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Tebow, Gators Beat Ole Miss

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By ANDY STAPLES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 23, 2007

Updated: 09/23/2007 12:11 am

OXFORD, Miss. - Even after 27 carries, they kept handing him the football.

For once Saturday, University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow faced a crowd he couldn't stiff-arm his way through. Covered in bruises and bleeding from his right elbow, he'd left the field an hour earlier. Now, standing at the southeast gate of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Tebow found footballs, pictures and Sharpie pens thrust into his hands by Florida fans eager to spend just a moment in the presence of their hero.

'I touched him,' said a wide-eyed young fan with a torso covered in blue paint - except for the No. 15 painted in white on his back.

The obsession grew Saturday when Tebow literally carried the Gators to a 30-24 win against Ole Miss. Thanks to the sophomore and a bulldozing offensive line, Florida halted its streak of consecutive upset losses in the Magnolia State at three.

The Gators committed 14 penalties, costing 127 yards. Tebow barreled ahead, turning first-and-longs into manageable second downs. Florida's secondary 'got exposed,' Coach Urban Meyer said, allowing the Rebels (1-3, 0-2 Southeastern Conference) to score consecutive third-quarter touchdowns that slashed their deficit from 27-9 to 27-24. Tebow kept running.

When he finally kneeled to allow the last seconds to tick away, Tebow had rushed on 10 of Florida's final 13 plays. He had shattered Larry Rentz's 40-year-old school record for rushing yards by a quarterback - Rentz ran for 109 against Tulane in 1967; Tebow rumbled over the Rebels for 166 and two touchdowns.

Meyer had worried that the first road trip with a young team would bring unpredictable results. It did. The team that shellacked Tennessee by 39 a week earlier played sluggish and sloppy. After the Gators (4-0, 2-0) limped to the finish, Meyer worried he'd relied too much on Tebow.

'We also have to be very careful,' Meyer said, 'about using Tebow as a crutch.'

But, Tebow and Meyer admitted, when the score tightened, Tebow asked for the ball.

'Sometimes, I get pretty motivated on the sidelines,' Tebow said. 'We talk, and I give Meyer suggestions.'

Tebow and receiver Percy Harvin, two younger Gators who played crucial roles in last year's national title, didn't allow the atmosphere to affect them. Harvin caught 11 passes for 121 yards, including a 19-yard, second-quarter touchdown that gave the Gators a 7-3 lead.

Tebow ran for Florida's next two touchdowns, and the Gators made their final trip into the end zone in the third quarter when Louis Murphy caught a Tebow pass, spun away from a defender and ran for a 37-yard score.

Less than three minutes later, Ole Miss receiver Shay Hodge looked at Florida's coverage and knew the Rebels were about to rally.

'I knew if the safety came down wrong,' Hodge said, 'I would be able to get open for a touchdown.'

The safety (Kyle Jackson) gambled and missed, and Hodge snatched a Seth Adams pass for a 19-yard touchdown. On the Rebels' next possession, Adams took advantage of freshman Major Wright - Jackson's replacement - and freshman cornerback Joe Haden. Receiver Mike Wallace slipped past Haden, and Wright rotated too slowly, leaving Wallace open to grab a perfect Adams pass for a 77-yard touchdown. Adams then tossed to Marshay Green for a two-point conversion.

'They forced us,' Meyer said, 'to show our immaturity.'

Even Tebow wasn't perfect. Though he finished with 261 passing yards, he forced several throws. Against Ole Miss, they fell to the turf. Against Auburn or LSU, the misfires might become interceptions.

Up three, Meyer asked Tebow to drain the clock. Tebow ran for 37 yards and threw for 9 on a 53-yard drive that ended with a 25-yard Joey Ijjas field goal. After Florida defensive end Jermaine Cunningham snuffed out an Ole Miss fake punt 3 yards shy of the first-down marker, Tebow kept the ball on five consecutive plays. He gained 25 yards, forcing the Rebels to use all three of their timeouts and further building his legend in the process.

'When it's the fourth quarter and it's a close game,' Florida receiver David Nelson said, 'we know the ball is going to No. 15.'

Reporter Andy Staples can be reached at (352) 262-3719 or astaples@tampatrib.com.

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