MIAMI GARDENS – Who needs another Heisman Trophy when you can be the Most Valuable Player in the BCS National Championship Game? Not Florida’s Tim Tebow, the 2007 winner who finished third this season to Oklahoma’s rocket-armed Sam Bradford.
Once again when his teammates needed him the most, Tebow came up big, directing three second-half drives with his left arm, his thunderous feet and his big heart, earning the Gators a 24-14 victory over the No. 1 Sooners and coach Urban Meyer’s second national championship at Florida in four years.
Tebow completed 18 of 30 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns (to offset a pair of first-half interceptions) and also rushed for 109 yards on 22 carries to win the battle between the last two Heisman Trophy winners. Bradford, who won this year’s award in December (Tebow finished third with Texas’ Colt McCoy second), was everything as advertised, throwing for 256 yards (on 26-of-41 passing) and two touchdowns to his 6-foot-6 tight end Jermaine Gresham.
But on this balmy south Florida evening, the Sooners had no answer for Tebow, who vowed after Florida’s 31-30 loss to Mississippi that the Gators would not lose again. Florida didn’t, ripping off 10 victories to finish 13-1 for their third national title ever. Bob Stoops, the Oklahoma coach who was seeking his second national championship after coordinating the defense on Florida’s first national championship team coached by Steve Spurrier in 1996, saw his Sooners lose for the third time in the BCS title game and end their season at 12-2.
Percy Harvin, who missed most of the FSU victory and the SEC Championship Game victory, returned to rush nine times for 122 yards and one touchdown. Harvin also had 49 yards on five receptions. Tight end Aaron Hernandez had several big receptions, many of them on third-down plays. Hernandez finished with 57 yards on five receptions and Florida had 11 third-down conversions in 16 attempts.
But it was Charlie Strong’s defense which came up big time after time, making a pair of interceptions and twice keeping the Sooners out of the end zone in the first half after Oklahoma had twice had two first-and-goal situations. A goal-line stand led by Torrey Davis stopped the first Sooner drive while an interception by Major Wright stopped the second just before halftime.
And then it was an interception by Ahmad Black in the fourth quarter that stopped Bradford and the Sooners and gave the ball to Tebow, who engineered an 11-play, 76-yard drive to the clinching touchdown that consumed 6:52 of the clock. The touchdown came on a 4-yard jump pass to David Nelson from Tebow, who earlier had thrown a 20-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to Louis Murphy to start the scoring.
Two teams which combined for more than 1,000 yards and 100 points a game managed just one touchdown each in the first half. But it was Florida’s defense which had to twice dodge bullets, using two stops near its goal line to keep the Sooners from a possible two-touchdown advantage at halftime.
The trash-talking began just after the coin toss, which Oklahoma won and elected to go on offense. Murphy and Oklahoma’s Nic Harris, whose pre-game quotes about the Gators’ offense being one-dimensional, and Murphy later put his team into a hole when he was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after making a completion. That one came after Oklahoma’s George Robinson was whistled for a personal foul after a late hit.
Bradford completed 17 of 23 passes for 145 yards, one more than Tebow, who got his 144 yards on a 11-of-17 effort that also included two interceptions, one by Harris and the other by defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.
The Gators got on the board first when Tebow, who had been intercepted earlier in the first quarter by Harris, found Murphy for a 20-yard touchdown play on the third play of the second quarter. The touchdown came on a third-and-9 play, the third Tebow third-down pass completion on the drive.
The Florida quarterback was 4-for-6 for 70 yards, two of the third-down completions going to tight end Aaron Hernandez for a total of 28 yards.
Harvin flashed his speed on the fourth play of the drive when he came within a whisker of breaking a long play before settling for a 15-yard gain.
The Sooners defense, which had surrendered a bunch of yards and points in the offense-happy Big 12 this season, had good pressure on Tebow throughout the early going, and the Gators were fortunate on the first play of the second quarter that Tebow’s wobbily pass after the quarterback was hit from behind by a blitzing Travis Lewis fell to the ground.
The next time the Sooners came on the blitz, Tebow eluded it, ran to his right and then threw a pass to a wide-open Murphy, who was spun around by Harris but got the ball over the goal line before fumbling with 14:02 left in the first half. Jonathan Phillips’ PAT made it 7-0.
