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Defense Carries Florida Past Miami

Tribune photo by SCOTT OSKOWITZ

Robert Marve #9 is brought down by Carlos Dunlap #8 from behind Saturday.

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By MICK ELLIOTT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 7, 2008

GAINESVILLE - A rebranding may have taken place right before our eyes. With Saturday night's 26-3 victory against a talented and scrappy Miami Hurricanes squad, the fifth-ranked Florida Gators were seen more for what they can be rather than what the scouting reports insist they are.

The team recognized by its hyperactive offense was carried by defense.

In a 60-minute street fight, the Hurricanes frustrated, pounded and wore the Gators flat out. But they could not take advantage of the effort.

"Our defense played outstanding and that's two weeks in a row," Florida coach Urban Meyer said. "The best thing we have got going on defense right now is that you have to go hard or you stand out like a sore thumb."

For three quarters, the UM defense ran step for step with Florida's speedsters, refusing to give up the big play and keeping the Gators on a short leash.

Except Florida's defense answered.

With freshman quarterback and Plant graduate Robert Marve making his first college appearance, the Gators allowed the Hurricanes just 140 total offensive yards on 59 plays.

And finally, after carrying a precarious 9-3 lead into the fourth quarter, Florida finally found its offense, dropping 17 on the Canes in the final 15 minutes.

"They have a lot of stout defensive linemen and we had a hard time moving them," Meyer said. "Finally we got things going."

With most of the record crowd of 90,833 in Florida Field calling for their heads, the Hurricanes hardly could have gotten off to a more demoralizing start.

After Miami gained only 1 yard after taking the opening kickoff, kicker Matt Bosher shanked his punt 14 yards, giving Florida possession at its 35.

Five plays later, quarterback Tim Tebow, with a blitzing linebacker in his face, found tight end Aaron Hernandez in the back of the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown.

Of all the ways Miami imagined working Marve into his first college game, having to climb out of such a quick hole was not high on the list. Nevertheless, the former Florida Mr. Football was not spooked.

On the Hurricanes' third possession, Marve responded by engineering an eight-minute, 16-play drive - running himself on third-and-2 and fourth-and-5 for first downs - that produced a 50-yard field goal by Bosher.

Oddly, just when Marve appeared to be finding his footing, the Hurricanes changed quarterbacks, going with freshman Jacory Harris, who started last week, to finish the half.

Harris' first possession resulted in one first down before a Miami punt; his second was a situation few quarterbacks want to face.

After being pinned at their own 1-yard line by a crafty 38-yard punt by Florida's Chas Henry, the Hurricanes were forced to punt from their own end zone.

They could not get it done quickly enough.

Florida freshman Jeffrey Demps, he of world-class sprinter speed, came in from the outside to block the punt, and after a mad scramble the loose ball bounced out of the end zone for a safety.

The half ended with Florida leading 9-3, but with little to feel good about offensively after the early quick-hit touchdown.

The second half continued to be a defensive standoff - or was it an offensive standstill? - until the Gators finally produced their drive of the game, which culminated with a Percy Harvin 2-yard touchdown and a 16-3 lead with 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Taking possession at their 14-yard line, the Gators grinded out 86 yards on 12 plays, chewing up 5:50 of the clock before Harvin scored on third-and-goal on an option toss.

The big play in the drive was a 28-yard completion by Tebow to wideout Carl Moore on third-and-9 to the Miami 33-yard line. Moore was initially ruled out of bounds, but officials reviewed the play and said Moore's elbow touched down before his feet landed out of bounds.

"That was the play of the day," Meyer said. "That kind of changed momentum."

Getting the football on its next possession at the 5 following a Miami punt, UF went 95 yards in five plays in just 1:24.

Senior wideout Louis Murphy was the standout of the possession, grabbing a 32-yard catch before getting the touchdown with a 19-yard completion from Tebow.

Until those two scoring drives, the UF offense had managed 159 yards. Those two drives were good for 191.

"We were just not in synch on offense," Meyer said. "What they were doing was sending their linebackers downfield. The minute we started working the perimeter we started moving the ball. We probably should have started that earlier."

Florida's final three points came on a 29-yard field goal by Jonathan Phillips with 25 seconds remaining, after a 31-yard punt return by Brandon James to the Miami 16.

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