Blake Sims vs. Florida: Stat Line, Highlights, Twitter Reaction

If there was any lingering doubt as to who the starting quarterback for the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide was, Blake Sims emphatically squashed it Saturday thanks to an epic performance against the Florida Gators. 

After falling behind early to a very game Gators squad, Sims continued to roll right along and had himself an eye-popping stat line before the proceedings even entered the second quarter thanks to 272 yards and two touchdowns:

By the end of the day, Sims came close to breaking a school record in terms of passing yardage:

Name	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT
Blake Sims	23/33	445	13.5	4	1

As FoxSports.com's Stewart Mandel pointed out, Sims was doing his best to keep his team in the game early in the first frame:

He did just that with a 79-yard touchdown strike to wideout Amari Cooper, which brought up some alarming possibilities, as illustrated by Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press:

Thanks to a great effort from Sims and some timely miscues from the Gators secondary, the game was tied up at 14 heading into the second quarter. There, Sims kept his momentum alive with a touchdown pass to back Jalston Fowler.

That score in particular proved a point to those who claim Sims leans on Cooper alone for his production, as Marquavius Burnett of The Anniston Star points out:

In the final frame with his team up two scores, Sims returned to the game after an injury scare and threw his second touchdown pass of the game to Cooper to put things away at the eventual final score, 42-21.

That is the wild part—Sims left the field in the second half with a health issue, which in turn saw backup Jake Coker enter the game and throw a touchdown pass on all of two attempts.

In other words, Sims was robbed of an opportunity to crush a school record and further cement his running for individual awards. ESPN Stats & Info touched on his pursuit of the record after the contest:

For Sims, it was another business-like performance thus far, as he posted season-high marks in touchdowns and yardage. He was rather quiet on the ground, but when a quarterback is finding that much success through the air, it is hard to argue with a lack of versatile production.

A win against Florida is not what is used to be, but for now, Sims has a marquee victory on his resume in a major conference clash. Not bad for a young player who was embroiled in a competition at the position not too long ago.

College football has a dark-horse Heisman contender on its hands.