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Was Tebow Passing The Torch?

Tribune photo by SCOTT ISKOWITZ

Florida QB Tim Tebow celebrates with fans after the game Saturday.

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By MICK ELLIOTT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 23, 2008

GAINESVILLE - Florida fans can read into this whatever they want. When junior QB Tim Tebow - serenaded by chants of "one more year" - ran around The Swamp high-fiving and posing for photographs after the Gators crushed The Citadel on Saturday in the season's final home game, he insisted backup QB John Brantley join him for the tour.

"I made him come," Tebow said. "He was a little shy at first. That's the second time I think he has come with me to do that. Just trying to start a tradition and hopefully that will catch on.

"The fans stayed there the whole time, so you can give back to them a little bit."

But might that have been a suggestion that Tebow was in a way passing the torch to Brantley?

"I don't want to think about it like that at all," Tebow said.

SO LONG, SENIORS

Florida's 21 seniors were honored in a pregame ceremony. Each player was introduced, met by Coach Urban Meyer and then joined his parents at midfield.

"Every one of them is going to graduate," Meyer said. "Nowadays to sustain four years of college football is hard. Guys don't make it for one reason or another.

"Our program goals are pretty simple. Graduate from Florida. Every one of them, 100 percent, will graduate. The second is winning a championship. They've won the SEC one time and will have another chance to go play.

"It's a terrible thing when guys get used. I tell them all the time. Sometimes universities use players. It's horrible. You get sick to your stomach. A kid comes to college a highly rated recruit and he leaves without a degree or being maximized as a football player. Being used is a bad, bad thing. Not one of these seniors was used. They used the university, which they should."

NEWTON'S ARREST

Meyer expressed shock by the news that one day earlier sophomore reserve QB Cam Newton had been arrested on felony charges of burglary, larceny and intimidating a witness.

He has been suspended from the team.

"I absolutely fell out of my chair," Meyer said. "Crushed. Surprised. But he made his bed, he's got to sleep in it.

"Our focus was beating Citadel. Now that it's over, I've got to deal with some issues, and I'll know more. People wanted to talk to me about it and I would not even discuss it with them. That would have been an injustice to the seniors and our football team.

"Now I have to deal with it, but I'm not going to spend a lot of time with it because we've got to prepare for our rivals."

EDMONDSON'S CURTAIN CALL

Florida sent Mr. Two-Bits out in style.

George Edmondson, the Tampa businessman who has led his trademark cheer for 60 seasons, announced earlier this year he was retiring, with Saturday's game his last appearance.

Interestingly, Edmondson did not attend Florida. He was an undergraduate at The Citadel.

Along with being introduced during pregame ceremonies and leading Florida fans in a cheer, Edmondson was presented the keys to the city by Gainesville mayor Peggy Hanrahan.

But the best salute of all may have been given by Florida's costumed mascot, Albert the Alligator. Albert was dressed in Edmondson's typical attire: a yellow dress shirt and orange and blue necktie.

Mick Elliott

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