For the third time since Nick Saban took over as head coach in 2007, the Alabama Crimson Tide are SEC Champions. The top-ranked team in the country got a dominating performance on both sides of the ball to upend Missouri 42-13 and finish the regular season 12-1.
In addition to securing its spot in the College Football Playoff, Alabama had two players make history in Atlanta. Quarterback Blake Sims, who wasn't the favorite to win the job out of camp, set a new school record for passing yards in the second quarter, per SEC on CBS:
History for Blake Sims! He breaks the record for most passing yards in an @ALABAMAFTBL season. http://ift.tt/1we1dXi
- SEConCBS (@SEConCBS) December 6, 2014
Sims broke A.J. McCarron's record of 3,063 yards, set last year. The senior finished the game with 262 passing yards, giving him 3,250 for the season, and he has a chance to break McCarron's single-season record for touchdown passes (30) in the playoff. Sims entered the SEC Championship with 24 and added two more today.
If that's not enough, Sims also set an SEC Championship Game record for completion percentage (85.2) by going 23-of-27, per Cecil Hurt of The Tuscaloosa News:
Blake Sims (23 of 27, 85.2 percent) shattered the SEC Championship game completion pct. record previously held by AU's Jason Campbell (77.1)
- Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) December 7, 2014
All eyes were on Sims when the game started, especially since he threw three costly interceptions against Auburn in the Iron Bowl before turning a corner in the third quarter.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban told Alex Scarborough of ESPN.com earlier in the week that he's seen Sims can get rattled when the spotlight is on:
'Sometimes, it's a big game, and he starts putting a lot pressure on himself, and he gets a little anxious,' Saban said. 'I don't think he really processes and makes as good of decisions when he gets like that...He's gotten in that mode a little bit sometimes, and it was good to see him snap out of it.'
Amari Cooper also had a day to remember, as he has so often in 2014. The Heisman contender broke the SEC single-season record for receptions, set last year by Jordan Matthews at Vanderbilt, per ESPN Stats & Info:
With his 12 Rec so far, Amari Cooper is now the SEC's all-time leader in receptions in a season with 115, passing @jmattjmattjmatt.
- ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 7, 2014
After Cooper broke the record, Matthews took to Twitter to congratulate his fellow wide receiver and challenged him to take on another achievement:
Congrats 2 @AmariCooper9 on the record! Couldn't ask for a better player to represent that accomplishment! Go get my career yards too!
- Jordan Matthews (@jmattjmattjmatt) December 6, 2014
For the record, Matthews' career yardage total is 3,759. Cooper entered the game with 3,309 yards in three years and added 83 on Saturday, so there's a possibility he could break it but he would likely need two more games to get there.
No Alabama game would be complete without a dominant rushing effort. It wasn't T.J. Yeldon, but Derrick Henry lighting up the stat sheet with 141 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. He also put the nail in Missouri's coffin with a 26-yard touchdown run that was summed up nicely by Hurt:
Alabama loves to wear defenses down, then run Derrick Henry at them. He scores a 26-yard coup de grace. Alabama 35-13, 7:38 to go.
- Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) December 7, 2014
For Missouri, the game started out badly with quarterback Maty Mauk looking disheveled from the start. It would only get worse, especially in the second quarter. Star defensive end Shane Ray, who led the SEC in sacks, was ejected for a targeting hit on Sims, via LostLetterman.com on Twitter:
Shane Ray's hit, brought to you by 'Dirty Sports': #Fitting https://t.co/CZpq8pUoJt
- LostLettermen.com (@LostLettermen) December 6, 2014
Tony Barnhart of The SEC Network noted that it was the right call made by the officials:
Missouri DE Shane Ray gets tossed for blow to the head of Blake Sims. Easy call. Right call. No place in the game for that.
- Tony Barnhart (@MrCFB) December 6, 2014
While it doesn't change the loss in this game for Missouri, Barnhart also added that Ray will be eligible to play the entirety of the Tigers' bowl game since his ejection came in the first half:
Because Shane Ray was ejected in the first half he'll be eligible for all of the MIssouri bowl game.
- Tony Barnhart (@MrCFB) December 6, 2014
On offense, Missouri was lifeless most of the game. Per Edward Aschoff of ESPN, the Tigers had 108 yards in the first half and Alabama held the ball for nine more minutes:
Missouri with just 21 rushing yards and Maty Mauk is 7 of 17 passing for 87 yards. Alabama has had the ball for nine more minutes
- Edward Aschoff (@AschoffESPN) December 6, 2014
The Tigers' first touchdown opportunity was at the start of the second half, when Mauk finally made a play with his arm and hit Jimmie Hunt for a 63-yard gain to Alabama's one-yard line. Their best play all game was having Mauk throw the ball up to allow Hunt a chance to catch it, as this stat from the SEC Network shows:
Maty Mauk outside the pocket ' 4-8 168 yards (3-3, 142 yards targeting Jimmie Hunt). #BAMAvsMIZZ #SECChampionship http://ift.tt/1u5OiQ6
- SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 6, 2014
A senior receiver, Hunt came into the SEC Championship Game with one 100-yard game this season against Tennessee on November 22. He had over 100 yards in the third quarter alone against 'Bama, adding another reception for 47 yards on the drive that got the field goal.
The Tigers converted on a fourth down after the Crimson Tide defense held the three previous plays to make it 21-10, though that would be the only sustained drive in the game.
Missouri would add a field goal in the third quarter that cut the lead to 21-13, but Alabama put together a 64-yard drive that ended with a six-yard touchdown catch for Christion Jones on the first play of the fourth quarter.
With the victory, Alabama can sit back to see who their opponent will be on January 1. Barring something unexpected, the Crimson Tide should end up as the No. 1 seed in the rankings, which means a date against the No. 4 seed at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Not that the Crimson Tide need extra motivation, but the Superdome is where Oklahoma upset them last year.
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