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Gators content with 10-0

The Associated Press

Florida's Riley Cooper celebrates the win over South Carolina with Coach Urban Meyer on Saturday.

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By DAVID JONES

Florida Today

Published: November 16, 2009

Updated: 11/16/2009 04:00 am

GAINESVILLE - Florida is 10-0 and ranked No. 1 in the polls and in the BCS standings. But outside of the Gators' locker room, there are plenty of doubters.

Inside, there seems to be a content feeling that UF, which went 8-0 in the SEC for the first time since 1996, is doing what it needs to have a big season. The Gators host Florida International (12:30 p.m. Saturday) and Florida State the next two weeks before facing Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.

"I don't care if we win by one point," said WR Riley Cooper, who caught a 68-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring in Saturday's 24-14 win at South Carolina. "We are a different team this year. We're a tough team and we wear other teams down."

"We did not play perfect," Coach Urban Meyer said. "Obviously I'm not sure we've played a perfect game in quite a while, but that's 20 in a row and I'm awful proud of those guys."

QB Tim Tebow tied Kevin Faulk's SEC record for total touchdowns with 53 scored (combined rushing and receiving). He's still in the Heisman Trophy hunt but needs a strong finish. But he doesn't seem worried about individual awards and confesses he isn't even sure who he will vote for. As the 2007 winner, Tebow has a vote.

As for critics who wonder about offensive production or the need for big plays from the defense to win games, it matters little at this point.

"That's the great thing about winning. A (win) doesn't get bigger by how many points you score or how big the win was," Tebow said. "And that's huge for us. You know we haven't won by huge margins in games, but we've shown a lot of character and we've pulled out wins and that's all you can ask for."

An interesting picture of how things have been very different this season came after Saturday's win. Tebow, who is usually surrounded by media, was in an interview room with just a few reporters asking questions after the game. Outside, in the hallway, defensive players were mobbed by reporters.

Leading the interest was DL Justin Trattou. Typical of this season, it was a big defensive play - by Trattou - that saved the day. With South Carolina driving for a possible go-ahead touchdown or game-tying field goal, Markihe Anderson deflected a pass by Stephen Garcia and Trattou picked the ball off.

Despite having a torn tendon in his left biceps, Trattou ran 53 yards to the Gamecocks' 26. Tebow eventually scored a touchdown to make it 24-14.

"The most important thing is winning," Tebow said. "I could honestly care less how many touchdowns or how many passes or how many yards we have because we're winning. That's our goal. That's what we trained for. We don't train for stats, we train for wins. And that's what we're focused on."

Garcia fan: Tebow came away impressed by Garcia, the Jefferson High product who passed for 186 yards and one TD.

"I think he absolutely has a lot of talent," Tebow said. "He's a good player, he's a competitor. He goes up there and plays and puts his offense in opportunities and makes big plays for them. I think if he just continues to get better he'll be a really good quarterback."

Comparisons: Garcia has played against both UF and Alabama. Asked to compare the defenses, he said: "To tell you the truth, I couldn't really tell (a difference). I think they're all really strong and really fast."

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