Please tell me that didnt really happen and Gator fans have more class than that.
Woody On Sep 21, 2009, at 12:30 AM, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote: > Originally Published: September 19, 2009 > Tennessee, Florida answer questions > > Florida looks vulnerable in win, Tennessee looks tough in loss > > > By Pat Forde > ESPN.com > Archive > Florida Shuts Up Tennessee, 23-13 > > Tim Tebow doesn't throw a TD in win, ending a streak of 30 > consecutive games > > > > > > > > > > > GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- As the four white buses carrying the Tennessee > football team made their way to The Swamp, cars hastily pulled over > to the side of the road. > > [+] Enlarge > Kim Klement/US PresswireLane Kiffin's words renewed interest in the > UT-Florida rivalry. > Not to let the Volunteers pass. To taunt them. > > Gator-chomping arms protruded from windows. Fans walking on the > sidewalks ran into the streets to chomp. Or extend one-fingered > salutes. Or wave signs ripping the new coach of the Vols. > > And one fat guy in a Florida jersey kept thrusting his pelvis > forward, fingers pointing at his groin as he bellowed, "Riiiight > heeeere! Riiiight heeeere!" > > This was Lane Kiffin's full-frontal welcome to Southeastern > Conference football. And it would only get more graphic once inside > the stadium. > > "There were a lot of F-words that were not 'Florida' being yelled at > me," Kiffin said some six hours later. > > By then, the operative F-word for Gator Nation was frustration. The > No. 1 team in the nation won, but it did not translate hate into > humiliate. It did not bury the 30-point underdog Vols or their fresh- > mouthed coach. > > The 23-13 victory can be embraced amid the carnage of another wild > weekend in college football -- USC joined Oklahoma and Oklahoma > State as top-five losers already this season. This does nothing to > derail the defending national champions' repeat quest. > > But the record Florida Field crowd of 90,894 filed out much more > subdued than it went in. Its bloodlust was unfulfilled. > > There were no rub-it-in timeouts at the end. No run-up-the-score > touchdowns or field goals. No stop-the-cruelty tilting of the > scoreboard. > > The game was too close for any of that. > > [+] Enlarge > Sam Greenwood/Getty ImagesAll-American safety Eric Berry led a hard- > nosed Tennessee defense. > Instead, the game ended with Tim Tebow taking a knee. Kiffin > received a brief handshake from the coach he famously and > erroneously accused of cheating back in February, Urban Meyer. And > he received a quick hug from the indomitable Florida quarterback. > > Kiffin is 0-1 in SEC play. But his quarterback-poor team refused to > submit to a blowout in Florida's backyard. That's a win for the > coach's credibility and Tennessee's trampled pride, and it's a > strong signal that the league's premier rivalry of the 1990s is > poised for a comeback. > > "I didn't come down here to cover the spread or have a moral > victory," Kiffin said. > > If you say so, Kiff. The postgame vibe from the Vols was almost all > positive. > > "Nobody gave us a chance," said splendid Tennessee safety Eric > Berry. "We were supposed to lose by 50. > > "Tennessee is here for real. That wasn't just gibberish that Coach > Kiffin was saying." > > It was Kiffin's penchant for gibberish that turned this game into a > national curiosity. And if you ask the league leader in revisionist > history, that was part of the master plan. > > "I think it worked perfect," Kiffin said. "It took all the attention > off our players. Allowed them to play free. You don't want pressure > on your players. Put it on me." > > [+] Enlarge > Sam Greenwood/Getty ImagesJonathan Crompton struggled getting the > Vols' offense going. > Time to put something else on Kiffin now. A new measure of respect. > He and his stellar staff can do more than just recruit; they had > their team ready for this enormous challenge. > > "They played a lot better than they played on film," Florida > cornerback Joe Haden said. > > Kiffin proclaimed that his father, legendary defensive coordinator > Monte Kiffin, provided "a blueprint" for how to attack Meyer's > explosive spread offense. The Vols held the Gators to half their > season average in yardage (323 yards) and 36 points below their > scoring average. > > The dramatic difference between the teams was at quarterback. > > Wearing Tennessee's white was Jonathan Crompton, a senior who