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Michael Southern
Special to TideSports.com
As a coach who has based his philosophy on fielding a solid defense, watching his Florida Gators get sliced and then pummeled by third-ranked Alabama had to be an emotional experience for Will Muschamp.
Even with the Crimson Tide turning the ball over four times and contributing to three Gator touchdowns, the aftermath of Alabama's 42-21 victory Saturday afternoon at Bryant-Denny Stadium left Muschamp and his players frustrated.
Alabama exposed the Florida secondary in the first half with big plays in the passing game, and came back in the second with time-consuming drives that exacted a heavy toll on a defense already exhibiting signs of fatigue.
"As the game wore on, we just wore down," Muschamp admitted.
Early in the third quarter, Florida turned an Alabama interception into a two-play scoring drive that ended with a 14-yard run by quarterback Jeff Driskell and tied the game 21-21.
But Alabama answered with a 16-play, 66-yard drive that devoured more than seven minutes. When Derrick Henry scored to give the Crimson Tide a 28-21 lead, the physical gas tank for Florida had emptied.
"On the 16-play drive, we had plenty of opportunities to get off the field on third down and we didn't," Muschamp said.
During the backbreaking march, Alabama converted five third-down situations and finished the game 12 of 16.
On the ensuing possession, the Gators went three-and-out and the Crimson Tide delivered the knockout blow with an eight-play, 80-yard drive to take a 35-21 advantage.
"We played six snaps of offense in the third quarter," Muschamp said. "You can't go three-and-out after a 16-play drive against a team like that.
"Offensively on third down, we were just 2 of 13 for the game. We couldn't stay on the field, and we couldn't get off the field defensively."
During the postgame press conference, Muschamp glanced at the statistics and discovered his team had allowed a school-record 645 yards (449 passing, 251 rushing). The previous record was 629 against Nebraska in the 1995 Fiesta Bowl.
The 42 points were also the most allowed by Muschamp during his tenure in Gainesville.
"Against a team like (Alabama), you've got to make plays when you have opportunities," Muschamp said. "We didn't do that. We didn't run the ball efficiently enough. We didn't stay on the field on third down."
In an explosive first quarter, Alabama quarterback Blake Sims threw an 87-yard touchdown pass to Kenyan Drake and followed up later in the quarter with a 79-yard touchdown to Amari Cooper.
Turnovers allowed the Gators to answer as they scored on a 28-yard pass from Driskell to Valdez Showers and a 49-yard fumble return by Keanu Neal.
"As you can see that was a game of big plays," Driskell said. "Alabama had a lot more than us. After every loss you're going to be frustrated.
"It didn't work out for us. We didn't take advantage of our opportunities is what it comes down to. I think we didn't stay on the field long enough as an offense. We left our defense out there a lot. It's tough to stop a team like that with the players they have."
Michael Southern
Special to TideSports.com
As a coach who has based his philosophy on fielding a solid defense, watching his Florida Gators get sliced and then pummeled by third-ranked Alabama had to be an emotional experience for Will Muschamp.
Even with the Crimson Tide turning the ball over four times and contributing to three Gator touchdowns, the aftermath of Alabama's 42-21 victory Saturday afternoon at Bryant-Denny Stadium left Muschamp and his players frustrated.
Alabama exposed the Florida secondary in the first half with big plays in the passing game, and came back in the second with time-consuming drives that exacted a heavy toll on a defense already exhibiting signs of fatigue.
"As the game wore on, we just wore down," Muschamp admitted.
Early in the third quarter, Florida turned an Alabama interception into a two-play scoring drive that ended with a 14-yard run by quarterback Jeff Driskell and tied the game 21-21.
But Alabama answered with a 16-play, 66-yard drive that devoured more than seven minutes. When Derrick Henry scored to give the Crimson Tide a 28-21 lead, the physical gas tank for Florida had emptied.
"On the 16-play drive, we had plenty of opportunities to get off the field on third down and we didn't," Muschamp said.
During the backbreaking march, Alabama converted five third-down situations and finished the game 12 of 16.
On the ensuing possession, the Gators went three-and-out and the Crimson Tide delivered the knockout blow with an eight-play, 80-yard drive to take a 35-21 advantage.
"We played six snaps of offense in the third quarter," Muschamp said. "You can't go three-and-out after a 16-play drive against a team like that.
"Offensively on third down, we were just 2 of 13 for the game. We couldn't stay on the field, and we couldn't get off the field defensively."
During the postgame press conference, Muschamp glanced at the statistics and discovered his team had allowed a school-record 645 yards (449 passing, 251 rushing). The previous record was 629 against Nebraska in the 1995 Fiesta Bowl.
The 42 points were also the most allowed by Muschamp during his tenure in Gainesville.
"Against a team like (Alabama), you've got to make plays when you have opportunities," Muschamp said. "We didn't do that. We didn't run the ball efficiently enough. We didn't stay on the field on third down."
In an explosive first quarter, Alabama quarterback Blake Sims threw an 87-yard touchdown pass to Kenyan Drake and followed up later in the quarter with a 79-yard touchdown to Amari Cooper.
Turnovers allowed the Gators to answer as they scored on a 28-yard pass from Driskell to Valdez Showers and a 49-yard fumble return by Keanu Neal.
"As you can see that was a game of big plays," Driskell said. "Alabama had a lot more than us. After every loss you're going to be frustrated.
"It didn't work out for us. We didn't take advantage of our opportunities is what it comes down to. I think we didn't stay on the field long enough as an offense. We left our defense out there a lot. It's tough to stop a team like that with the players they have."
Emmitt Smith✔@EmmittSmith22
