GAINESVILLE -- It was the loveable Wondy Pierre-Louis who provided the perfect metaphor on the perfect day.

Saturday was Senior Class Appreciation Day at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. One by one, the University of Florida's outgoing upperclassmen filed onto the field before the Gators' season finale against Florida State. One by one, they were greeted with cheers from the fans and then a hug from Florida coach Urban Meyer near midfield. It was a touching tribute for a recruiting class that has won more games (47) than any other in Southeastern Conference history.

And then along came Pierre-Louis, who put it all into perspective.

The senior from Haiti, the team jokester, walked out of the Gators' tunnel, knelt down in the end zone as if to pray, but instead jumped to his feet like LeBron James. Into the air, arms raised high, went a cloud of white powder. The Swamp -- an announced record attendance of 90,907 -- erupted into laughter.

Pierre-Louis' spoof on a shoe company's advertising campaign was comical, but the cornerback was right, of course. We were all witnesses. College football has never seen a player quite like Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. On Saturday, he did what he does best. He made people scream. He made people cry. He made history. He dominated Florida State.

Florida defeated Florida State 37-10 and Tebow accounted for five touchdowns in his final game at Florida Field. He threw three touchdown passes, ran for two more and accounted for 311 yards of total offense (90 yards rushing). In three years as the Gators' starting quarterback, Tebow accounted for 14 touchdowns against UF's in-state rival. With Tebow at quarterback, Florida outscored Florida State 127-37 in the past three seasons.

``I had a lot of fun,'' Tebow said.

So did everyone else in orange and blue. Top-ranked Florida (12-0) defeated FSU (6-6) for the sixth consecutive year, and the Gators extended their winning streak to 22 games. Most importantly, the Gators' offense played its best game of the season seven days before next Saturday's Southeastern Conference championship game against No. 2 Alabama (12-0).

TUNEUP FOR ALABAMA

The SEC title game between the nation's top-ranked teams will be a de facto national semifinal for the BCS national championship game on Jan. 7 at the Rose Bowl.

The Gators will begin preparing for the Crimson Tide on Sunday. On Saturday, the Gators savored UF's first undefeated season since 1995.

Unlike Alabama's rivalry game against Auburn on Friday, Florida's send-off was never in doubt. UF took a 7-0 lead with 6:48 left in the first quarter when Tebow pitched a triple-option shovel pass to tight end Aaron Hernandez for an 18-yard score. Hernandez, who later scored on a dazzling 37-yard passing play, finished with five receptions for 83 yards.

A junior, Hernandez heaved the football into the stands after weaving through FSU's defense for his second score, which gave UF a 24-0 lead with 1:12 left in the first half. Hernandez's celebration -- frowned upon by Meyer -- is a long-standing tradition for outgoing UF receivers and was started by Carlos Alvarez of Miami during his final game against Florida State in 1971.

The celebration of Florida's undefeated season began with 11:27 left in the third quarter when Tebow connected with senior receiver Riley Cooper for a 37-yard touchdown to give UF a 30-0 lead. Cooper had three receptions for 62 yards in his final home game. UF sophomore Jeff Demps led the Gators in rushing with 106 yards on seven carries. Florida limited FSU's offense to 269 total yards (83 rushing).

Saturday was likely Florida State coach Bobby Bowden's final game at The Swamp. The 80-year-old coach has said that he would like to coach another season, but Saturday offered something new to the Seminoles' ongoing coaching distraction.

``I want to coach next year, but let me say I want to go home and do some soul-searching,'' Bowden said. ``I've got to run this thing through my mind a few times.''

ONE LAST TD DRIVE

Flashbulbs by the hundreds inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium popped like fireflies during Tebow's final touchdown drive at Florida Field. The possession began on the UF 23 and reached the red zone quickly after a 65-yard run down the Gators' sideline by Demps. Six plays later, the Gators were 1 yard from the end zone and over 90,000 fans began chanting, ``Tebow! Tebow! Tebow!''

UF's quarterback answered the call with an option keeper into the end zone with 10:18 left in the game. Tebow's 56th career touchdown -- an SEC record -- gave Florida a 37-3 lead. FSU added a late touchdown against the Gators' second-team defense.

The majority of the fans inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium lingered in their seats long after the game ended.

Fans throughout the stadium pushed their way to the front row to slap hands with Tebow during his final victory lap.