Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema Joins Studio Show Live from Georgia Dome

SEC Audibles with Gary Danielson

       CBS Sports presents its 15^th consecutive SEC Championship this Saturday, Dec. 5 (4:00 PM, ET) as *No. 2-ranked Alabama takes on *No. 18-ranked Florida from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga.  The Crimson Tide (11-1) are playing for a berth in the College Football Playoff for the second straight year.  The last time these teams met in the SEC Championship was 2009, when Alabama, led by Greg McElroy and Mark Ingram, knocked off Tim Tebow’s Gators 32-13.

       CBS Sports’ lead college football announce team of Verne Lundquist, analyst Gary Danielson and reporter Allie LaForce call the action. Craig Silver, the Network’s coordinating producer of college football, produces and Steve Milton directs. 

       Studio coverage is live from the Georgia Dome with host Adam Zucker along with analysts Rick Neuheisel and Brian Jones.  Arkansas coach Brett Bielema joins as a guest analyst.  CBS COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY airs at 3:00 PM, ET, followed by COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY at 3:30 PM leading up to kick-off.  Vin DeVito produces and Linda Malino directs.

       Coverage includes a feature on Florida’s stand out junior running back Kelvin Taylor, son of former Pro Bowl NFL running back and Gator Fred Taylor.  The feature explores what Kelvin has learned from his father as a player on the gridiron and as a young adult as he matures off the field.  Also, CBS examines what makes the Crimson Tide defense so dominant, sitting down with three members of Alabama’s defense: Linebacker Reggie Ragland, Defensive Lineman A'Shawn Robinson and Defensive Lineman Jonathan Allen. 

(*College Football Playoff Rankings as of 12/1/15)

*** SEC AUDIBLES WITH CBS SPORTS’ LEAD COLLEGE FOOTBALL ANALYST GARY DANIELSON *** 

(On Alabama’s Success under Nick Saban)
It's a run unlike anything we'll probably ever see again. The SEC has benefited from Alabama's excellence and it's hard to believe watching them that if Nick Saban wants to stick around, when is this run going to end? They're going to put another class on top of this one. I promise you, there are guys on the scouting team that could be starting for a lot of SEC teams. 

(On Matching-Up with Alabama)
This is an elite defense that Alabama is facing. Florida has shown that all year. I went back and looked at Florida's game a year ago against Alabama.  Alabama gashed them for big plays. They didn't gash them for running plays.

I think the biggest mistake Florida could make in this game is trying to be something they're not. If they go into this game saying, 'We need to open it up. We need to take risks.  We need trick plays.  We need to change our offense to become a zone read team'…I just don't see how in four days of practice you are going to change when you’re playing against the elite defense in college football. I can’t conceive Florida coming out and being anything other than what we've seen. They are going to be a little bit of a bootleg team.  They are going to roll their quarterback. They are going to run Taylor to try and keep the game close…Hopefully for them the pressure will shift or Alabama will make a couple mistakes. I think they want to win this game even uglier than how Auburn tried to win, and Auburn stayed in the best way they could. 

(On Derrick Henry) 
Derrick Henry has it all.  The thing he has most is a work ethic that's almost hard to believe. Any teammate we've interviewed the last two years has raved about Derrick Henry in the weight room, in practice.   I've heard Nick Saban talk about him in spring football and how intense he was…He's obviously able to take punishment -- He carried the ball in the second half 30 times. 46 for the game, but 30 in the second half. That was an incredible display, and he had to do it. With Kenyan Drake down, I did not believe the Alabama staff would trust two freshmen in a big game. It was Derrick Henry's game and it was like watching Jack Morris pitch into extra innings for the Tigers in those days. They gave him the ball, and he just kept going. 

*Audibles excerpts are from SEC on CBS podcast from CBS Sports Digital, which is available via the following link: http://cbsprt.co/1XzzFJx

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Media Contact:         

Dan Sabreen, (212) 975-5936, dsabreen@cbs.com