Gators Outslug Oklahoma for National Championship

By JC De La Torre

It wasn't the game the world expected, but it still was one heck of a ballgame as the Florida Gators won a defensive battle against the #1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners 24-14 for Florida's second national championship in three years and their third in school history. The Gators' victory made it three consecutive national championships for the Southeastern Conference, something that hasn't been done since the 1940's. It was Florida's defense and the playmaking of 2007 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow that were the difference in this game.

Oklahoma took the opening kickoff to the Florida 38 but a sack by Brandon Hicks on the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford lost 14 yds and on third down the Sooners only managed 7 yds forcing the Sooners to punt. The Gators drived to midfield, but Tebow threw only is third interception of the season as defensive back Nic Harris stepped in front of a Gator wide receiver and returned it to the Oklahoma 46 yd line. Normally, this is an easy score for the highest scoring offense in college football but the Gators defense stiffened, forcing the drive to stall at the Florida 47. Two drives, no points for the vaunted Oklahoma offense and the first quarter ended scoreless.

Back came the Gators, driving 86 yds in 12 plays, capping the drive off with a 20 yd Tebow touchdown pass to Louis Murphy to give Florida a 7-0 lead. Oklahoma's offense rumbled to life on the ground. Chris Brown rushed for 16 yds, then 14 yds, and 15 yds to set up Sam Bradford's 6 yd score to tie the game at 7.

The Sooners would take momentum, intercepting Tebow for the second time this time big defensive tackle Gerald McCoy dropping into coverage and intercepting an under duress Tebow pass, setting Oklahoma up at the 28 yd line. The Sooners tried to pound the Gator defense, running Chris Brown on five straight carries. The Gators put together two goal line stands, stuffing Brown on 3rd and 4th and goal from the 1 yd line. Florida took over at their three yard line and Percy Harvin promptly ran 45 yds to get the Gators some breathing room. With 2:32 left in the 1st half, Oklahoma got the ball back and drove 74 yds on the arm of Bradford, driving all the way to the Florida 6 yd line with 10 seconds left. On first and goal, Bradford's pass to the goal line was tipped and picked off by Major Wright, keeping the game tied at 7 going into halftime.

The start of the third quarter continued the defensive team as the teams exchanged punts on their first possessions of the 2nd half. Florida began pounding the middle of the tougher than expected Oklahoma defense with their battering ram - their star quarterback Tebow. Tebow's runs drove Florida 75 yds in 13 plays, setting up Percy Harvin's 1 yd plunge to give the Gators a 14-7 lead with 4:21 left in the third quarter. Oklahoma tried to answer as Bradford drove the Sooners to the Florida 32 before the drive stalled. Oklahoma kicker Jimmy Stevens attempted a 49 yd field goal but it was blocked by Carlos Dunlap. Florida couldn't take advantage, having their drive stall at their own 38 yd line as the third quarter expired.

Bradford took advantage, driving his offense 77 yds and setting up an 11 yd touchdown pass to tight end Jermain Gresham to tie the game at 14 with 12:13 to play. The Gators came right back, as Percy Harvin rushed for 52 yds and 12 yds to set up Jonathan Phillips 27 yd field goal to give the Gators 17-14 advantage with 10:45 left. Bradford tried to rally the Sooners, driving Oklahoma to midfield. Bradford tried to hit his star receive Juaquin Iglesias deep over the middle but Gator defensive back Ahmad Black ripped the football away from him, intercepting the pass. Tebow and the Gators took advantage, driving 76 yds in 11 plays, mostly behind the running of Tebow and Harvin. On 2nd and goal from the Oklahoma 4 yd line, Tebow faked a run into the line and fired a pass David Nelson to give the Gators a 10 point lead with 3:07 left. Bradford's Sooners went four and out, his last pass being batted down by the Florida defense. The Gators took over and ran out the clock to clinch the BCS title.

