Henry aids Alabama win with 111 rushing yards

photo Alabama running back Derrick Henry (27) is tackled by Florida during their game on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Although quarterback Blake Sims and Alabama's aerial attack stole the show during Saturday's 42-21 drubbing of Florida, the Crimson Tide running game showed it's alive and well.

Derrick Henry rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries to lead Alabama's 196-yard ground assault. T.J. Yeldon added 59 yards on 18 carries, and Sims had a 24-yard keeper.

"I think we wore them down a little bit in the second half." Tide coach Nick Saban said. "The time of possession started favoring us, and having the combination of Derrick Henry and T.J. both rolling with the ball is a big advantage for us. I thought our offensive line did a much better job in the second half."

Alabama had 30 first-half rushing yards, which were arguably 30 more than the Tide needed considering they threw for 335 before intermission.

Henry rushed 17 times for 113 yards in the opening win over West Virginia but had a combined 16 carries in victories over Florida Atlantic and Southern Miss, when Saban emptied the benches. The 20 carries Saturday were a career high for Henry, who had just 27 carries during the 2013 regular season and rushed eight times for 100 yards in the Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma.

His 3-yard score at the 5:27 mark of the third quarter put the Tide ahead to stay at 28-21, but Henry never got the sense the Gators were wearing down.

"I wasn't really paying attention to them," Henry said. "I was making sure we were doing what we needed to do to execute plays and make plays and get touchdowns. That was my main focus, just play fast and execute as an offense."

Cooper nearly perfect

Amari Cooper had 10 catches for 201 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first Crimson Tide receiver with six consecutive 100-yard games and breaking the school mark for career touchdowns with 20. He did much of his damage against heralded Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III.

"We figured that [Florida coach] Will [Muschamp] would match him up, but we were going to try to get the ball to Coop," Saban said.

The most notable mistake made by Cooper was an offensive pass-interference penalty in the third quarter. Was the call correct?

"Definitely," a smiling Cooper said. "Yeah, I pushed off."

Driskel's difficulties

Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel was hoping to use Saturday as a stage to show he was back and better than ever after last September's season-ending knee injury.

Instead, he turned in a brutal 9-of-28 showing for 93 yards. He did have a nice 28-yard touchdown pass to Valdez Showers that tied the game at 7, but he was intercepted twice and his offense was 2-of-13 on converting third downs into firsts.

"That's just a good team," Driskel said. "They had good players. It had nothing to do with schemes that we haven't seen. We didn't make the plays when they were there, and they did."

Alabama's smothering of the Gators frustrated former Florida tailback Emmitt Smith to the point that midway through the fourth quarter he tweeted, "Put Jeff Driskel on the bench please. I have seen enough."

Tide tidbits

The 87-yard touchdown from Sims to Cooper was Alabama's first score on its first play from scrimmage since Terry Grant's 1-yard run against Vanderbilt in 2007, which was set up by a Javier Arenas 69-yard punt return. ... Redshirt sophomore kicker Adam Griffith from Calhoun, Ga., missed a 45-yard field-goal try in the first quarter after making his first seven attempts of the season. ... Sophomore tight end O.J. Howard did not catch a pass in the first three games but had two receptions for 22 yards against the Gators. ... Jabriel Washington and Landon Collins made Alabama's first two interceptions of the season.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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