The Quick Slant: Instant Analysis of Florida's 42-21 loss at Alabama
Sunday, September 21, 2014 | Football, Scott Carter
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The Gators arrived at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday afternoon believing they could play with No. 3-ranked Alabama.
And for a while they did.
However, the Crimson Tide dominated the second half in a 42-21 win over the Gators, led by quarterback Blake Sims, who threw for a career-high 445 yards.
The game was tied 21-21 after Gators quarterback Jeff Driskel's 14-yard scoring run in the third quarter.
After that, it was all Bama.
The loss dropped the Gators to 2-1, 1-1 in the SEC and sets up an important road game at Tennessee in two weeks.
Here is our instant analysis of UF's loss to the Crimson Tide:
THE QUICK SLANT
WHAT IT MEANS: Florida's opportunity to prove that it's back among the SEC's elite did not go the way the Gators hoped. A win over Alabama would have been a huge win for the program and big step in the right direction. Instead, Alabama's offense was unstoppable when the Crimson Tide avoided turnovers. Meanwhile, the Gators -- their offense and defense -- have a lot to work on during the bye week.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The matchup between Gators cornerback Vernon Hargreaves and Alabama receiver Amari Cooper was in the spotlight all week. Hargreaves made some nice plays and drew a pass interference call on Cooper, but no one could cover Cooper. He finished with 10 catches for 201 yards and three touchdowns.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Alabama rolled up 645 total yards, the most ever gained against a Florida defense. The previous record was 629 yards, set by Nebraska in a 62-24 win over Florida in the 1996 national championship game.
SUBPLOT: Florida head coach Will Muschamp entered the season understanding that every loss would be scrutinized in endless ways. That was already happening during the game on social media. The next two weeks are very important for the Gators to improve and try and get back on the right track at Tennessee.
UP NEXT: The Gators have a bye week before they travel to face Tennessee on Oct. 4. Florida's performance Saturday was disappointing offensively and defensively. Whatever improvements the Gators can make over the next two weeks will be critical to get a 10th consecutive win over Tennessee in two weeks.
