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GAINESVILLE, Florida (Ticker) -- Thanks to Shaun Alexander, Alabama coach Mike DuBose's job is safe and Florida's 30-game home winning streak is history. Alexander ran for the last of his four touchdowns on Alabama's first play of overtime and Chris Kemp's second try at the extra point was good, giving the 22nd-ranked Crimson Tide an amazing 40-39 Southeastern Conference victory over No. 3 Florida. Florida's winning streak at "The Swamp" had been the longest in the nation and it appeared safe when Doug Johnson threw a six-yard scoring pass to Reche Caldwell on the first possession of overtime. But Jeff Chandler pushed the extra point wide right, leaving the Gators with a 39-33 lead. Alexander ran through the left side and found the end zone to tie it. Kemp was wide right on his first extra point, but the Gators were offside and he made good on his second chance. "I've always thought about being in that situation and to be relaxed and put the crowd out of my mind and just hit it," Kemp said. Said Florida coach Steve Spurrier, "He just missed it like the other kid missed and we jumped offside and they didn't." "This was a tremendous win for our football team, for our fans and for the people that support this university against a superior football team," DuBose said. "There's no question, this was a huge, huge win for our football team." Kemp made the kick in front of a Florida Field record crowd of 85,721, seven more than the crowd for Tennessee in 1997. The Gators (4-1, 2-1 SEC East) lost at home for the first time since a 36-33 defeat to Auburn on October 15, 1994. The Tide (4-1, 3-0 West) have a 19-11 lead in the all-time series, which includes the first four SEC title games. Alexander ran for 106 yards and had 94 receiving. His efforts, which included a 13-yard touchdown run to tie it with 85 seconds left, moved him near the top of the list of early season Heisman Trophy candidates. A pair of mishaps on special teams nearly determined the outcome. Fullback Marvin Brown was hit with the ball on a punt snap and Florida took over at the Alabama 26, leading to Johnson's 12-yard scoring pass to Darrell Jackson that made it 33-26 with 5:15 left. Brown redeemed himself by recovering a muffed punt by Jackson at the 22. Alexander, who carried 26 times, cashed in with a 13-yard run with 1:25 to go that forced the overtime. "Who knows if we could have run the clock out," said Spurrier, who lost for just the third time in 59 home games. "We needed to make a fist down to have gotten it over with even when they punted. So who knows?" Alabama held the ball 41:22 to just 18:38 for Florida and racked up 447 total yards. The Gators had 449 yards but fumbled three times. "Hopefully we'll be seeing these guys in (the SEC title game in) Atlanta," Johnson said. Johnson completed 22-of-31 passes for 309 yards and four TDs --three to Jackson, who caught six passes for 127 yards. Robert Gillespie carried 11 times for 86 yards and Bo Carroll eight for 65. Alabama had a 13-7 halftime lead thanks to Alexander's one-yard scoring run and two field goals by Kemp. Florida's only score was a 73-yard scoring pass from Johnson to Jackson. Cornerback Bennie Alexander intercepted high school teammate Andrew Zow and raced 42 yards to the end zone to give Florida a 14-13 lead with 8:46 left in the third quarter. "I told him I was going to pick him off so I went out there and picked him off," Bennie Alexander said. "I was reading my receiver and the other receiver missed the route. It felt really good. I wish I could have won the game for us." Shaun Alexander capped the ensuing drive with a 47-yard TD catch from Zow for a 19-14 lead. Johnson and Jackson hooked up on an eight-yard score as the Gators took a 22-19 lead into the final period. "The biggest crucial phase of the game for 'Drew was the interception for a touchdown," DuBose said. "He comes to the sideline and knows exactly what happened. He doesn't get down on himself. I think that's the maturing of Andrew into a complete quarterback that understands our offense and defense and understands who's capable of making plays. He's not only a guy who we look to for keeping us from losing the football game, he's the guy we look to to make a play that can win a game for us and he did that today." Zow was 28-of-40 for 336 yards, two TDs and three interceptions. Freddie Milons had 119 yards on 10 catches and Antonio Carter 93 on nine. Zow connected with Alexander four times. "I put it behind me," Zow said. "I dropped it right there when he ran to the end zone. I dropped it right there. But the coaches believe in me and the players believe in me, so I let it go." Zow hit Carter on a 14-yard TD pass with 12:30 remaining for a 26-22 lead but Chandler got the Gators within a point with 9:42 left by kicking a 37-yard field goal. In 1921, Florida posted a 9-2 triumph in Tuscaloosa to end the Tide's 31-game home winning streak.
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