The Sooners came back quickly, marching 65 yards with the help of first-down runs of 16, 14 and 16 yards by Brown. The Sooners got another first down when Bradford found Quentin Chaney for 12 yards to the Florida 7. On second down from there, Bradford eluded the rush of Brandon Hicks and threw high into the end zone where his 6-foot-6 tight end Jermaine Greshman made the grab for the tying touchdown. Jimmy Stevens added the extra point and the game was tied at 7-7 with 11:49 left before halftime.
Murphy’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty stymied Florida’s next possession and then Tebow threw a third-down crossing pass into the belly of dropping tackle McCoy, who returned the ball to the Florida 26.
Bradford started the drive by sticking the ball into the Brown’s midsection and the running back gained 17 yards for a first-and-goal at the Florida 9. Brown gained 5 yards on first down before Janoris Jenkins upended him. Then he gained three more yards before Lawrence Marsh and Major Wright stopped him a yard from the end zone.
On third down, Brown got the ball again, this time trying the left side of the line but Torrey Davis stopped him for no gain.
Then on fourth down, Brown went left behind 6-foot-8, 338-pound left tackle Phil Loadholt, but Davis came up big again, this time dropping Brown for a loss of 2 yards and the Gators had the ball.
Harvin got them immediately out of trouble with a 46-yard run, but a false start by right guard Mike Pouncey set the Gators back and then Chris Rainey lost 3 yards on an end-around. On the next play, Rainey caught an 11-yard pass from Tebow and was pulled down from behind by linebacker Keenan Clayton. As he fell, his right leg buckled under him and the freshman speedster was wheeled off the field.
After Chas Henry’s punt went into the end zone, Oklahoma took over at its 20 with 2:32 left before halftime. Bradford got them quickly into scoring position with seven straight pass completions for a first-and-10 at the Florida 17. After two incompletions, Bradford connected with Gresham, who was upended out of bounds by Wright after a gain of 11.
Ten seconds remained when Oklahoma used its last timeout. When play resumed, Bradford tried feathering a slant pass into Manuel Johnson, but cornerback Joe Haden deflected the ball toward Spikes who deflected it to Wright, who fell down at the 3 to end the second threat. Tebow took a knee and the half ended tied at 7-7.
Brown’s 69 yards rushing in the second quarter – he finished with 79 on 12 carries – provided Oklahoma with an 80-69 edge in rushing yards and a 225-213 edge in total offense. The Gators were 6-of-8 on third-down conversions, thanks to Tebow’s efforts, while Oklahoma was 4-of-7.
Florida survived a roughing-the-kicker penalty on a Mike Knall punt that came after each team had called timeouts to throw the other off. It gave the Sooners a first down but Bradford misfired on his first two passes before completing a 6-yard pass to Gresham that Jenkins diagnosed and stopped with help from linebacker Ryan Stamper.
Tebow started the drive from his own 25 with an 11-yard completion to Riley Cooper. He then followed it with 12-yard run for another first down at the Florida 48. Then on third-and-4, Tebow tucked the ball and ran 15 yards up the middle for a first down to the Oklahoma 31.
Then after two incompletions, Tebow scrambled for 12 yards and another first to the Oklahoma 19. Tebow added 6 more yards on first down and then pitched it to Demps, who scampered to the Florida 2. The ball was moved a yard closer because Nic Harris was called for a face mask penalty. On first-and-goal, Tebow lost a yard trying the right side of the line. He then bootlegged left and had Hernandez wide open but threw behind him and the tight end just could handle the ball.
On third down, Harvin lined up in Tebow’s spot, took the snap and behind blocks from Mike Pouncey and Jason Watkins got into the end zone. Phillips’ PAT made it 14-7 to complete the 13-play, 75-yard drive that took 5:22 to complete.
And just as they did after Florida’s first touchdown, the Sooners appeared to have an answer to the second as Bradford completed passes of 25 yards to Quentin Chaney and 13 yards to Juaquin Iglesias. Brown carried for 5 and Bradford hit Ryan Broyles for 4 to set up a third-and-1 at the Florida 28. But Brown was stopped for a loss of four yards by Stamper, and Oklahoma decided to try its luck with a 49-yard field-goal attempt by Stevens.
But Stevens’ kick was low and deflected by Carlos Dunlap – the Gators’ ninth blocked kick of the season – and the third quarter ended with the Gators on top 14-7.
The fourth quarter started with a 54-yard Henry punt that Broyles returned 15 yards to the Florida 23. From there, the Sooners used three Brown runs to pick up 15 yards and got another 15 courtesy of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by Torrey Davis.
