Florida boots Bulldogs to avenge 2007
Gators QB Tebow has a hand in five touchdowns
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tim Tebow walked out of the locker room wearing a gray, protective boot on his left foot.
The Florida quarterback said he sprained his ankle on a 4-yard run in the third quarter.
He just as easily could have told everyone he hurt it kicking around Georgia.
After all, this was a Gator Stomp.
Tebow accounted for five touchdowns, Percy Harvin scored twice and the fifth-ranked, revenge-minded Gators thumped the Bulldogs 49-10 Saturday in one of the most anticipated matchups in the history of this storied rivalry.
“It doesn’t get any sweeter than this,” Tebow said. “We didn’t have to talk about it. We just had to go out there and show that we’re a different team and prove that we worked extremely hard. We didn’t want that to happen again to us.”
The Gators (7-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) shut down Knowshon Moreno, took advantage of Georgia’s numerous mistakes and avenged last year’s 42-30 loss in which the brazen Bulldogs used a full-team, end-zone celebration to energize them.
It was the worst loss in Georgia coach Mark Richt’s career. Florida coach Urban Meyer even called two timeouts in the final 44 seconds – surely to prolong Georgia’s misery.
Meyer said he did it because running back Emmanuel Moody deserved a couple of extra carries, but no one inside Jacksonville Municipal Stadium believed that.
“Enjoy the moment, enjoy the game,” Tebow said. “We didn’t do anything wrong. We were just playing the game.”
The Bulldogs (7-2, 4-2) began the season No. 1 in the country. They’re now staring at being No. 2 in the SEC East for the second straight season.
The seemingly cold and quick handshake between Meyer and Richt might have told a different story, but the coaches denied any animosity.
The Gators won for the 16th time in the last 19 meetings, and this one was one of the most lopsided of all. Florida’s largest margin of victory in the series was a 47-7 win in 1996.
“It’s a weight off our shoulders,” safety Ahmad Black said. “All we heard about was Georgia, Georgia, Georgia.”
Tebow ran for a season-high three touchdowns, including two in the decisive third quarter.
Tebow completed 10 of 13 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran 12 times for 39 yards.