TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online
UF's Tebow Played Despite Broken Hand
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Published: November 26, 2007
GAINESVILLE - Florida State linebacker Dakoda Watson had no idea how correct he was when he said the following about Florida quarterback Tim Tebow on Saturday night.
"It ain't like he is God or anything like that," Watson said of Tebow, who threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more in Florida's 45-12 win. "But he is a heck of a of a football player. I'll put it like that."
Indeed, Tebow is human. Heisman Trophy front-runner or not, his bones break just like everyone else's. Saturday, the sophomore played most of the second half after suffering a non-displaced fracture in his right (non-throwing) hand while running for a 5-yard touchdown with 12:14 remaining in the third quarter.
Non-displaced means a bone is broken but not misaligned. Florida spokesman Steve McClain said Tebow would wear a cast for about three weeks, but he should play in Florida's bowl game.
Tebow, who accounted for a Southeastern Conference-record 51 touchdowns this season, may get a boost in his Heisman campaign when voters consider how long he played after the injury. Votes are due Dec. 4. The Heisman ceremony is Dec. 8 in New York.
Tebow, who said nothing about the injury in a postgame news conference, has played with a broken bone before. As a sophomore at Ponta Vedra Beach Nease in 2003, Tebow threw for more than 300 yards and ran for a game-tying 29-yard touchdown on a broken leg in an eventual loss to St. Augustine Pedro Menendez.
Saturday night - before he learned the results of the X-ray on Tebow's hand - Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen marveled at the way Tebow took the reins of Florida's offense as a sophomore. Mullen said if he had a Heisman vote, he'd give it to Tebow.
"I don't have a vote for the Heisman but I'd be hard-pressed to say anyone has done more this year in college football than Tim," Mullen said. "He's done it on the ground. He's done it in the air. He's been a great leader with his teammates. It's completely out of our hands, and it's up to the people that get to make those decisions."
Also out of the Gators' hands is their bowl fate. If Georgia remains at No. 4 in the Bowl Championship Series rankings or moves to No. 3 in the event of a Missouri loss in Saturday's Big 12 title game, the Bulldogs would be guaranteed an at-large berth in a BCS bowl. Because the winner of the LSU-Tennessee SEC title matchup earns an automatic berth in the BCS, the best Florida could hope for is the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1 in Orlando.
The Gators likely will end up there against Michigan or Illinois, provided the Capital One doesn't grab the Tigers in the event of an LSU loss Saturday. After Florida beat FSU, Capital One Bowl executive director Steve Hogan said the Gators are on his bowl's radar. The Gators haven't played in Orlando since losing to Michigan State in the Citrus Bowl following the 1999 season.
"With what's available to us in the SEC," Hogan said, "Florida is as attractive as any option we have."
Hogan said he doubts his bowl will be allowed to extend a bid until Sunday. The BCS will release several teams Tuesday, but Hogan said he doubts any of the SEC or Big Ten teams bowl officials are considering will be released until after Saturday's conference title games.
Reporter Andy Staples can be reached at (352) 262-3719 or astaples@tampatrib.com.
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