Alabama added a new chapter to a historic rivalry with a 42-21 win over Florida on Saturday. The Gators kept it close early, thanks in part to some forced fumbles, but it was all Alabama in the second half.

The Crimson Tide's performance was the most impressive of the year despite making a number of mistakes. Alabama now has a bye week before traveling to Oxford to take on Ole Miss. The bye week will give players time to heal from any injuries, which includes Blake Sims' shoulder.

The Tide was rewarded for their top notch performance against a worthy SEC opponent with solid marks across the board. A couple of errors caused some point deductions, but still not a bad report card to have heading into the bye week:

  • Offense

    Grade: A-

    Yes, Alabama gave up four costly turnovers, which might have cost the team a victory in most games. However, in this rare case, some of those can be overlooked. Blake Sims played his best game thus far throwing for 445 passing yards and 4 touchdowns, which is the second best passing performance in school history. All this was done despite missing game action with a shoulder injury. Sims is engineering an offense that now averages 78 plays per game, a record high in the Saban era.

    The ground game really did not get rolling until the second half, but Derrick Henry still ran for 111 yards and T.J. Yeldon added 59 more. The performance was impressive but not without errors. Kenyan Drake's 1st-quarter fumble set Florida up for its first touchdown.

    It's hard to find anything negative to say about a receiving group that was lead by Amari Cooper's 10 receptions for 201 yards. The junior is making his way into the Heisman conversation. Fans enjoyed seeing O.J. Howard make his first two catches of the year, ending a dry spell that has been mentioned in previous grading reports. The receivers as a whole continue to get better.

    The offensive line did not have its best game. A couple of penalties hurt the Tide throughout the game, and they did not really begin to open holes for the running backs until the second half. The group did rebound well in the second half.

    Overall, Alabama racked up 645 total yards on the Gators, which is the most total yards allowed by a Florida team in the school's history. That alone was enough to earn the unit an A- despite the mistakes.

    (Photo by Kevin Cox/Getty Images)
    (Photo by Kevin Cox/Getty Images)
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  • Defense

    Grade: A

    The defense played very well even though the scoreboard might not reflect that. It only allowed two touchdowns (one touchdown was a Florida scoop and score) and both times the Gators were in perfect position to score because of offensive turnovers.

    The secondary had its best performance of the year, holding Jeff Driskel to just 93 passing yards and limiting talented WR Demarcus Robinson to just two catches.

    The linebackers did a much better job of covering the entire field thanks to Trey Depriest and Reggie Ragland combining for 15 total tackles. This unit contributed to holding the Gators to just 107 rushing yards, but will need to improve on containing a mobile quarterback in upcoming matchups.

    The defensive line had a solid game as well but still needs to continue applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks and affecting the game. The group continues to improve but will face its toughest tests moving forward.

    (Photo by Kevin Cox/Getty Images)
    (Photo by Kevin Cox/Getty Images)
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  • Special Teams

    Grade: C+

    The special teams has been one of the most notable improvements on this team compared to last season, but Saturday wasn't the group's best day. Kicker Adam Griffith missed wide left on a 45-yard field goal, which was his first miss of the season and the only field goal attempt in this game.

    Punter JK Scott had his worst kick of the year when his first punt traveled just 30 yards and gave Florida the ball at mid-field. He responded with a 57-yard punt that was almost downed inside Florida's own 5 yard line. The true freshman's inconsistency should improve with experience.

    (Photo by Kevin Cox/Getty Images)
    (Photo by Kevin Cox/Getty Images)
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