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Florida Opponents Have To Be Careful Of The Tebow Thing
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Published: September 23, 2007
Updated: 09/23/2007 12:11 am
OXFORD, Miss. - Unless he's Superman - hey, who really knows for sure? - Florida Gators sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow will struggle to get out of bed this morning.
'My body feels good,' Tebow said in protest.
But Gators coach Urban Meyer was fretting about Tebow's workload - 27 carries for 166 yards, the best rushing performance ever by a Florida QB - in Saturday afternoon's 30-24 escape against the suddenly game Ole Miss Rebels.
Over and over, Tebow's number was called, usually on basic keepers up the middle. Meyer described the play-calling trend as a trap, a crutch.
Let's also call it something else - Florida's winning edge.
'We have to be careful of the Tebow thing,' Meyer said
But let's face facts.
Without the Tebow thing, Florida probably loses to Ole Miss, extending an 0-for-Mississippi-road-game streak to inexplicable levels.
Without the Tebow thing, the Gators probably are victimized by undisciplined play (14 penalties for 127 yards), no pressure on the opposing quarterback and a leaky secondary that has become the major concern.
Without the Tebow thing, Florida's offense lacks an identity.
Powered By Tebow
At times, Tebow struggled mightily, missing open receivers, working out of rhythm. Yet, by day's end, he had dominated.
Completely.
He accounted for four touchdowns, completing 20 of 34 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another pair of scores.
'Do I trust Tim Tebow?' Gators senior guard Jim Tartt said. 'More than anybody else I know.'
In the fourth quarter alone, after the game had morphed from blowout to tightrope act, Tebow rushed for 61 yards, carrying on 10 of Florida's final 13 plays.
'Tim was in my grill on the sideline, asking to let him win the game,' Meyer said.
Said Tebow, 'I get a little fired up. I have a few suggestions, here and there.'
The play is called 'Power.'
Power. Again! Power. Again! Power ...
You get the idea.
'Just playing Florida can be overwhelming because they have so many good players,' Rebels defensive lineman Greg Hardy said. 'But the most frustrating thing was having Tebow run up the middle on the quarterback dive.'
'Tim Tebow is like a brick wall,' Rebels defensive back Dustin Mouzon said.
The Road To Victory
For the Gators, Saturday afternoon was another brick in the wall, a significant mile-marker in what is shaping up as a smashing season. There are concerns for Florida (4-0), which should have its true ambitions defined by the Oct. 6 trip to LSU, but Tim Tebow is not one of them.
Tebow has the right stuff to run this offense, to lead, often to carry the entire team upon his back.
If the defense catches up in time - say, in two weeks - Florida again could be playing for the biggest prize.
Meyer wasn't thinking about that Saturday. He had bad feelings about the way his young team handled its initial road trip, especially with an early wake-up call and an hour bus ride to the stadium.
'It was a circus at that hotel,' Meyer said. 'Everything but giraffes and elephants running around. I was worrying about that all week.'
The Gators finally settled down, even when pressed to the limit against Ole Miss.
Once they started giving it to the bull-moose QB.
'I didn't know how many carries I had,' Tebow said. 'You don't think about that. You're just trying to get through a four-quarter fight, just win the game.
'Afterward, somebody told me it was 27 carries. I was like, 'Are you serious?''
It added up to a victory. It wasn't particularly beautiful - 'I'll choke someone if I hear the style point thing,' Meyer said - but it was the thing Florida really needed.
The Tebow thing.
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