JACKSONVILLE -- You want to doubt the Florida Gators and Tim Tebow? Not smart.

You thought they were a soft No. 1 lucky to be unbeaten and a risky pick to win another national championship?

They taught you better here Saturday in a 41-17 neutral-site steamrolling of the rival Georgia Bulldogs.

You thought Tebow was less than his former self and falling fast in the Heisman Trophy race?

Wrong again, my friend.

The best college football team in the country and the best college football player in the country acted like it Saturday, and it was an impressive thing to watch.

It was what anger looked like.

These Gators have been an absurdly maligned top-ranked team, a disrespected defending national champ. Instead of credit for nonstop winning, there has been derision for not winning by enough, even among the spoiled citizens of Gator Nation.

LIVING DANGEROUSLY

Modest victories over Tennessee, LSU and Arkansas were treated virtually as losses. So was the last game against Mississippi State, which the woebegone Gators managed to only win by 10 points. All of the harping over imperfections, over failings in the red zone, left the lunatic impression this was an undefeated team having a disappointing season.

This was seen as the Gators' Year of Living Dangerously, with no feeling of joy over the minor matter of a No. 1 national ranking.

So it was that Florida entered Saturday's 87th renewal of the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party trying to shut up critics as much as beat Bulldogs, and doing so with a message to deliver. The message sounded something like, ``Get off our backs. Look at the rankings and shut up.''

Or, as coach Urban Meyer put it afterward, with an edge to his voice: `` `What's wrong with this? What's wrong with that?' Nothing's wrong! We're 8-0.''

Likewise, Tebow entered this game having [for him] an ordinary season, or at least not statistically up to either his 2007 Heisman-winning year or his 2008 season that should have presented him the Heisman again.

So here was Tim's ``I'm ba-ack'' performance in his hometown: touchdown passes of 22 and 29 yards to Riley Cooper, scoring runs of 23 and 5 yards -- the former breaking Herschel Walker's Southeastern Conference career record of 50 -- and 249 yards of offense.

``Typical Tim,'' Meyer said.

On the record-getting 23-yard quarterback draw, Tebow deliciously juked Georgia linebacker Marcus Dowtin, who had spent much of the game nearly inciting a riot with all of his jawing and gesturing, perhaps forgetting that players ought not swagger while getting their [bleeps] kicked. Dowtin was spilled onto on his rear end as Tebow motored into the end zone.

If Florida's dual-threat senior quarterback isn't the favorite today to win his second Heisman, they ought to abolish the trophy or fire the voters.

He doesn't deserve it as a career-achievement nod. He doesn't deserve it because nobody else is a clearly better candidate. He deserves it simply because he is the most valuable, most indispensable player for the best team.

``Who would you rather have as your quarterback on fourth-and-1?'' as Cooper put it. ``Great leadership. The toughest kid in all of football. That's who I want as MY quarterback.''

Tebow admits his own recent performance (two interceptions returned for touchdowns against Mississippi State) and broad perceptions of the season as disappointing have fueled him.

``I take it upon myself, the criticism,'' he said. ``We were frustrated; we know we can play a lot better. We weren't living up to our potential. We know can elevate our game. I think we showed that today.''

WELL-DRESSED LOSERS

Georgia, trying to play spoiler in the midst of an ordinary season, unveiled, just in time for Halloween, a new black-on-black ensemble: black helmets, black pants. Ooh, intimidating!

``Who cares,'' Tebow described his reaction.

``Didn't notice,'' Meyer said.

The Bulldogs looked good in their black pants but didn't have nearly enough good players inside those pants. (Plenty of fans among the 84,604 were more lavishly costumed for the holiday. Me, too. I went to the game dressed as a curmudgeonly, middle-aged sports writer.)

Saturday's party-atmosphere victory ended what Meyer admitted was ``a hard week on our quarterback.''

The coach smirked.

``Everybody says chill out and relax and have fun,'' Meyer said. ``When you do what we do, there's only one way to have fun.''

He meant win them all.

For the Gators, even that isn't always enough.

On Saturday, for a team and a quarterback reasserting themselves, it was plenty.

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@