has > now thrown zero touchdown passes and five interceptions in his past > two games. Kiffin had so little confidence in Crompton that he > dialed up running plays on third-and-9, third-and-11 and third- > and-20. On one series, the Vols had first-and-25, second-and-24 and > third-and-20 -- and ran it every time. > > "It's not no-confidence," Kiffin said, unconvincingly. "It's risk > vs. reward." > > Even when Crompton did throw the ball, it was almost always short > dump-off stuff to backs or tight ends. Tennessee's wide receivers > might as well have stayed in Knoxville, they were so small a part of > the gameplan. > > Florida's wideouts were not dramatically more involved, as it > becomes clear this team is still searching for ways to replace Percy > Harvin and Louis Murphy. But the Gators did have "Superman," as > Kiffin repeatedly called Tebow. And even on a day when he turned the > ball over twice, the Man of Steel was once again the biggest reason > why Florida won. > > Tebow threw for a pedestrian 115 yards, and his running totals were > not dazzling, either: 76 yards on 24 carries. But he is simply > unstoppable in key situations. > > On the Gators' two third-quarter scoring drives, Tebow ran or passed > on 15 of their 20 plays. He single-handedly wore out the Tennessee D. > > "At the end of the day, Superman's back there with the ball," Kiffin > said. "You've got to find a way to tackle him, and I don't know how > you invent that. > > “ > Nobody gave us a chance. We were supposed to lose by 50. Tennessee > is here for real. That wasn't just gibberish that Coach Kiffin was > saying. > > ” -- Tennessee safety Eric Berry > "Every time you get them to third-and-3 or less, they're going to > make it. They're going to snap it to No. 15." > > Time and again, Tebow hammered through tacklers or danced away from > them with his rare combination of strength and athleticism. Kiffin > said that on three different occasions he despaired into his > headset, "Is he ever going to wear out?" > > The answer is no. > > The one-play highlight of the game was a quien es mas macho smash-up > between the two best players in the SEC on a Tebow keeper around the > right end. > > The 235-pound Tebow lowered his broad shoulders and aimed his helmet > squarely at Berry -- much more fullback than quarterback in that > moment. Berry was giving away 32 pounds, but refused to go for the > ankle tackle. He stood his ground and awaited the train wreck. > > "I just bit down on my mouthpiece and tried to give it everything I > had," Berry said. "All the power cleans, all the squats I did this > summer, that's why." > > The percussive collision sent both bodies flying to the ground -- > Tebow falling forward, but not splattering Berry by any means. > > "At first I was like, 'Dang, he done got me, y'all,'" Berry said > with a smile. "Then I looked at the JumboTron. You can call it what > you want. It was a good collision." > > It was all of that. Berry came back with a diving interception of > Tebow later in the half -- but even after watching his All-America > safety do that and rack up 11 tackles, Kiffin said Tebow was the > best player on the field. > > [+] Enlarge > Sam Greenwood/Getty ImagesTim Tebow proved to be the difference for > Florida. > "Eric is a phenomenal player," Kiffin said. "But Eric doesn't touch > the ball every snap." > > Perhaps he should touch it occasionally on offense. At quarterback. > In a Wildcat look. Berry was one heck of a running quarterback in > high school, and it's rather clear the Vols need some help at that > position. > > And perhaps Tebow should touch it less often if he's going to > survive an entire season in the high-impact SEC. He's close to > indestructible, but injuries do happen. Ask Oklahoma and USC how > much fun it's been playing without their starting quarterbacks. > > Even with Tebow, Florida did not look invulnerable in its first big > test of 2009. This game had to give a glimmer of hope to the folks > in Tuscaloosa, Baton Rouge, Oxford and anywhere else they're > dreaming of an SEC title. > > Meanwhile, folks around the league hoping Meyer would wipe the smirk > right off Lane Kiffin's face didn't get what they wished for. The > cocky kid coach lost his first SEC game, but he's going to be a > factor in this league for years to come. > > Pat Forde is a senior writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at > [email protected] > . > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
