SEC Championship Game Review
Alabama defeated Florida, 29-15, in the SEC championship game behind another dominant performance from running back Derrick Henry, who rushed 44 times for 189 yards and one touchdown while breaking Herschel Walker’s conference record for rushing yards in a season. Henry has rushed for 1,986 this season, while Walker rushed for 1,891 in 1981.
The Gators kept the game close in the first half after returning a punt for a touchdown, but their offense was shut down by the Alabama defense for most of the game. Alabama quarterback Jake Coker threw for 204 yards and two touchdowns and receiver Calvin Ridley caught eight passes for 102 yards.
The Crimson Tide improved to 12-1 overall and earned a spot in the College Football Playoff. Alabama will take on Big 10 champion Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve. If UA wins, it will play the winner of the Oklahoma and Clemson semifinal.
Heisman Trophy Finalists
Only three candidates were invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony this Saturday (Dec. 12) in New York – Henry, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, and all three players have had spectacular seasons.
Henry has broken nearly every SEC rushing record while putting together one of the best seasons by any back in recent memory. As the focal point of Alabama’s offense, Henry has had great success despite being keyed on by opposing defenses each game. In the last two games, Henry, a junior, has carried the ball 90 times for 460 yards and two touchdowns. Alabama’s only previous Heisman winner was Mark Ingram in 2009.
Watson led Clemson to a 13-0 season and the top overall seed in the College Football Playoffs.
Watson, a sophomore, has thrown for over 3,500 yards and 30 touchdowns and has also rushed for nearly 900 yards and 11 more touchdowns. Clemson has never had a Heisman winner in school history.
McCaffrey has put together one of the best seasons in college football history.
Although only a sophomore, McCaffrey broke Barry Sanders’ single-season record for all-purpose yards. Sanders had 3,250 total yards in 1988 en route to winning the Heisman, and McCaffrey now has 3,496 total yards on the season. Jim Plunkett won the Heisman in 1970 as the only Heisman winner in Stanford history.
Extra Points
Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp was named the head coach at South Carolina earlier this week. Muschamp was previously the head coach at Florida from 2011-2014, where he was 28-21 overall.
Missouri promoted defensive coordinator Barry Odom to head coach. Odom, who played at Mizzou from 1996-1999, has never been a head coach at the collegiate level but his defense was among the best in the conference this season.
