Alabama got quite the second-half scare from Florida.
The No. 1 Crimson Tide hung on for a 31-29 win at No. 11 Florida on Saturday after Florida failed to convert a game-tying two-point conversion with 3:10 to go. Florida went for the tie after Dameon Pierce’s 17-yard TD run but the read-option rushing attempt for the tie went awry right away and came up a yard short.
Florida had a chance to get the ball back for one last realistic possession after kicking off to Alabama with two timeouts left. But Brian Robinson converted a first down on third and short and ended Florida’s chances of a win.
The Gators got the ball back with four seconds left and 76 yards to go but Emory Jones was sacked on the final play.
The final minutes of the game were hard to watch for fans and difficult for players and coaches as the clock at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was malfunctioning. That forced officials to keep the clock on the field as Nick Saban and Dan Mullen and their players had to manage the clock by communicating with the officials.
Alabama went up 21-3 in the first quarter
The game looked like it was going to be a rout after the first quarter. Alabama was up 21-3 and Florida was helpless to do anything on offense or to stop the Crimson Tide on defense.
Things started changing in the second quarter after Florida, crazily enough, got stopped on a fourth down conversion. Alabama had a chance to put the game away at 28-3 with a TD after getting the ball at its own 37. But the Crimson Tide went three-and-out and Florida responded with a TD to cut the deficit to two possessions.
That TD should have been worth seven points. It wasn’t. Chris Howard missed the PAT — a kick that would loom large hours later.
Had that kick gone in, Florida would have been a point away from tying Alabama with 3:10 to go. Instead, the Gators had to go for two, and the ill-fated option call was doomed from the start.