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2008 Gators: Moments To Remember

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 10, 2009

Nov. 1

Gators LB Brandon Spikes laying out Georgia RB Knowshon Moreno on the game's second play, setting a ferocious defensive tone for Florida's 49-10 victory in Jacksonville.

Dec. 6

The Gators drive 63 yards in 11 plays, pulling ahead of Alabama 24-20 in the fourth quarter of the SEC Championship Game and eventually winning 31-20 to claim a spot in the BCS title game.

Jan. 8

Part I: On fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Florida DL Torrey Davis dumps Oklahoma's Chris Brown for a 2-yard loss.

Jan. 8

Part II: Still tied at 7, Oklahoma's Sam Bradford has one shot at the end zone before halftime (and a probable field-goal attempt as the fallback). But Bradford's pass, tipped three times, is intercepted by Gators SS Major Wright. It provides momentum as Florida defeats Oklahoma 24-14 to win the national title.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

• Charlie Strong's youth-filled Florida defense recovered from last season's meltdown and held Oklahoma's record-setting offense to just two touchdowns. And Strong can't even get a head-coaching job interview? Not one?

• Florida's 2009 lineup of nonconference games includes Charleston Southern, Troy and Florida International. Wouldn't it be nice to see the Gators involved in some monumental early-season games such as Oklahoma-BYU or USC-Ohio State?

• Tim Tebow is Florida's unquestioned leader, but is there a more explosive weapon in college football than Percy Harvin?

NATIONAL TITLES

The Gators' football team earned the University of Florida's 22nd national championship:

Men's golf (4) - 1968, 1973, 1993, 2001

Women's tennis (4) - 1992, 1996, 1998, 2003

Football (3) - 1996, 2006, 2008

Men's basketball (2) - 2006, 2007

Women's golf (2) - 1985, 1986

Men's swimming (2) - 1983, 1984

Women's swimming (2) - 1979*, 1982

Gymnastics (1) - 1982*

Women's indoor track (1) - 1992

Women's soccer (1) - 1998

*-Title won under AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women)

DIGITS

Some notable numbers to emerge from Florida's victory against Oklahoma:

•Florida finished with a plus-21 turnover margin, first in the nation and a school record (beating plus-19 in 2002).

•Florida finished with 26 interceptions, a school record (beating 24 in 2000).

•The Gators threw the second-fewest interceptions (five) in the nation, tying Baylor and Navy.

•The Gators scored on 62 of 68 trips inside the red zone, with 51 touchdowns and 11 field goals.

•Percy Harvin has 15 touchdowns in his past 15 games.

FAST STARTS

Florida's Urban Meyer is the fifth coach to win two national championships in his first four seasons at his school.

BCS GAME MVPS

Florida's Tim Tebow was the seventh quarterback to be named MVP of the designated BCS Championship Game.

1. Tim Tebow, Florida (2006-present) - He already has a Herschel Walker-like legend. Up next: Another title and another Heisman Trophy?

2. Danny Wuerffel, Florida (1993-96) - Off-the-charts numbers helped Gators to their first national title.

3. Charlie Ward, Florida State (1990-93) - A magician in the pocket who produced Bobby Bowden's first No. 1 team.

4. Chris Weinke, Florida State (1998-2000) - National title and a Heisman, but his final act (Oklahoma 13, FSU 2) left a sour taste.

5. Vinny Testaverde, Miami (1983-86) - People remember the five interceptions against Penn State, but he had two magnificent seasons.

LOOKING AHEAD

2009 Preseason Poll

Here's a best guess as to how August's preseason poll will look:

1. Florida - If Tim Tebow returns, Gators are strong favorites for the repeat.

2. USC - The Trojans and their recruiting machine will be loaded again.

3. Texas - Colt McCoy already said he'll be back.

4. Ohio State - Buckeyes lose defensive stars, but QB Terrelle Pryor returns (and USC visits Columbus).

5. Virginia Tech - Yes, the ACC will have a national title contender.

Predicting The BCS Bowl Lineup

Jan. 1, 2010 - Rose Bowl (Ohio State

vs. Boise State)

Jan. 1, 2010 - Sugar Bowl (Alabama

vs. Pittsburgh)

Jan. 4, 2010 - Fiesta Bowl (Texas

vs. Penn State)

Jan. 5, 2010 - Orange Bowl (Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma)

Jan. 7, 2010 - BCS Championship

(Florida vs. USC)

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

"Start with the grass stains. He left the field wearing the most splendid of grass stains, long swaths of green stretching over his shoulders, across his chest, down his back, the badge of a linebacker. Now check out the number. He is No. 15, but his jersey was tugged and twisted so much, sometimes it looked as if he were No. 11, sometimes 17, the wrinkles of a lineman. Finish with the face. Thick cheeks decorated in eye black, framed by a crew cut, above a tight expression that sweated with intensity, a face of a fighter. This is Tim Tebow. For a couple of wonderfully antique hours Thursday, this is the perfect player who made us forget college football's imperfect system. After Florida's messy 24-14 victory over Oklahoma ... I'm still not sure I can name the nation's best team. But I'm absolutely positive of its biggest star, that being the Gators quarterback who looks like a Four Horseman, acts like Seven Blocks of Granite and talks like Knute Rockne."

- Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times

"Tim Tebow is a magnificent college football weapon. What he lacks in precise passing, he makes up for with a fullback's body and Walter Payton's heart. ... Is he potentially the greatest player in college history? Not in my opinion. But I won't blast the people who make the argument. His resume is pretty spotless. With a year of eligibility remaining, he has two national titles and a Heisman Trophy. The Gators will be favorites to win it all again next season. And Heisman voters might be primed to give Tebow a lifetime achievement award. You can label a kid with three titles and two Heismans 'The Muhammad Ali of College Football' without an argument from me."

- Jason Whitlock, Kansas City Star

"This one was the best yet. I know 1996 was special and 2006 was stunning. But this one was the best yet. Those national titles were blowouts. This took something special. This one was about heart. This one was about overcoming injuries all season and again in the biggest game of the season. This one was about a defense that was embarrassed a year ago playing its guts out. This one was the best yet. Because it was so hard."

- Pat Dooley, Gainesville Sun

"If ever they should make a movie about a college career that in the northern part of this state is already the stuff of swampland legend, let me suggest Brendan Fraser for the lead and that Hollywood be allowed one courtesy fiction: Tim Tebow's 2007 Heisman Trophy pose be modified to show a runner bent forward, leading with his helmet. There is nothing pretty about Tebow at quarterback, not a lot of southpaw poetry in motion, just plenty of forward progress. Who knows how and where his mix of brutish creativity translates in the NFL. ... But Tebow, derided by one Oklahoma player as the 'fourth-best quarterback in the Big 12,' was the best multi-purpose player on the field."

- Harvey Araton, New York Times

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