Alabama Football: The 30 Greatest Games in Alabama Football History
Dec 5, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry (2) celebrates with running back Kenyan Drake (17) after a 2 yard touchdown against the Florida Gators during the second quarter of the 2015 SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
2015 SEC Championship Game – Tide and Gators Yet Again
The Tide’s 2015 SEC Championship Game win over the Florida Gators marked Alabama’s second consecutive SEC Championship, a feat that no team in the SEC had accomplished since Steve Spurrier’s 1995 and 1996 Florida Gators.
Alabama Football came into the game 11-1 and heavily favored. Florida had clinched the SEC East early in November, but their dominant defense hadn’t been enough to overcome a struggling offensive in close games against South Carolina and Florida Atlantic and a loss to rival Florida State. The 10-2 Gators traveled to Atlanta as a double-digit underdog.
2015’s game was the 8th meeting between Florida and Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, over twice as many as any other matchup in series history. In the last meeting (in 2009), underdog had upset Urban Meyer’s No.1 Florida Gators on the way to a national championship.
The first quarter was a defensive struggle, with the only points recorded on a Florida punt blocked through the back of the end zone for an Alabama safety.
Florida broke through with a punt return touchdown early in the second quarter to take a 7-2 lead, but the next two quarters were all Alabama. Derrick Henry’s 189 yards on 44 carries boosted a Tide offense that couldn’t find consistent success through the air and Alabama cruised to a 29-15 victory and a second straight conference championship.
The next day, Alabama was announced as the No.2 seed in the College Football Playoff, marking 2015 the tenth consecutive year where the SEC Champion was invited to play in the BCS Championship or the College Football Playoff.
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