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Meyer Says Gators Won't Hype Tebow For Heisman Trophy

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By ANDY STAPLES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 12, 2007

Updated: 11/11/2007 11:33 pm

GAINESVILLE - Even after he called quarterback Tim Tebow's seven-touchdown game Saturday night a "Heisman performance," University of Florida coach Urban Meyer said Sunday he doesn't expect to mount a full-scale Heisman Trophy campaign on Tebow's behalf.

So if Heisman voters expected Tebow bobblehead dolls or notebooks to clog their mailboxes, they can rest easy. The most they should expect is a flyer detailing Tebow's accomplishments and a few factoids deftly inserted into their conversations with members of Florida's sports information staff.

Tebow reduced the Heisman race to a two-man competition - at least for this week - between himself and Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon by throwing for 304 yards and two touchdowns and running for 120 yards and five touchdowns Saturday in a 51-31 win at South Carolina. In the process, Tebow broke former Gator Danny Wuerffel's Southeastern Conference record for touchdowns accounted for in a season (42) and tied Georgia's Garrison Hearst, Alabama's Shaun Alexander and LSU's LaBrandon Toefield for the SEC single-season record for rushing touchdowns (19).

Though Tebow's numbers may be Heisman-worthy, Meyer said Sunday that Florida probably would not organize a Heisman campaign on Tebow's behalf. Meyer also said he would not take the Heisman into account when deciding how to use Tebow in Florida's remaining games against Florida Atlantic and Florida State.

"We're not getting involved in that," Meyer said. "We're just going to go try and win the game."

Meanwhile, Steve McClain, Florida's assistant athletic director in charge of sports information, said he and football sports information director Zack Higbee would rely on "old-school PR" rather than gimmickry. Besides, Tebow received plenty of attention and coverage even before he emerged as a Heisman candidate.

"There's a fine line," McClain said, "between educating people and someone being overexposed."

While coaching Utah in 2004, Meyer did approve a heavier promotional campaign for quarterback Alex Smith. Meyer gave his OK, he said Sunday, because he knew Smith wouldn't receive the same exposure as a player at a power conference school. Smith finished fourth in the Heisman voting in 2004.

"I kind of did stump a little bit of that for Alex Smith. We were at a school where many people didn't see him play," Meyer said. "It was not a high-profile place like Florida. With Tim's performance and being the defending national champions at a high-profile place, a lot of people have seen him play."

Tebow, who was named the Walter Camp national offensive player of the week Sunday, has played on national television in six of 10 games (four CBS, two ESPN). Dixon, whose team is 8-1 and ranked No. 2, has played on national television in two of nine games, but he will get a showcase Thursday at Arizona on ESPN.

To counter the lack of exposure, Oregon bought commercial time on ESPN prior to the Ducks' win against Arizona State on Nov. 3 to hype Dixon for the Heisman. In 2001, the school bought a billboard near New York's Madison Square Garden that pictured Ducks quarterback Joey Harrington and featured the words "Joey Heisman."

All the hype seems lost on Tebow, who has his own idea about who should win the award. The Gators, who trail Georgia and Tennessee by one game in the loss column in the race for the SEC East title, would make the SEC Championship Game if Kentucky closes its season with wins against the Bulldogs and Volunteers. Remember, Tebow said early Sunday morning, the Wildcats have a quarterback who spent much of the season in the Heisman conversation.

"Hopefully, Andre' Woodson has some great performances and goes and wins the Heisman for us," Tebow said. "That's what I'm rooting for."

Reporter Andy Staples can be

reached at (352) 262-3719 or

astaples@tampatrib.com.

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