The 1992 SEC Championship Game was played on December 5, 1992, at

Legion Field Legion Field is an outdoor stadium in the southeastern United States in Birmingham, Alabama, primarily designed to be used as a venue for American football, but occasionally used for other large outdoor events. Opened in 1927, it is named in ho ...

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

. The

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

(SEC) was the first conference in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

to host a post-season conference championship game, and the 1992 game was the first time the

SEC Championship Game The SEC Championship Game is an annual American football game that has determined the Southeastern Conference's season champion since 1992. The championship game pits the SEC East Division regular season champion against the West Division regula ...

was held. The inaugural match-up determined the 1992 SEC football champion. The

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...

of the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

, winners of the SEC Western Division, defeated the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, who won the SEC Eastern Division, by a score of 28-21. Following the game, undefeated Alabama advanced to the Sugar Bowl, where the Crimson Tide defeated the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes (known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes) are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic A ...

to win the Crimson Tide's 12th national championship. Florida received an invitation to play in the , where the Gators defeated the North Carolina State Wolfpack.

Game summary

The Florida Gators scored first, on a five-yard touchdown reception by

Errict Rhett Errict Undra Rhett (born December 11, 1970) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 1990s and early 2000s. Rhett played college football for t ...

to take a 7–0 lead in the first quarter. The Crimson Tide responded by scoring the next 21 points. The Tide's first points came later in the first quarter on a

Derrick Lassic Derrick Owens Lassic (born January 26, 1970) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Alabama. Early years Lassic attended North Roc ...

3-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7–7. In the second quarter, Curtis Brown would score on a 30-yard touchdown reception from

Jay Barker Jay Barker (born Harry Jerome Barker on July 20, 1972) is a retired professional American football quarterback. He is currently a Birmingham radio personality. Football career Barker attended Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Alab ...

to take a 14–7 lead at the half. Alabama would further extend their lead to 21–7 in the third on a 15-yard Derrick Lassic touchdown run. Down by 14, the Gators would respond with a pair of touchdowns, tying the game at 21 midway through the fourth quarter. Willie Jackson would score first on a 4-yard touchdown reception on a pass from

Shane Matthews Michael Shane Matthews (born June 1, 1970) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for all or part of fourteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. He played college footba ...

late in the third, and Errict Rhett would knot the game at 21 with just over eight minutes remaining in the contest. With momentum in the favor of the Gators, with 3:16 remaining in the game,

Antonio Langham Collie Antonio Langham (born July 31, 1972) is an American former college and professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the University of Alabama, a ...

would return a Matthews interception 27-yards for a touchdown in providing the final 28–21 margin.

References

External links

Recap of the 1992 SEC Championship game at SECSports.com
*Championship 1992 1992 1992 December 1992 sports events in the United States 1992 in sports in Alabama {{Collegefootball-stub

Game summary

See also

References

External links