2008 Bcs Championship Game – Florida’s Tebow, Harvin and Defense Send Oklahoma Home a Loser, 24-14
Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley
When on patrol in a war zone and we are suddenly ambushed and outnumbered 10-to-1 and I have my choice of any player on the Florida and Oklahoma football teams, give me Tim Tebow. Any guy who believes in God and fights to his last breath is someone worthy of my trust.
Millions of television viewers found out during the BCS national championship game why Tim Tebow is the first choice of winners in any competition.
Tebow, Percy Harvin and a tenacious Florida Gator defense shut down an Oklahoma team that led the nation in scoring (51+ points a game) and was 3rd in both passing offense (349+ yards per game) and total offense (547+ yards per game) by limiting the Sooners to 14 points in a 24-14 victory for the national title Tuesday (1-8-09).
After a scoreless 1st quarter, Tebow found Louis Murphy for a 20-yard touchdown pass to end a 12-play, 86-yard drive as the 2nd quarter started. Not to be outdone, Oklahoma’s quarterback Sam Bradford answered with a 6-yard TD pass to Jermaine Gresham on the Sooners’ ensuing possession.
After Tebow was intercepted by Gerald McCoy and Oklahoma started a drive from the Florida 26-yard line, Chris Brown rushed twice for 24 yards, putting the Sooners on the 1-yard line on 3rd down. Then the Gator defense got plain nasty, stopping Brown for no gain and stopping him for a 2-yard loss when the Gators went for pay dirt rather than attempt a field goal.
The Florida goal-line stand with 5:20 left in the 1st half was classic and no mean feat. Brown had rushed for more than 1,100+ yards during the season and is no easy stop.
Oklahoma would launch another attack just before the half, driving 74 yards to the Florida 6-yard line before Bradford was intercepted with 3 seconds left when 3 Gator players would touch the ball in what looked like a tip drill before Major Wright hung on for the pick near the goal line. At the half it was 7-up.
With approximately 10 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, Florida put together a 13-play, 74-yard drive that culminated with Percy Harvin scoring on a 2-yard run. Two possessions later, Oklahoma would answer with an 11-yard pass to Gresham, his second scoring catch from Bradford. Florida would answer immediately with a 27-yard field goal by Jonathan Phillips, giving the Gators a 17-14 edge. Bradford would be intercepted on the Sooners’ next possession.
Then Tebow and his Florida offensive line would grind out an 11-play, 76-yard drive and take almost 7 minutes off the clock. Tebow was everywhere. He passed for 13 yards, ran for 1, passed for 16, passed for 29, passed for 4, passed for 9, ran for 3 and then charged the line and jump-passed to David Nelson for a 4-yard touchdown.
Oklahoma had the ball and 3 minutes left to erase a 10-point Florida lead. Bradford would throw 3 incompletions, the Gators would take the ball back and the Tebow would punish the Sooners by rushing 6 consecutive times. Oklahoma could not stop Tebow or Florida.
The Sooners’ Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy this year (a fact not lost on Tim Tebow who won the Heisman last year), but Tebow outplayed Bradford in the championship game. It was not Bradford’s best day and he looked really ineffective compared to Tebow’s performance. When it counted, Tebow showed up and Bradford did not.
Percy Harvin was huge for Florida, gaining 122 yards on 9 carries (a 13.5 yard average per carry) that included a 52-yard dash that set up the Gators’ go-ahead field goal in the 4th quarter.
The national title was Florida’s 2nd in 3 years, giving it 2 BCS championships and making the Gators the only team with 2 BCS titles besides LSU, which won in the 2003 season and again last year. With Florida’s 2 wins and LSU’s 2 wins, Southeastern Conference teams have won 5 of the first 11 BCS national titles.
Oklahoma, which won the national title in 2000, has now lost its 3rd straight BCS championship game and 5th straight BCS bowl-game. The Sooners’ set a modern record for scoring this year with 702 points and put up at least 60 points in its last 5 games, all of which did not mean squat in its face-off with Florida for the title. What do you want, records or titles?
Florida will be remembered forever for its achievement; Texas fans will have to celebrate the Sooners’ scoring achievements with a private party.
“In the end, I will be glad to try again next year,” said losing Sooner coach Bob Stoops. “If that’s the biggest burden I have to bear in my life, I’m a pretty lucky guy.”
“We’re going to enjoy a big win (and a) national championship,” said winning Gator coach Urban Meyer. “Let someone else worry about that,” continued Meyer, referring to the fact that Utah, Southern California and Texas all thought that they should have played in the national championship game.
Florida finished the season at 13-1 with a national title; Oklahoma was 12-2.
Watch the video related to urban meyer
A one-on-one interview with Florida head coach Urban Meyer as he talks about responsibility both on and off the field of play. To vote for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year, visit www.coachoftheyear.com.
Help answer the question about urban meyer
Urban Meyer?
What a cry baby?”They had their shot and we play in the toug (studders) I mean one of the toughest confrences. Loyd Carr said the right stuff and Meyer was about to cry.
Way to have sportsmanship
About Author
“2008 Hawaii Bowl – Charlie Weis Era at Notre Dame Finally Arrives, Irish Speed Past Hawaii, 49-21″
“Final BCS Standings Show Why It’s Better to Lose Early Than Late”
“So Who Are the Current Worst Players in Division 1-A Football in the Nation?”
“Famous Quotes by Vince Lombardi, Knute Rockne and Lou Holtz During Football’s Annual Bowl Season”
Find my Blog at:
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html
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December 24, 2009 6:09 pm 9 Comments
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By D with R, December 24, 2009 @ 6:39 pm
I think Utah fans are happy that they have their current coach, and that Meyer took his lack of integrity elsewhere.
By NO SHITE SHERLOCK, December 24, 2009 @ 6:59 pm
I'd take Carrol.
By URL Shortener, December 24, 2009 @ 6:55 pm
well he now put the focus on him and not on the team which is where the focus should be. it is the players that play the game and execute -not the coachs- so this coach is calling it quits basically who cares there’s another coach around the corner wanting a big pay day for directing young men to play a childs game.
By Youtube Downloader, December 24, 2009 @ 7:10 pm
The Gator Nation Shock Lives on … Great program comes to an end … Sad ‘ for The SEC …
By Youtube Downloader, December 26, 2009 @ 1:14 am
Get the full story on why Urban Meyer resigns
as Gators football coach go to
hottopicsusa.blogspot. com
By Irish Dad, December 26, 2009 @ 2:36 pm
If it were after last season, I would say yes, but like Miles going to Michigan, he isn't going to do it in the middle of a national championship run. Now if he loses the SEC championship game, there is a chance.
A good coach at ND can out recruit any school, even USC. Charlie Weiss went 3-10 or whatever and pulled a top 10 recruiting class, what do you think a guy with a 10-3 record would do?
Never underestimate the draw of ND to a kid from NE Ohio.
By Anonymous, December 26, 2009 @ 6:42 pm
Hmmmm.
Tebow’s gone. Strong took the coaching job at Louisville. Now Myer blindsides gator nation by resigning–looks like the gators reign is abruptly over…
By arthur, December 27, 2009 @ 1:03 am
your right, people i guess dont understand what sticking up for something you believe in is. in urbans case is that his gators deserve to play for a national title. i guess its wrong to stick up for what u believe in(michigan fans). people need to back off the man and just accept the fact that the gators are playing for it all, you cant change that.
GO GATORS
By Murdock, December 28, 2009 @ 1:38 am
I think that would be a good choice.
Hasn't anybody figured out he is making this stuff up? By the way I think it is very amusing.