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ATLANTA (Ticker) -- Everyone thought Alabama coach Mike DuBose was joking this week when he said wide receiver Freddie Milons would be his quarterback. Now the joke is on Florida. Milons repeatedly lined up in the shotgun formation and ran for 116 yards and a key 77-yard touchdown that broke open the game in the fourth quarter as the eighth-ranked Crimson Tide clobbered No. 5 Florida, 34-7, in the Southeastern Conference championship. DuBose appeared to be making a mockery of Florida coach Steve Spurrier's indecision at quarterback during the week. Spurrier did not decide until Thursday that he would start Jesse Palmer over Doug Johnson, while DuBose kept private to the team his decision to start Andrew Zow over Tyler Watts until game time. When asked during the week who would start between Zow or Watts, DuBose chuckled, "Freddie Milons," then explained that it was fun to keep everyone in the dark. He ended up alternating Zow and Watts with Milons, who was named the game's MVP. Alabama is slated to play Michigan in the Orange Bowl on New Year's Night in Miami, while Florida will have to settle for a date with Michigan State earlier in the day in the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando. "It's funny that I started with Michigan and I might end with Michigan," said Alabama running back Shaun Alexander, who was recruited by the Wolverines. Alabama's defense was dominant, limiting Florida to a mere 114 yards and helping the offense keep the ball for over 40 minutes. Alexander carried 30 times for 97 yards as Alabama churned out 462 total yards, including 300 on the ground. The Florida defense had been allowing only 72.6 rushing yards per game. "It was a thorough beating, what can I say?" Spurrier said. "Alabama was just better than us, they ran it down our throats. We couldn't run it and they could. I wish we could have played better offensively to give our defense a better chance." The six first downs, 83 passing yards, eight completions and 114 yards of total offense all were lows for Florida in Spurrier's 10 seasons. The seven points were the Gators' lowest output since scoring six in a 1992 game and their third-lowest under Spurrier. "One thing that we knew we had to do was play a physical football game for 60 minutes and I think we did that," DuBose said. "I don't think I've seen a better defensive performance than what we did after that opening drive." The first drive of the game did not represent the remainder of the contest. Florida took the opening kickoff and drove 55 yards in four plays, with freshman running back Earnest Graham throwing a three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Erron Kinney for a 7-0 lead 1:40 into the game. Not counting a 15-yard personal foul, the 40 yards on that drive represented 35 percent of Florida's offense for the game. Alabama got on the board with 11:03 left in the second quarter when Ryan Pflugner kicked a 29-yard field goal and got within 7-6 with 2:03 left in the first half on his 48-yarder. Palmer was intercepted by cornerback Milo Lewis, who returned the ball six yards to the Florida 36 with 1:42 remaining in the half. Three plays later, Zow hit Jason McAddley with a 27-yard scoring pass and a 12-7 lead with 30 seconds left. Zow completed 10-of-17 passes for 134 yards and one touchdown, while Watts was 3-of-7 for 21 yards and was intercepted once. "It really worked," Zow said of the quarterback rotation. "I did not think it would work like that. It kept us all in the game and motivated." The Crimson Tide managed to hold the ball for 7:15 on a 13-play drive that covered only 23 yards and resulted in Pflugner's 49-yard field goal and a 15-7 edge with 3:12 left in the third quarter. After getting pinned back on its own 8 on a punt, Alabama moved out to the 23 and Milons lined up in the shotgun with roughly 12 minutes left in the game. He moved left with the snap, then reversed field and turned the right corner, eluding the grip of cornerback Daryl Dixon and going the distance for the longest run in SEC title game history. "It all started up front," Milons said. "The offensive line dominated the whole game. I was just running to where they weren't. Florida, with their speed on defense, sometimes overpursues and I broke a few tackles. The cutback lanes were open and I got through and scored." "We just need to get Freddie more touches," Alabama passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Charlie Stubbs said. "We were able to get him three or four runs and three or four catches tonight and that was our goal. A lot is expected of him, but he's very exciting to see." Milons completed his only pass, a seven-yarder, and had one reception for minus-one yard. Just seconds after Milons' run, Palmer was hit and had the ball tipped by Jarrett Johnson before 6-5, 290-pound defensive end Reggie Grimes snatched the ball and took off 38 yards for a touchdown and a 28-7 lead. "At first I didn't know what to do when I made the catch," Grimes said. "But I just started running and made it into the end zone. I was faster than people thought I was. I just wanted to give some of the fans a high-five." Palmer was 7-of-20 for 80 yards and was intercepted three times, while Johnson missed on both of his throws. The pair alternated on nearly every play in a loss to Florida State on November 20. Third-stringer Kevin McKinnon was in at quarterback when strong safety Marcus Spencer recorded his second interception of the game, giving Alabama the ball on the Florida 12. Alexander scored on a seven-yard run one play later to make it 34-7 with 3:58 left. "It was huge," Alexander said. "It was our main goal to win the SEC and it was one of the reasons I came back for my senior year."
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