Gators’ offense more than just Tebow

By Joe Mayes  |   Friday, September 05, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

Florida Gators
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At first, there were gasps. There may have even been some muffled sobs. But as news out of Gainesville, Fla., began to spread around the globe, the audible hush heard on Aug. 30 was the sound of the Gator Nation holding its collective breath, sure the end of Florida's storied football program must be coming to an end.

Superman -- also known around Gainesville as Tim Tebow -- had apparently been rendered mortal. For the first time since 2006, Tebow failed to score a rushing touchdown. He attempted only 14 passes and carried the ball nine times for just 37 yards (1.5 yards per attempt shy of his 2007 Heisman-trophy winning campaign average).

Gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands followed, until the rest of the story emerged. Despite the fact that Superman turned into Clark Kent, the Gators had defeated Hawaii 56-0. Maybe things aren’t so bad, the Nation whispered.

Florida fans were fully reassured when they heard Tebow’s response when asked about his streak of 14 consecutive games with a rushing touchdown being snapped.

“Aw, shucks,” Tebow replied, “I’m not too worried about that right now.”

Yes, folks, he actually said “Aw, shucks.”

Don’t worry, Florida fans: Tebow is still the big Bull Gator in the Swamp.

The good news for the Gators -- and the bad news for the rest of the Southeastern Conference -- is that Florida didn’t need Tebow to be Superman against Hawaii. After a 2007 season during which Tebow accounted for 43 percent of the Gators' rushing attempts and 34 percent of the ground yards, fans had to be pleased to see the RBs carry more of the load versus Hawaii, gaining 218 of the team's 255 running yards.

Through the air, Tebow and backup quarterbacks Cam Newton and John Brantley combined to deliver an efficient 10-of-16, 151-yard performance (Tebow was 9-of-14 for 137 yards and a TD, while Newton completed 1-of-2 throws for 14 yards and Brantley went 0-for-1). While that represents a very modest air attack, the significant fact is that the 10 completed passes were to eight different receivers.

And, according to junior college transfer wide receiver Carl Moore, the Gators didn’t even break out their entire playbook to rack up eight touchdowns against the defending champion from the Western Athletic Conference.

“Definitely not,” said Moore, “we just played and got a couple of big breaks so we couldn’t really open up the offense.”

And that sound, this time coming from South Florida, was Miami Hurricanes head coach Randy Shannon swallowing his defensive game plan.

The Gators take on Miami in Gainesville this Saturday before an extra week off to prepare for their SEC opener against East rival Tennessee in Knoxville on Sept. 20. Volunteer head coach Phillip Fulmer will be watching the Florida-Miami game closely to see if the Gators continue to develop offensive weapons like redshirt freshman Chris Rainey and true freshman Jeff Demps to go along with junior Percy Harvin and the stable of Florida running backs.

But Florida fans and foes alike are well aware that No. 15 is still the fuel in their team's offensive machine. As the season progresses and the coaching staff continues to develop balance, it’s only a matter of time before Tebow explodes offensively.

And that’s a sound that will ring loudly throughout the Gator Nation.
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About Joe Mayes

Joe Mayes is an award-winning writer with credits ranging from national sports columns to local newspapers and commercial and technical writing. Joe is the host of "The Morning Wrap," a morning drive-time sports talk radio show on WTKE-FM in Northwest Florida.
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