Danny Wuerffel connected with Chris Doering for a two-yard touchdown pass with 5:29 remaining Saturday and Judd Davis kicked the deciding extra point to give sixth-ranked Florida the Southeastern Conference championship game.
The Gators (10-1-1) earned their second straight SEC title and a rematch with arch-rival Florida State in the Sugar Bowl, while Alabama (13-1) will have to settle for the Citrus Bowl against Ohio State.
The Tide went to the fourth quarter trailing for the fifth time this season. But Alabama appeared on its way to another comeback victory when freshman Dwayne Rudd picked off a Wuerffel pass and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown to put Alabama ahead 22-17 with 8:56 remaining.
But then coach Gene Stallings made a call sure to be debated for years: He sent Michael Proctor on to kick the extra point rather than going for the two-point conversion which could have given the Tide a seven-point lead.
Stallings came to regret his decision when Florida drove 80 yards in 10 plays to set up Doering's touchdown.
Alabama still had plenty of time to get in position for a Proctor field goal, but quarterback Jay Barker's fourth-down pass from his own 44 was intercepted with about a minute to go.
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Kurt Heiss' 52-yard field goal with 6:19 left gave Army a 22-20 victory over Navy, the Cadets' fourth victory over the Midshipmen in the last five years.
Heiss, a senior whose previous best was a 37-yard field goal, also hit from 21 and 35 yards Saturday as Army improved its lead to 45-43 in the annual rivalry between the two U.S. military service academies.
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