Tim Tebow hasn't announced if he's coming back to Florida, but if he doesn't, he's ended his Gator career as one of the most decorated players in college football history. Two National Championships, one Heisman trophy, two Maxwell awards, a Davey O'Brien award, a BCS Championship Game Offensive Player of the Game and an AP National player of the year - plus the admiration of people across the world. He may be the greatest Florida football player ever to grace an Orange and Blue uniform. Selfishly, I hope he comes back, I don't want to have seen the last of Superman, as his teammates call him, in a Gator uniform. Urban Meyer became the first coach to win two BCS Championship games and is only the 5th coach in college football history to win two national championships in his first four years at his school.

JC De La Torre's Tampa Bay Sports Blog offers our congrats to Gator Nation and the University of Florida for their third National Championship in school history.

Florida-Oklahoma - Who Wants it More?

By JC De La Torre

The BCS National Championship game is Thursday, featuring the #1 Oklahoma Sooners vs. #2 Florida Gators. Both teams bring in high octane offenses and have been playing lights out since suffering early season losses. JC De La Torre's Tampa Bay Sports Blog takes a closer look at the 2009 BCS National Championship game and predicts a winner.

The Series
Remarkably, the Gators and Sooners have never faced each other, despite playing over hundred years of football.

Florida's Offense vs. Oklahoma's Defense
The worst thing that could have happened for Oklahoma is that Percy Harvin got healthy for the BCS Title game. The Gators come in with the #3 scoring offense in the country, 17th in total offense, 56th passing, 9th rushing against an Oklahoma defense that is 58th in scoring defense, 63rd in total defense, 107th against the pass, 15th against the rush. The Gators passing attack is ranked low, not because of poor play by Quarterback Tim Tebow, who was a finalist for his second Heisman Trophy and threw for 2,515 yds, 28 touchdowns, while only tossing 2 interceptions this season. Florida's running game, led by athlete Percy Harvin, running backs Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey, as well as Tebow has made the passing game a secondary weapon. That's not to say its not capable, as Harvin, WR Louis Murphy and tight end Aaron Hernandez all have made big time plays for the Gators offense.

Oklahoma would appear to be fairly stoudt against the run this season, but when you put the microscope on the Sooners - their solid run defense play seems to fade away. Only Oklahoma State rushed the ball better than Florida in the Big 12 and they rushed for 198yds and a touchdown against Oklahoma. In fact, the Sooners have given up some big rushing numbers to top level competition - Texas (161 yds, 3 touchdowns), Baylor (194 yds, 2 tds), and even Nebraska (204 yds, 3 touchdowns). That simply won't get it done against Florida. Oklahoma does rush the passer extremely well - they're ranked 3rd in the nation with 42 sacks. They also lead the nation in turnover margin (+23). Florida is 2nd in the nation (+22).

Oklahoma's offense vs. Florida Defense
We all know about Oklahoma's offense - the Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, 58 or more points in their last six games. Oklahoma boats the #1 scoring offense in the nation, #3 in total offense, #16 rushing, and #3 passing. Bradford threw for 4,464 yds, 48 touchdowns and completed 68 percent of his passes this season. Juanquin Iglesias led all receivers with 69 receptions, 1,092 yds and 10 touchdowns. DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown split carries at running back, combining for 34 touchdowns and 2112 yds but Murray is injured and won't play. Florida meanwhile comes in with the #4 scoring defense in the nation, 7th in total defense, 14th in rushing defense, 22nd in pass defense. As mentioned previously, Florida is 2nd in the nation in turnover margin (+22) and are 2nd in the country in interceptions (24). Only three times this season has Gator opponents scored more than 20 points (Ole Miss, LSU, Alabama) and the most points the Gators gave up this season was 31 in their 1 point loss to Ole Miss in September. Since that loss to the Rebels, no team has scored more than 21 against Florida. The Gators defense has not allowed a 300 yd passer this season.

