Florida's goals, dreams went out with the Tide

Florida lost so much Saturday.

Gone is the repeat. Gone is perfection. Gone is No. 1. Gone is Pasadena. There won't be three national championships in four seasons.

And incredibly, most incredibly, there will be no more truly important His-Will-Be-Done history from Tim Tebow. There's not even enough time left in Tebow's Florida career to make another promise. His tears said as much.

That's how much the Gators lost Saturday. Alabama took everything in a 32-13 shredding in the SEC title game. The 1-2 rematch at the Georgia Dome was no match at all.

Alabama, the only unbeaten team to leave the field, played like it had counted the hours since it lost to Florida last season and manhandled this moment. Florida goals, dreams, everything, went out with the Tide, or perhaps that stream of emotion that swept over Tebow as he sat on the bench when he knew it was over. There's still the Sugar Bowl, but nothing seemed sweet Saturday.

With everything that was on the line and all the history in the offing, this might be the most shattering loss in Florida history. It didn't help that it wasn't even close, especially when Alabama had the ball. It rammed it down the throat of the nation's No. 1 defense, 490 yards, 251 on the ground.

"You can't say a thing," Florida cornerback Joe Haden said. "They did it to us."

I'm not sure Carlos Dunlap could have helped Florida. I'm not sure Lawrence Taylor and Ronnie Lott could have helped Florida. I'm not so sure Florida tight end Aaron Hernandez dropping a first-half touchdown ball from Tebow really mattered, either. This was a righteous clubbing.

Alabama won on offense and on defense, stuffing the run (though why did Florida abandon it so quickly?) and the pass when it mattered. Alabama won on the headsets, too. Urban Meyer wasn't the smartest guy in the room Saturday. Alabama's Nick Saban was. The Tide seemed to know what was coming all game. Failing that, they simply overpowered the Gators.

"Tonight, they were very physical," Meyer said. "It was very noticeable."

Very.

Mark Ingram, edging back toward the top of the Heisman watch, raced and churned for 113 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Greg McElroy, the other quarterback, calmly produced more Tebow moments than Tebow. McElroy and Ingram's most telling connection was a 69-yard screen pass that snatched back the momentum after a Tebow touchdown pass cut it to 12-10 late in the first half.

But I always say you can't just knock the champ down - you have to knock him out. Despite being pushed around, Florida trailed only 19-13 at halftime. Alabama hadn't delivered the knockout.

Then it did. The Gators went three-and-out on the first possession of the second half. The Tide rolled downfield in six plays, McElroy hitting his tight end for a score. Thus began the end of Florida.

There was a poignant moment at the end of the third quarter. Tebow gathered the Gators around him. He tried to rally them one more time.

Alabama scored three plays later, Ingram barreling in again. Not long after that, Tebow threw his only interception on a pass to the Alabama end zone. "I just thought I could fit it in there," he said. Former Robinson High star and Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas picked it off and took a knee. Tim Tebow walked away, head down.

Near the very end, the Georgia Dome video boards showed Tebow and his tears. Alabama fans serenaded him. Many Tide players knew better. They hugged No. 15 and patted his back. Saban whispered some words to one of the great winners. Then Tebow, with confetti and streamers falling around him, headed to the losing locker room for the first time in forever.

He said his faith and work off the field long ago taught him that life is filled with worse than losing at football.

"It's not life and death," Tebow said.

"It's not the biggest thing in the world."

Still, it was pretty big.

The tears said as much.