Greased Gators up against Alabama slammers

Football fans in Anna Maria and southern Florida are getting ready for the match of the season tomorrow as the Gators take on Alabama for the SEC Championship.
The game looks to be shaping up as a meeting of speed vs power - and something has to give as Florida's offensive speedsters Percy Harvin, Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps meet the 12-0 power players of Alabama.
''They have a lot of speed,'' Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. ''They have probably three or four players that are unique space players in terms of speed and quickness. They have some good runners. They have a lot of speed. They have a lot of speed on defense. I think we have pretty good team speed.''
The game is taking place on the turf of the Georgia Dome so both sides will benefit from an improvement in foot speed.
''It's not just guys running fast, it's guys blocking and the team you're playing,'' Florida coach Urban Meyer said. ''I am very eager to have those guys get up there. And that's going to be a fast track, but the team we're playing is going to be fast as well.''
Gary Danielson, who is covering the game for CBS, reckons this is a match made in TV heaven. ''This is the most intriguing match-up I've ever done and basically it's because of the styles,'' said Danielson. ''This is Frazier versus Ali. This is ugly versus pretty. This is new versus old. This is spread out versus tight.''
The Gators might be fast, but that doesn't mean they won't be a challenge for an Alabama defensive line that features nearly 400-pound nose tackle and run stuffer Terrence Cody. ''They have a direct run power game that is probably as good as anybody we played against all year,'' Saban said. ''To control the line of scrimmage is going to be a really critical factor in this game.''
Florida's biggest man in the running game just happens to be quarterback Tim Tebow, who has run for 12 touchdowns. Tebow says the Gators are hardly just a finesse team.
''I think they're a powerful team, but I think we've got a little power, too,'' he said. ''I'm looking forward to the match-up. People are always going to think of us as a spread team with speed. We're not too bad in the short-yardage stuff, either.''
It's going to be one heck of a match - which will be narrowly won by the Gators if you ask me.