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Pain Worth It For QB Tebow

Tribune photo by COLIN HACKLEY

Florida Coach Urban Meyer, left, and Tim Tebow listen to a referee after Tebow came up short on the goal line.

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By MICK ELLIOTT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 2, 2008

JACKSONVILLE - Tim Tebow was wearing a protective boot after leaving the locker room after Saturday's shockingly easy win against Georgia.

Fear not, Gators fans.

Tebow said it was only a slightly sprained left ankle, and he expects to be fine.

He suffered the injury on a 4-yard run in the third quarter, but he didn't leave the game until 9:53 remained in the fourth when John Brantley took over at quarterback with the Gators leading 42-3.

"It doesn't get any sweeter than this," Tebow said of avenging last year's 42-30 loss.

"We didn't have to talk about it. We just had to go out there and show that we're a different team and prove that we worked extremely hard. We didn't want that to happen again to us."

Big Payback

Not only did Florida get revenge for last year's loss, but also it handed the Bulldogs their worst loss under Coach Mark Richt.

It also was the second-most lopsided Florida win against its rival, surpassed only by a 47-7 decision in 1996.

"It's a weight off our shoulders," S Ahmad Black said. "All we heard about was Georgia, Georgia, Georgia."

Record-Setter

Tebow's 1-yard run for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal with 7:26 remaining in the second quarter made him the Gators' all-time leader in rushing touchdowns.

Tebow's scoring run was the 37th of his three-year career, one better than Emmitt Smith produced from 1987 to 1989.

It's A Carnival!

What rocket scientist was in charge of Jacksonville's civic calendar?

Traffic and parking problems are a problem any time more than 84,000 fans show up in one spot. But it was especially difficult Saturday because Jacksonville Fairgrounds, which is adjacent to the stadium and provides acres of parking, wasn't available.

That's because roller coasters, Ferris wheels and cotton candy stands were taking up the space.

Apparently, the Duval County Agricultural Fair was scheduled for the same weekend as Florida-Georgia.

This was only the 75th time the game has been played in Jacksonville, so maybe it surprised them.

Officials promised to work with both schools to avoid conflicts in the future.

That's A Reward?

The spoils of victory keep coming.

By winning Saturday in Jacksonville, the Gators earned an 8 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2 for its game next weekend at Vanderbilt.

Meanwhile, Georgia's meeting with Kentucky will be aired on Raycom, with a 12:30 start.

This One's For Coach

Florida LB Brandon Spikes said the Gators would enjoy Saturday's victory the most because it was like a gift to Coach Urban Meyer.

"It's a great rivalry, just to see the crowd split down the middle," he said. "But emotions were flaring. They kind of disrespected us last year.

"We just wanted to come out and get this one for the staff, for Coach Meyer, he really wanted this one bad."

Mick Elliott

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