Florida's Special Teams vs. Oklahoma's Special Teams
The Gators are ranked 48th in kick return average and 7th in punt return yardage. They've returned two punts for touchdowns with the dangerous Brandon James returning. Oklahoma is 106th in kick return coverage and 17th in punt return coverage. Oklahoma has allowed 4 kick off returns for touchdowns this season. Oklahoma is 5th in kick return average led by DeMarco Murray's 27.6 yds a return - as stated previously, Murray will not play. Oklahoma is 70th in punt return average and they returned one punt for a touchdown this year. Florida is 89th in kick return coverage, 9th in punt return coverage and have not allowed a return for touchdown. Florida is 17th in punt average and 2nd in field goal percentage. Oklahoma is one of the nation's worst in punting average, ranked 116th and they're 67th in field goal percentage.

Coaching
Florida's Urban Meyer is 82-17 (43-9 in 4 yrs at Florida), he's won four conference championships (including two SEC titles), and a national championship. This is the second time in three years that Meyer has guided the Gators in position for a National Championship. Bob Stoops is completing his 10th season at Oklahoma with a 109-23 record. Stoops' Sooners have won 6 Big 12 championships and 1 National Championship (2000). Oklahoma has lost their last two trips to the BCS Championship Game (2003 to LSU 21-14, 2004 to USC 55-19). This is the fourth time in 8 years Stoops has the Sooners playing for the National title.

The Spread
We always mention the spread because Urban Meyer has always been well aware of the betting line due to many boosters that partake in the short term investment market.

Florida by 3 1/2

Final Score Prediction
What a match up we have for the National Championship game - two of the top offenses in the nation face off in a winner take all match up. The big difference in this one is defense and special teams. We all know the old adage - Defense wins championships. The next time Oklahoma plays good defense will be the first time - they're terrible and even worse, one of their players talked trash about Florida Hesiman Trophy winning and 2-time finalist quarterback Tim Tebow. Cornerback Dominique Franks told reporters that Tebow would be the 4th best quarterback in the Big 12 behind Heisman Trophy Winner Sam Bradford, Texas' Colt McCoy, and Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell.

As Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes said to the Associated Press, "How could you say something like that when he won the Heisman as a sophomore? We really didn’t think too much of it. When you talk about Tim, he’s going try to come out and make you pay. It’s kind of like deja vu all over again. Last time a guy talked about him, he came out and put 50 on him.”

Ricky Jean-Francois was the defender in question for LSU. Jean-Francois said he was going to knock Tebow out of the game - only to see the Gators roll up 51 points and Tebow score 3 touchdowns. In 2007, Florida State linebacker Geno Hayes was foolish enough to say Tebow was "going down" in their annual matchup only to see Tebow account for 5 touchdowns in route to a 45-12 destruction of the Seminoles. Its not wise to trash Tim...and the rub? LSU and FSU were much better defenses.

On the other side, Florida's is by far the best defense the high flying Sooners have faced this season.

"You keep hearing they've done this and scored all these points in the last five games," Spikes said, "But I really feel like they haven't faced a defense like ours, and Big 12 defenses are a joke. It's always like a bunch of basketball scores when I watch SportsCenter. So we'll see."

I agree with him. Oklahoma has run roughshod over the Big 12 because they had the better atheletes. In the SEC, the better atheletes play on defense (as evidenced by the number of defensive players drafted in top rounds of the NFL out of the SEC). Like Ohio State before them, Oklahoma hasn't seen the speed that Florida's defense will bring to the table. While it will definitely be a challenge for the Gators as well, since this is the best offense they've faced all season, you can't outscheme or coach speed. You either have it or you don't. Oklahoma does have some great skill players that will make some plays in this game, but they won't destroy Florida's defense the way they have every one else.

Then you factor in special teams, where Oklahoma is just flat out terrible and that's two of the three phases of that favor Florida. The game will be competitive early but Florida will eventually pull away in this one.

