Don't even think about trying to run on Alabama this year
Florida played Saturday in the SEC title game against Alabama, while over 70,000 people sat in the stands of the Georgia Dome and watched the game.
Florida rushed the ball 30 times against the Crimson Tide while over 70,000 people sat in the stands and watched the game.
Guess what? Those 70,000 people finished with the same amount of total rushing yards as the Gators had on Saturday: Zero.
The latest show of dominance from Nick Saban's unstoppable machine was an incredible effort from the rush defense, holding Florida without a single rushing yard throughout the entire game.
College statistics are a little fishy when it comes to rushing yardage because a quarterback sack is listed as a run, but it's still an incredible number over a 60 minute game.
While Saturday's performance was the crowning achievement, it's simply the latest domination by the nation's top defensive unit. Here's how teams have fared rushing the ball against Alabama this season:
| Opponent | Rush Yards Allowed | Rush Attempts | Yards per Attempt |
|---|---|---|---|
| USC | 64 | 30 | 2.1 |
| Western Kentucky | 23 | 22 | 1 |
| Ole Miss | 101 | 33 | 3.1 |
| Kent State | 82 | 30 | 2.7 |
| Kentucky | 72 | 36 | 2 |
| Arkansas | 73 | 36 | 2 |
| Tennessee | 32 | 32 | 1 |
| Texas A&M | 114 | 38 | 3 |
| LSU | 33 | 27 | 1.2 |
| Mississippi State | 94 | 35 | 2.7 |
| Chattanooga | 70 | 30 | 2.3 |
| Auburn | 66 | 26 | 2.5 |
| Florida | 0 | 30 | 0 |
Only two opponents, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, hit the 100-yard plateau all season against Alabama, and the Rebels achieved that mark by just one yard. The Crimson Tide finished the season allowing a paltry 63 yards per game on the ground, 34 yards better than the next best team in the country, Houston.
Looking at the math, that's barely over 2 yards per carry, which is almost a full yard better than the second-ranked Cougars. Taking Alabama's worst game of the season against Texas A&M, the Crimson Tide allowed 114 yards at an average of three yards per carry. That "worst" showing would put Alabama 13th in the country in yards allowed and third in yards-per-carry.
Long story short, if a team has any hope of beating Alabama this year, they better have a damn good quarterback, because nobody is running anywhere on the Crimson Tide.