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Gators Notebook: Harvin Should Play

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 3, 2009

FORT LAUDERDALE - The Florida Gators arrived Friday afternoon for the weeklong buildup to their BCS Championship Game against Oklahoma, their chartered flight welcomed to the Fort Lauderdale Airport Executive Terminal by a pair of fire trucks blasting water cannons into a giant arch.

Game officials promptly rolled out an orange carpet and the Gators deplaned, senior OL Jason Watkins leading the way.

Gators coach Urban Meyer followed at the end, but quickly provided the day's big news.

Junior playmaker Percy Harvin, who missed the SEC title game with a high ankle sprain, is expected to play.

"We've still got a lot of work to do," Meyer said. "The game plan is in but we're going to add a couple more things on offense - that involves Percy Harvin. You know we haven't had him. We've waited on purpose to get that in once we got down here."

Meyer reported Harvin, who remained in Gainesville during semester break to rehab the ankle rather that returning home to Virginia, is expected to have significant involvement "unless there is a setback." He will practice today.

The receiver has 1,133 yards from scrimmage this season.

TEBOW FILES

Junior QB Tim Tebow confirmed he has filed the necessary papers to make himself eligible for the NFL draft.

By taking the step, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner can judge the NFL's interest. He will make the final decision following the national championship game.

"I'm not even worried about it," Tebow said. "I'm excited to be here in Miami and I'm ready to go play the Sooners."

MATCHING RECORDS

Urban Meyer will go into the game with the second-best winning percentage (his 82-17 career mark is good for .828) of any college coach with at least five years.

Oklahoma's Bob Stoops (109-23, .826) is third.

PASSING GRADES

Florida reported no academic causalities from the recently completed semester.

According to Urban Meyer, not only was every player cleared academically, every senior is on track to graduate and the team's overall grade-point average is around 2.7.

"I was pleased with it," Meyer said.

GOOD COMPANY

The Gators enter the BCS Championship Game against Oklahoma with a 12-1 record. It is the fourth time in school history Florida has won 12 or more in a season - the other three being in 1995, 1996 and 2006. The school record of 13 victories belongs to the national championship 2006 team.

EXPERIENCE COUNTS

The Gators have patterned the preparation since the SEC title game almost exactly after 2006's national championship year.

Meyer scheduled practice times and meetings the same, but also there's simply having been through it before.

"You can gain a little bit of wisdom and knowledge on how to approach the situation, the big game and know how to handle the week, the preparation ... how to handle the events," Tim Tebow said.

HAVE YOU TWO MET?

The Florida-Oklahoma matchup will be only the second time in BCS play two Heisman Trophy winners will square off.

Florida QB Tim Tebow won the award in 2007 and OU QB Sam Bradford received the 2008 award.

The other meeting between Heisman winners also involved Oklahoma. In the 2005 Orange Bowl, the Sooners' 2003 winner, Jason White, went against 2004 recipient Matt Leinart and USC. The No. 1-ranked Trojans won 55-19.

Mick Elliott

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