My Prediction: Florida 51, Oklahoma 34

Game For the Ages: Florida Outlasts #1 Bama for SEC Title

By JC De La Torre

Photos courtesy of Gatorsports.com and ESPN.com

The Florida Gators claimed their eighth Southeastern Conference Championship, outslugging the #1 team in the country, the previously undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide 31-20 in an epic battle that was much closer than the score indicated. Barring an unforeseen travesty in the final BCS Standings, the Gators will be playing for the National Championship in Miami against either Oklahoma or Texas (depending on the results of the Big 12 Championship Game tonight). Florida played with out their offensive superstar, Percy Harvin, who was nursing a high ankles sprain, so Heisman Trophy quarterback Tim Tebow put the Gator offense on his back and basically willed Florida to victory.

After Alabama opened the game with a 3 and out, Tebow drove the Gators right down the field, rushing for 19 yds, throwing for 25 yds and completing a 9 play 59 yd drive with a touchdown pass to little used wide out Carl Moore, who caught his first touchdown pass of the season. Surprisingly, Alabama struck back quickly, as John Parker Wilson connected with phenomenal freshman Julio Jones on a 20 yd curl, Jones spinned away from Gator defensive back Joe Haden, and raced 64 yds to the Florida 18 yd line. Before the Gators could catch their breath, Alabama's Glenn Coffee powered off tackle and rumbled 18 yds for the tying score.

The Gators offense had a rare three and out and punter Chas Henry, perhaps shocked he had to go out there so quickly shanked the punt for 36 yds, which was fielded on the run by returner Javier Arenas, who raced 19 yds to the Gators 25. Wilson hit Nick Walker for 12 yds to the Florida 13, but would get no closer as the Florida defense stiffened and Alabama settled for a 30 yd Leigh Tiffin field goal. Alabama led 10-7, the first time Florida trailed in a game since the gut wrenching loss to Ole Miss.


The two defenses flexed their muscles as the game moved into the 2nd quarter. Each punched and counterpunched but neither seemed to get a foothold. Finally, midway through the second quarter, Tebow found WR Riley Cooper wide open down the sideline and hit him in stride for a 51 yd gain all the way to the Alabama 4 yd line. Like the Gators, the Crimson Tide defense wouldn't allow the score - stuffing Demps once and Tebow twice and forcing the Gators to settle for a 19 yd Jonathan Phillips field goal, tying the game at 10 with 8:59 to go in the first half..

The Gator defense 3-and-outed the Tide offense once again, and Tebow once again put the Florida offense on his back. After Brandon James rushed for 4 yds and an Alabama defender was nailed for grabbing the face mask, tacking on a 15 yd personal foul that put Florida on the Crimon Tide 38. From there Tebow figured in 8 straight plays for Florida, four rushes and 4 passes, including a 22 yd strike to tight end Aaron Hernandez to put the Gators at point blank range at the Bama 5 yd line. Tebow would scramble to his left and fire a low trajectory pass into the end zone, where underrated wide receiver David Nelson made a terrific grab just barely off the turf to give Florida back the lead 17-10, it would stay that way until halftime. Alabama trailed at the half for the first time this season.

Florida got the ball first in the second half, but Alabama's defense forced the Gators offense 3-and-out. Chas Henry blasted a massive 57 yd punt that drove returner Javier Arenas to his 9 yd line where he was wiped out by the solid coverage of the Florida special teams crew. From there, it became the Julio Jones show. Jones made three big catches for 38 yds while his teammate Glenn Coffee pounded the right side of the Florida defense for 31 yds. Alabama drove 91 yds, in 15 plays and ate up 6:53 off the clock and cashed in with the game tying touchdown on Mark Ingram's 2 yd run. The Gators tried to answer, with Tebow finding Louis Murphy for a 34 yd gain to the Alabama 37. Jeff Demps would gain 12 yds on two carries to the Crimson Tide 25. On 1st and 10 from the 25, Demps would get stuffed and Tebow would throw two incompletions, forcing Florida to settle for a 42 yd field goal attempt by Jonathan Davis. It was the longest attempt of the year by Davis and it ended up being his first miss of the season as he pushed it wide right.

