SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME DAY BREAKDOWN: SPEED VS. POWER: Running could be trumped by blocking

Alabama’s players have heard about all they want about Florida’s speed.

“We’ve been told about it all week,” Crimson Tide linebacker Rolando McClain said. “We play in the SEC. Everybody has speed. We have speed on our side of the ball, too. We have speed on offense, defense, special teams. So we’re just going to try to play our game.”

Said ‘Bama cornerback/kick returner Javier Arenas: “Sooner or later guys with all that speed have to lower their shoulder. If they break loose, we’ve got to throw on our track shoes. It’s going to be back and forth. It’s going to be SEC football.”

Florida’s speed vs. Alabama’s power is what a lot of observers believe today’s game will boil down to. The opposing coaches aren’t so sure.

“It’s not just guys running fast. It’s guys blocking the team you’re playing,” said Florida coach Urban Meyer, who has three sub-4.4 players on his offense —- Percy Harvin, Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps. “We have to figure out what they’re going to do on defense and make sure we block them.”

Still, Meyer admitted he’s “eager to see what those guys can do,” referring to Harvin, Rainey and Demps running on the Georgia Dome’s ultra-fast Field Turf surface.

Alabama coach Nick Saban, whose team beat Clemson in the Dome in the season opener three months ago, figures it’s a wash.

“It’s the same track for both teams, so if it’s fast for one it’s fast for the other,” Saban said. “It’s all relative, I think. They have great speed; we have decent speed on our team as well. I think that we’re just going to have to play good football and do what we do.”

—- Chip Towers

HOW THEY’VE FARED

Gators hold the title edge

1999….Alabama 34, Florida 7….Georgia Dome

1996….Florida 45, Alabama 30….Georgia Dome

1994….Florida 24, Alabama 23….Georgia Dome

1993….Florida 28, Alabama 13….Legion Field

1992….Alabama 28, Florida 21….Legion Field

PILING UP POINTS

Florida just keeps scoring

Scoring by quarters

……….1….2….3….4 ..OT ..Total

Alabama..123..111..191 ..54 ..6 ..385

Florida..160..144..132..120 ..0 ..556

Opponents scoring by quarters

……….1….2….3….4 ..OT ..Total

Alabama ..20 ..27 ..31 ..60 ..0 ..138

Florida ..10 ..31 ..54 ..52 ..- ..147

DOUBLE TROUBLE

2 blockers for ‘Mount’ Cody

One man can’t block him. How about twins?

Florida center Maurkice Pouncey and his twin brother, right guard Mike, will try to move Alabama’s 380-pound nose tackle, Terrence “Mount” Cody, off the line of scrimmage. No Crimson Tide opponent has succeeded thus far.

“He’s a great player,” said Maurkice Pouncey, who like his brother is a 6-foot-5, 312-pound sophomore. “We’ve watched him on film. You’ve just got to go out there and play hard and physical.”

Cody, who missed two games with a sprained knee, was his intimidating self in last week’s 36-0 win over Auburn. He made three tackles, shared a sack, recovered a fumble and played fullback on Mark Ingram’s short touchdown run.

“I came off the ball, and nobody wanted to run into me,” Cody said. “Everybody ran the other way.”

—- Larry Hartstein

HISTORY LESSON

Sixth title game for Gators, Tide

The SEC championship game pits Florida against Alabama for the sixth time in its 17-year history. No other matchup has been played more than twice.

Florida is 3-2 in those games, but the Crimson Tide won the most recent meeting, 34-7 in 1999. Alabama also won the inaugural title game 28-21 over Florida at Legion Field in Birmingham.

No team has won the SEC title game as often as the Gators, who are aiming for number seven. LSU has won three, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee two each and Auburn one.

The East holds a 10-6 edge in the game. Four schools —- Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and South Carolina —- have never made it to the game, which has been played in the Georgia Dome since 1994.

—- Larry Hartstein

FAST STARTS

Both teams can score early, often

The game’s outcome may well be known by the end of the first 15 minutes. Florida and Alabama have hammered opponents in the first quarter. Florida’s first-quarter edge is 160-10; ‘Bama’s is 123-20. It’s the most lopsided quarter for both teams.

Said Florida cornerback Joe Haden, “That’s what we’ve been thriving on, just coming out and playing our hardest at the beginning of the game. That kind of sometimes takes the life out of the other team.”

Alabama’s prowess for the early knockout isn’t necessarily intentional.

“We don’t really talk about it or put a lot of emphasis on coming out and scoring points early,” quarterback John Parker Wilson said. “It’s just kind of one of those things that have happened for us.”

If neither team gains an early edge, that might benefit Alabama, which has handled multiple upset attempts this season.

—- Ken Sugiura

TEBOW A TIDE PLAYER?

‘Bama held edge in early running

File this in the “what might have been” category: In 2006 as a high school senior in Jacksonville, Tim Tebow nearly chose Alabama.

