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Gators' Win Gives Orange-And-Blue Hue To Crown

Tribune photo by MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER

Gators quarterbarck Tim Tebow celebrates with fans after beating Oklahoma.

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By MICK ELLIOTT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 9, 2009

Updated: 01/09/2009 01:34 am

MIAMI - The Florida Gators are studs, college football's national champions for the second time in three years thanks to heart, persistence, a hyper-competitive defense, and a Tim Tebow jump pass.

It was thrilling. It was captivating. It was undeniably orange and blue.

With a 24-14 victory over previously No. 1-ranked Oklahoma, Florida turned down the volume on the Sooners' record-setting offense, all while milking every bit of efficiency from its own.

Florida never trailed but always seemed to be playing catch-up until finally, with just 3:07 remaining, Tebow performed his trademark jump pass on second and goal, connecting with wide receiver David Nelson for a 4-yard touchdown and winning margin.

"This is one of the best teams in college football history," Florida coach Urban Meyer said. "This is a great opportunity for me to thank my players and tell them that I love them, and that was one of the best football teams I've ever had the privilege to be around. I've been a coach now 23-some years, and I'd rank this either 1 or 1A as far as quality of people, as far as work ethic.

"And not many people wanted to talk about all the injuries that this group overcame, and to play like they did against the schedule we played and certainly the way they finished the season against FSU and then Alabama and now Oklahoma. So I love them, I'm proud of them, and they're national champs."

A Dolphin Stadium record football crowd of 78,468 witnessed one of the most electric, heart-thumping, adrenaline-pumping games ever played in which 43 fewer points than oddsmakers predicted were scored.

OU, the most prolific offense the modern-era of college football had ever seen, at times moved the ball with jaw-dropping ease. Yet, the Gators, always appearing to be holding on for dear life, repeatedly found ways to wiggle off the hook.

The Gators intercepted OU's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford twice – the second, by Ahmad Black, stopping a Sooners drive at the UF 25 with 10 minutes remaining and setting up the game's final touchdown. Twice Florida sacked the OU quarterback who had gone the entire season almost untouched. For good measure, the Gators' Carlos Dunlap, the game's Most Outstanding Defensive Player, blocked a field goal.

"This is an unbelievable night," Tebow said after rushing 22 times for 109 yards, completing 18 of 30 passes four 231 yards and two touchdowns, and being named the game's Most Outstanding Player.

"I just love being a Gator. Oklahoma is a great team and they fought hard. But I'm so proud of my teammates because they continued to hang in there and that's how we were able to win."

The pattern developed as soon as OU won the toss and elected to receive.

When you are accustomed to scoring more than 50 points a game, why pass up any opportunity to snap the football? Forget about the common practice of deferring for the second-half kickoff. They took the opening kickoff and quickly gave the Gators reason for concern.

Florida returned the favor.

On the first possession, Bradford completed passes of 13 and 17, moving to the Gators' 43.

As it had been all year for the Sooners' offense, it looked easy.

But they weren't playing Kansas any more.

Florida linebacker Brandon Hicks stopped the drive by sacking Bradford for a 14-yard loss and forcing a punt.

The Sooners got another chance after intercepting Tebow at their own 45 on Florida's first possession, but would again be turned away.

When the first quarter ended in a scoreless tie, the Sooners had been shut out in the first quarter for the first time this season. In every previous game this year, OU scored on either its first of second possession.

After forcing OU's second punt, the Gators took over at their 15 and used 5:50 of the clock to go 86 yards in 12 plays for the game's first score.

A 20-yard pass from Tebow to Louis Murphy on third-and-nine did the honors, giving the Gators a 7-0 lead one minute deep into the second quarter.

The advantage didn't last long.

The Sooners' no-huddle, hurry-up, rat-a-tat-tat offensive attack showed just how threatening it can be -- going 65 yards in just six plays to immediately answer the Gators' score with a touchdown of their own. A six-yard pass from Bradford to Jermaine Gresham tied the game with 11:49 left before halftime.

After that, all sorts of odd things happened.

Tebow, who led the nation with only two interceptions all season, suffered his second of the night on the Gators' next possession. On third-and-5 from his own 36, Tebow threw into the middle of the line where defensive tackle Gerald McCoy picked off the throw and lumbered to the UF 26.

The only thing stranger that such an ill-advised pass by Tebow is what would happen next.

With a first-and-goal from the 10, the team that averaged 562 yards per game was stopped on four consecutive run attempts by leading rusher Chris Brown. The final stop came at the 1-yard line when Tory Davis (Armwood) dumped Brown for a two-yard loss.

Then they had to do it again.

The Sooners flew down the field on their next possession moving 74 yards in 12 plays to the Florida 6 with 10 seconds left before halftime.

But again they were turned away, Major Wright intercepting a tipped pass at the Gators' 3 on third down.

"We had some opportunities early in the game in the red zone, where's been so good this year, we were not able to get it done," OU coach Bob Stoops said. "We had some opportunities to really make a difference, but didn't get it down.

"Then in the fourth quarter, we came up a play or two short, and they made them.

The hard work continued in the second half.

Florida ground out a 13-play, 75-yard drive on its second possession of the third quarter to take a 14-7 lead with 4:21 left in the period. Tebow did the heavy lifting, breaking off runs of 12, 15, 12 and six to keep the march alive before Percy Harvin scored on a two-yard run.

To no surprise, OU responded to the challenge, moving quickly down field, only to be turned back with a big play by Florida linebacker Ryan Stamper for a four-yard loss on third-and-one the UF 32. On the next play, Dunlap blocked a 49-yard field goal attempt.

"SEC," linebacker Brandon Spikes said. "We knew they were not going to come out and out-tough us with their aerial attack. May the best team win, and we did that."

The Sooners were not easily deterred. They produced an eight-play, 77-yard march, capped by an 11-yard pass from Bradford to Gresham, to make it 14-14 with 12:13 remaining in the final quarter.

But that's when Tebow took over using his running ability, and accounting for 172 total offensive yards in the game's final 25 minutes. He also set the tone with emotional display after one carry. He was even whistle for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for popping off the ground following one hit to perform the Gator Chomp.

"I wanted to do whatever I could to help my team win this game, and if I was trying to run and run some people over, to get the crowd into it, to get the momentum, then that was what I was going to try to do," Tebow said. " I'm just happy that we had some open holes and ran and made a few plays, which I think helped get a little momentum."

OU's Stoops acknowledged Tebow's role in the win.

"I think the biggest thing is his ability to run and scramble, and their intention running the football of running him," Stoops said. "So he's a big part of their offense because you have designed plays that he runs the football. So as you see, they've got players going left, players going right, and then he keeps it.

"A lot of it is their design and a lot of it is him, his ability to run or at least stay poised in the offense to take -- pull the ball or take it when it's there.

"And then a few, couple scramble plays, those were huge plays. The couple of scrambles were to me the biggest part of the game on third downs."

Harvin, the all-purpose receiver/running back, also played huge. After suffering a sprained ankle in the first half against FSU, he had not played in almost six weeks. Nonetheless, Harvin ran nine times for 122 yards and caught five passes for 49 yards.

"Our trainers have done a great job getting him ready, but the guy that did it is Percy," Meyer said. "To think he'd play in this game when it happened …

"We tried to stay positive because the worst thing you can do as an athlete is be negative. He went straight through, took a day and a half off after the entire time that injury occurred. That was one of the guttiest performances I've ever been around. And to look at the statistics, he had almost 200 yards of total offense for us."

Reporter Mick Elliott can be reached at (813) 281-2534.

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