An Unsteady Alliance : SEC: Wuerffel throws for six touchdowns as Florida tops Alabama, 45-30, to set up rematch with Florida State.

Thanks to Danny Wuerffel and Texas, Florida will get an improbable second chance to win its first national championship.

Wuerffel threw for 401 yards and six touchdowns in a Heisman-like performance and the No. 4 Gators set up a Sugar Bowl rematch with top-ranked Florida State by beating No. 15 Alabama, 45-30, for the Southeastern Conference championship Saturday night.

A week after their devastating loss to Florida State, the Gators (11-1) took the field for the SEC championship knowing No. 3 Nebraska had been upset by Texas, 37-27, in the Big 12 title game. That gave Florida a chance to slide into the Sugar Bowl, and the Gators took advantage.

Afterward, Florida Coach Steve Spurrier and his players didn’t want to discuss the rematch with Florida State yet.

“We had just a phenomenal opportunity to come in here tonight and win four straight championships,” Wuerffel said. “We’d like to bask in this a little bit before we talk about anything else.”

Wuerffel, making a strong case that he deserves the Heisman, threw for more touchdowns in one night than Alabama (9-3) had given up the entire season. The Tide came in having surrendered only five scoring passes with the top-ranked pass defense in the country.

None of that mattered to Wuerffel, who endured several big hits behind a makeshift offensive line but threw three touchdown passes to Reidel Anthony and one each to Elijah Williams, Ike Hilliard and Jacquez Green.

Alabama tried to match Florida score-for-score, but that was an impossible task against Wuerffel and the Gators, who put the Fun-n-Gun back in their offense after the 24-21 loss to Florida State.

Florida won its fourth consecutive SEC title, one short of the record held by Bear Bryant and Alabama. More important, though, the Gators head into the bowl season for the second year in a row with a chance for a national title.

Spurrier insisted that he didn’t use Nebraska’s loss as a motivating factor for his team.

“Talking about that was not going to help us beat Alabama,” he said. “Right now, realistically, Arizona State is in very good position. But anything can happen.”

Two years ago, Florida and Florida State also met in a Sugar Bowl rematch after a 31-31 tie in the regular season. Florida State won the bowl, 23-17.

Alabama Coach Gene Stallings, who is stepping down at the end of the season, was denied an SEC title as a going-away present. The Tide will likely head to the Outback Bowl for Stallings’ final game and a chance to end his seven-year tenure with an even 70 victories.

“We’ve done a lot of good things,” Stallings said. “I’m glad we won the national championship [in 1992]. They can’t ever take that away. But that doesn’t knock the sting out of this one.”

After Alabama jumped to a 7-0 lead on Dennis Riddle’s 36-yard catch and run, Florida reeled off 24 consecutive points. Wuerffel connected with Hilliard for a 46-yard touchdown, then Anthony 21 yards and Williams for 45.

The Crimson Tide cut the gap to 24-14 at halftime, scoring with 29 seconds remaining on an eight-yard pass from Freddie Kitchens to Michael Vaughn. But that was only a warmup for the wild third quarter.

Alabama cut the Gators’ lead to 24-21 after Florida punter Robby Stevenson fumbled a low snap and the ball was knocked out of bounds at the 5. On the next play, Riddle scored his second touchdown.

But Florida responded with a 65-yard drive that was capped off by Wuerffel’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Anthony. That put the Gators ahead 31-21.

Alabama, facing a third-and-10 on its 6, stunned Florida with a 94-yard touchdown pass from Kitchens to Vaughn.

Less than a minute later, Wuerffel dropped back and delivered an 85-yard touchdown to Jacquez Green. Florida led, 38-28, and Stallings, ranting on the sideline about the blown coverage, seemed to sense that Alabama was done.