Tebow’s decision came down to his favorite team, Florida, and Alabama, then coached by Mike Shula.

Tebow said he tried to put aside his feelings for Florida and look at the decision with an open mind, which led him to the Crimson Tide.

“I liked Coach Shula. I liked what he stood for on and off the field,” Tebow said this week. “I liked everything about their program and the passion that their fans have for football and how big it is there, because I’m very passionate about it, as well.”

In fact, Florida coach Urban Meyer, a year into his job, said he thought Alabama had the edge for Tebow.

What would that have looked like?

Perhaps no Heisman Trophy for Tebow and no Nick Saban for Alabama. Maybe no SEC championship game for either Alabama or Florida.

All’s well that ends well, except for Shula, who was fired at the end of the 2006 season. He’s now an assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He and Tebow still keep in touch.

“But in the end, I loved Coach Meyer and just being a Gator. I couldn’t pass it up,” Tebow said.

—- Ken Sugiura

SPECIAL SPECIAL TEAMS

Both teams have big-play abilities

The NCAA doesn’t rank teams for overall special teams play, but if it did, you can bet Alabama and Florida would be at the top of the list.

It’s not as much about overall consistency as it is big-play ability. There are teams that are better than Florida and Alabama in certain areas, but no teams are more explosive.

“I think that’s going to be one of the key elements of this game,” said Florida coach Urban Meyer, who coaches the Gators’ special teams.

Both teams have dynamic returners. Florida’s Brandon James and Alabama’s Javier Arenas each average 14.7 yards per punt return, which ranks 11th and 12th nationally. Both have returned two for touchdowns, second in the nation.

Both teams have solid place-kickers. The Gators’ Jonathan Phillips is a perfect 10-for-10 on field goals, but Alabama’s Leigh Tiffin is more prolific, making good on 17 of 24 attempts, including a 54-yarder.

The Tide have returned a blocked punt for a touchdown, but this is where Florida appears to have an edge. The Gators blocked eight kicks this season —- five punts, two field goals and an extra point. It’s a point of emphasis for Meyer, who has seen his teams block 45 kicks since he arrived in Gainesville in 2005.

Generally the Gators are being given the edge in overall special teams play. In SEC stats, they rank higher in punting (2nd to 10th), kickoff returns (6th to 12th) and kickoff coverage (6th to 7th). But Alabama has come a long way since the season began.

“Our special teams have improved all year long,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “We play a lot of young guys on special teams. I wish we had enough depth on our team where we didn’t have to play starters on special teams, but I think that the guys who do play it do a fantastic job.”

—- Chip Towers

HOW THEY MATCH UP

Gators hold offensive statistical edge over Tide

Florida..Category ……Opponents

212.3….Passing offense….172.9

237.1….Rushing offense….102.8

449.4….Total offense……275.7

46.3 ….Scoring offense….12.2

172.9….Passing defense….212.3

102.8….Rushing defense….237.1

275.7….Total defense……449.4

12.2 ….Scoring defense….46.3

263……1st downs for……191

.489 ….3rd down conv. …..311

.688 ….4th down conv. …..381

88-713 ..Penalties-yards….81-640

19-8 ….Fumbles-lost ……16-9

29:32….Avg. time of poss. 30:28

31-188 ..Sacks by-yards ….15-102

Alabama….Category……Opponents

169.3….Passing offense….174.9

201.5….Rushing offense….73.6

370.8….Total offense……248.5

32.1 ….Scoring offense….11.5

174.9….Passing defense….169.3

73.6 ….Rushing defense….201.5

248.5….Total defense……370.8

11.5 ….Scoring defense….32.1

230……1st downs for……156

.424 ….3rd down conv. …..250

.889 ….4th down conv. …..500

48-422 ..Penalties-yards….71-530

18-9 ….Fumbles-lost ……17-9

32:33….Avg. time of poss. 27:27

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME APPEARANCES

Gators, Tide lead title game parade

School ….Total..Years

Florida….9……1992, ‘93, ‘94, ‘95,

………………..’96, ‘99, ‘00, ‘06, ‘08

Alabama….6……1992, ‘93, ‘94, ‘96,

………………..’99, ‘08

Tennessee..5……1997, ‘98, ‘01, ‘04, ‘07

LSU……..4……2001, ‘03, ‘05, ‘07

Arkansas ..3……1995, ‘02, ‘06

Auburn ….3……1997, ‘00, ‘04

Georgia….3……2002, ‘03, ‘05

Miss. St…1……1998

—- Larry Hartstein

WEEKLY REWIND

Both come in off easy wins

> Alabama 36, Auburn 0: The Tide defeated the Tigers for the first time in seven years. Bama running backs rushed for 234 yards, and John Parker Wilson passed for 134 more.

> Florida 45, Florida State 15: Tim Tebow scored four touchdowns and three players rushed for at least 80 yards as the Gators scored 45 points against the Seminoles for the second consecutive year.