John Parker Wilson hit Nick Walker for 17 yds, then Alabama went back to the running game, pounding Coffee at the Florida front 4, driving it to the Gators 37 yd line. From there, Wilson hit Julio Jones for a 22 yd gain to the Florida 12 yd line. The Gators defense stiffened again, forcing two incompletions by Wilson and stuffing Coffee on a two yd run. As the 3rd quarter expired, Leigh Tiffin kicked a 27 yd field goal to give Alabama a 20-17 advantage moving into the final quarter.

In his illustrious career at the University of Florida, Quarterback Tim Tebow had done just about everything. The one thing he had never done was lead the Gators back for a victory when trailing in the second half - he was 0-5 lifetime. The Gators patiently and methodically moved down the field on Alabama's stout defense, driving 62 yds in 11 plays, setting up Jeff Demps on the option toss for a 1 yd score, giving Florida the lead back at 24-20.

On Alabama's ensuing drive, Wilson fired an incompletion intended for Julio Jones, then saw Glenn Coffee stuffed after a 2 yd gain. On 3rd and 8, Jermaine Cunningham sacked Wilson for an 11 yd loss, forcing Alabama to kick it back to the Gators with 7:27 left. Florida would then beat the Tide at their own game. Three runs by Florida got them to the 48 yd line, then Tebow hit Louis Murphy for 33 yds and Aaron Hernandez for 15 yds, moving the ball to the 6 yd line. Tebow rumbled 5 yds to the Alabama 1 yd line....then, inexplicably, the Gators were called for a sideline infraction. The call was legit, Urban Meyer and some of the other coaches were on the field - but to make that call with the game on the line...wow. It could have been a game changing call, but Tebow made up for the penalty, finding Riley Cooper in the end zone for the game clinching score, putting Florida up by 11 with only 2:50 left in the game.

Alabama would get the ball back one last time but John Parker Wilson's desperation pass was intercepted by Joe Haden and Florida ran out the clock, clinching the SEC Championship and at least a BCS bowl berth. With an 11 point victory over the #1 team in the nation, most pundits are saying that this victory should vault the Gators into the Bowl Championship Series title game. Then again, in this fouled system you never know. One year Auburn went undefeated and was shutout of the National Championship game. Think about that, a team that went undefeated in the SEC didn't get a chance to play for the Crystal football. That's why you can never know. It will be a great injustice if the Gators are denied an opportunity to play for the title as the way they have dominated the SEC, scoring 30 or more against every SEC opponent and having double digit victories in 9 straight they are without question playing the best football in the country. If its about the best teams, I don't see how anyone can argue with Florida playing for it all.

After the Humiliation of Georgia, the Gators in Striking Distance

By JC De La Torre

The University of Florida destroyed one of their biggest rivals, the Georgia Bulldogs 49-10 (rubbing it in a little bit with a couple time outs at the end of the game - revenge for last year's team celebration by Georgia) and thanks to the impressive win against a top 10 team, the Gators find themselves a bit closer to a BCS title berth, as they jumped several 1 loss teams, jumping to #5 in the BCS Standings. Alabama is #1, with Texas Tech at #2, Penn State #3, and Texas dropping to #4.

While they definitely hoped to hop Texas, one thing is certain, the Gators National Championship hopes were boosted with their dominant performance and the loss by Texas to Texas Tech.

Texas Tech still has tough games against Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, plus the Big 12 Championship game to get threw. The Gators, if they win out, would get their shot at #1 Alabama. A Texas Tech stumble would put the Gators fate into their own hands. Penn State may have the clearest path to the title game with only one game remaining against a ranked opponent (Michigan State). Alabama still have a trip to Death Valley to face LSU and the annual war with Auburn left. Florida still has pesky Vanderbilt and South Carolina before their war with Florida State. Texas does have a tough game on the road against Kansas, but likely will need to win out and hope to see Texas Tech drop two to get to the Big 12 championship game. If Texas doesn't reach the Big 12 Championship, its definitely possible because of the Gators strength of schedule, Florida could jump them.

I think if the Gators run the table and win the SEC Championship, they will be in the title game, likely facing Penn State.