Such a perfect night, such a perfect start for the Florida Gators. But things went from perfect to perfectly ugly in a hurry Saturday night in The Swamp.
For a fleeting few minutes, it appeared the Gators had a chance to play the nation's No. 3 team right off its feet. Instead, a physically superior Alabama team ignored an early deficit and then pushed and shoved Florida right out of its own stadium, pinning a humbling 38-10 loss on the Gators, the first defeat in the Will Muschamp era.
The loss, before the second-largest crowd in Florida Field history (90,888), drops No. 12 UF to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the SEC. Alabama improves to 5-0 and 2-0 in the SEC. It was UF's worst home defeat since falling to LSU 36-7 in 2002.
“We got beat by a better football team tonight,” Muschamp said. “The first half we were able to move the ball effectively in the air. You have to stay balanced against that team. We were inconsistent in the run. You can't afford to make some of the costly mistakes we made.
“We'll have to look at the film and move forward.”
There's a chance the Gators will be moving forward without starting quarterback John Brantley, who was knocked out of the game with an injury to his lower right leg late in the first half and did not return.
Muschamp said he did not know the extent of Brantley's injury and how long he might be sidelined.
“Not at this time,” Muschamp said.
Knowing how this one ended, it's hard to believe it started the way it did.
On the game's second play from scrimmage, Brantley threw deep and connected with wide receiver Andre Debose for a 65-yard touchdown play that electrified the big crowd.
On UF's second possession, Caleb Sturgis gave the Gators a 10-3 lead with a 21-yard field goal.
The way the offense was moving up and down the field, it looked like the Gators were in for a big night.
It turned into a huge letdown instead.
“We had the maturity to overcome the adversity we created for ourselves,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “I liked our resiliency.”
The momentum and the game changed on the ensuing kickoff. Tide wide receiver Marquis Maze broke about six tackles and returned the ball to the Florida 29. A few minutes later, star tailback Trent Richardson scored on a 5-yard touchdown run -- and the game was never the same.
Richardson's run triggered a Tide onslaught.
By the end of the first half, it was obvious where this one was headed. The Tide held a commanding 24-10 lead and Brantley was out of the game with an injured knee or ankle he sustained while being sacked late in the second quarter. He did not return.
“When the game flipped and became a two-score game and we lost John, it took some of the wind out of our sails,” Muschamp said. “We weren't able to do what we wanted to do in the running game.”
Things went from ugly to uglier in the second half. With the offense unable to move the ball with No. 2 quarterback Jeff Driskel, a true freshman, the Tide wore the Gators out with Richardson and a suffocating defense.
Richardson, a Heisman Trophy contender, finished the game with 181 yards rushing and two touchdowns. His 36-yard TD burst early in the fourth quarter gave Alabama a 31-10 lead. Alabama added a final touchdown a few minutes later following a UF turnover.
While Richardson and the Tide had their way with the Florida defense, the UF offense was basically moving backward with Driskel. The Gators could muster only two first downs in the second half, one coming on a third-down scramble by Driskel.
There's a chance Driskel may be UF's No. 1 quarterback for a while.
“We'll go through that and make the best decisions for our football team,” Muschamp said. “At the quarterback position, you have to play well around him. We didn't perform very well and Jeff didn't have much of a chance.
“Sometimes when you're getting hit in the throat, you're going to overthrow (passes). Obviously, we didn't handle (adversity) very well. We've got to push through it. Injuries are part of the game. We've got to go with the next guy. He's got to play.”
Alabama dominated both lines of scrimmage.
The Tide defense stuffed Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey, taking the speedy tailbacks right out of the game. The Gators, who came into the game leading the SEC in rushing (259 yards a game), managed only 15 yards rushing.
“We've just got to find some way to manufacture some yards offensively,” Muschamp said. “We'll find out a lot about our football team on Monday, how they respond.”
