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Harvin's Absence Doesn't Slow Gators Offense

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By JENNA MARINA, Tribune correspondent

Published: November 11, 2007

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Percy Harvin may be No. 1, but the Gators managed to do just fine without him during their 51-31 victory against South Carolina on Saturday night.

After missing part of Wednesday's practice and all of Thursday's, Harvin did not travel to South Carolina with the team.

Harvin's mother, Linda, told The Independent Florida Alligator her son was suffering from a sinus infection and migraine headaches.

Without one of its most dynamic players, Florida relied heavily on quarterback Tim Tebow to generate most of the offense.

The quarterback seemed to be no longer hindered by a sore shoulder as he tallied 26 carries for 120 yards and five touchdowns.

With his five rushing touchdowns against the Gamecocks, Tebow tied the Southeastern Conference record for most rushing touchdowns in a season. In 10 games, the sophomore has totaled 19 touchdowns and only needs one to break the conference record held by Georgia's Garrison Hearst, Alabama's Shaun Alexander and Louisiana State's LaBrandon Toefield.

"I'll vote for him for the Heisman Trophy," UF receiver Andre Caldwell said. "He's playing great. He's doing everything you would expect a quarterback at Florida to do."

When Tebow did hand the ball off, it was usually to return specialist Brandon James.

James finished with 10 rushes for 49 yards, but the sophomore uncharacteristically struggled with holding onto the ball.

As Florida looked to score late in the second quarter, James fumbled at South Carolina's 5-yard line. He fumbled again at 9:44 in the fourth quarter but managed to recover his drop.

Tebow also finished with 304 yards passing, which were spread among several Gators receivers.

"You need that balance," said UF offensive coordinator Dan Mullen. "If it's one guy that a team is depending on we're going to struggle."

Jarred Fayson recorded the first receiving touchdown of the night, and the 22-yard reception capped a 12-second scoring drive, which is the fastest drive of the season.

Freshman tight end Aaron Hernandez kicked off the second half strong for the Gators when he turned Tebow's short pass into a 55-yard reception.

Caldwell stepped up as Florida's top receiver with Harvin out, finishing with 11 catches for 147 yards.

Caldwell helped Tebow make history when he caught a 22-yard pass in the end zone late in the fourth quarter.

"I thought he Harvin wasn't going to be there, I've got to stop up and make plays," Caldwell said.

The TD pass became the 42nd score Tebow was responsible for this season, topping Danny Wuerffel's SEC record for TD responsibility.

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