight runs for 86 yards. Jacobs finished with six rushes for 35 yards and a touchdown.
"That's what we pride ourselves on, being a stable," Harris said. "We have a lot of guys who come in and contribute and produce. We were able to get that done today. We always talk about how we've got our own backs. Anytime somebody gets tired or breaks a long run, somebody else comes in. You just try to keep the ball moving forward. We did a good job of that today."
Each player got a piece of the action. Harris earned the start. Jacobs had five of his six carries in the first half and scored two touchdowns, one of which came on a blocked punt. Eight of Scarbrough's 11 carries came in the second half as Alabama hammered away at a grisly Florida defense.
Scarbrough capped off an authoritative 98-yard drive in the third quarter with his first touchdown of the day. His second came on a 1-yard plunge in Alabama's "Black Hole" package, with 319-pound defensive tackle Da'Ron Payne as Scarbrough's lead blocker. Payne leveled a Florida defender, then turned to celebrate the score.
"I just hit him and went on about my business," Payne said.
Even walk-on Derrick Gore got in on the action. He took the field with the second-team offense in the fourth quarter and scored his first career touchdown on Alabama's final possession.
"Some guys like (Gore), sometimes they don't get the credit they deserve," Harris said. "They work as hard as anybody else in practice. I'm glad he got to go out and show on a stage like this that he's a contributor. We're all contributors. No one guy is better than anybody. We're all as good as our last guy. For him to be able to come in and get in the end zone like that, it was special."
The four running backs combined to average more than eight yards per carry. The running backs didn't post a single carry in the first quarter as Alabama ran just six plays and went three-and-out twice. But they took over from there. Harris, Scarbrough, Jacobs and Gore accounted for 270 of Alabama's 372 total yards.
"We have to thank the guys up front," Harris said. "They did an incredible job today of opening holes. I'm sure some of you guys could have run through them … Those guys up front did a tremendous job and we're really thankful to have them."
TideSports.com - Four Alabama backs share in victory over Florida