Bradford completed a swing pass to Brown that covered 25 yards before Wright knocked him out at the 22. The Gators were gasping but holding on, almost sacking Bradford on a second-down play. But on third down, with Gators coming up the middle, Bradford gound Gresham for 9 yards and a first down at the Florida 11. Before the Gators could adjust , Bradford got the ball to the tight end again and he went untouched into the end zone. Stevens kick was good and the game was tied at 14-14 with 12:13 left in regulation.
After getting a dose of Tebow on the last drive, Florida gave the Sooners two doses of Harvin. First, he took a handoff from Tebow and broke into the clear and to the right for a 52-yard gain before Lendy Holmes pushed him out of bounds. Then Harvin went the other way for 12 more before Nic Harris stopped him and rolled over Harvin’s tender ankle. The Gator training staff rushed out to work on Harvin and he left the field in a sprint after the officials’ timeout, leaving Florida 14 yards from the end zone.
After Demps rushed for 4 yards, Tebow threw incomplete on second down and then thought he heard a whistle on third down before alerting throwing the ball out of bounds to allow Phillips to come in and kick a 27-yard field goal that put Florida ahead for the third time in the game, 17-14, with 10:45 left to play.
Bradford quickly got the Sooners to midfield where on second down he tried a long pass to Iglesias, who got his hands on it as he fell to the ground with Ahmad Black on his back. Black somehow managed to take the ball away and Tebow and the Gators came back on the field.
And just as he did against Alabama, Tebow drove the Gators downfield on an 11-play, 76-yard drive that took 6:52 off the clock. And as he had done almost all night, Tebow was dead on when it came to third downs. He needed 12 yards early in the drive and connected with Riley Cooper for 17 on third down. He found David Nelson on a deep crossing pass for 29 yards to the OU 20. Then after a false start left Florida with a third-and-6 play at the 16, Tebow shoveled another pass to Hernadez, who rambled 9 yards to the Oklahoma 7.
On first-and-goal, Tebow gained 3 yards on a keeper. He then took off left, stopped, jumped and found Nelson for the 4-yard touchdown pass that made 24-14 with 3:10 to play.
Once again, the Florida defense came up big when on fourth-and-4, Bradford’s pass to Iglesias was batted down from behind the Oklahoma receiver by Joe Haden, allowing the Gators to run out the clock and win their second national championship in three seasons.
BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
FLORIDA 24, OKLAHOMA 14
Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009
Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Scoring by quarters 1 2 3 4 — Total
Florida 0 7 7 10 — 24
Oklahoma 0 7 0 7 — 14
FIRST QUARTER
There was no scoring.
SECOND QUARTER
UF—Louis Murphy 20 pass from Tim Tebow (Jonathan Phillips kick good) at 14:02. Drive: 12 plays, 86 yards, 5 first downs, 5:50 time elapsed following Oklahoma punt to Florida 14. Key plays: Tebow was 4-for-6 on the drive for 70 yards, three times converting on third down, the last time the scoring pass to Murphy. Score: Florida 7, Oklahoma 0.
OU—Jermaine Gresham 6 pass from Sam Bradford (Jimmy Stevens kick good) at 11:49. Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 4 first downs, 2:13 time elapsed following Florida kickoff. Key plays: Running back Chris Brown ripped off first-down runs of 16, 14 and 16 yards and Bradford hit Quentin Chaney for 12 yards for a first-and-goal at the Florida 7. On second down, Bradford got rid of the ball just as he was hit by Florida’s Brandon Hicks and the 6-foot-6 Greshman caught the ball in the back of the end zone. Score: Oklahoma 7, Florida 7.
THIRD QUARTER
UF—Percy Harvin 2 run (Phillips kick good) at 4:21. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 5 first downs, 5:22 time elapsed following Oklahoma punt. Key plays: Tebow rushed for 48 yards, twice converting on third down with runs of 15 and 12 yards and Jeff Demps 11-yard run set up the touchdown by Harvin, who took a direct snap from center. Score: Florida 14, Oklahoma 7.
FOURTH QUARTER
OU—Gresham 11 pass from Bradford (Stevens kick good) at 12:13. Drive: 8 plays, 77 yards, 5 first downs, 2:36 time elapsed following Florida punt. Key plays: The drive started with three Brown rushes totaling 14 yards, the last of which was followed by an unsportsmanlike penalty on Florida’s Torrey Davis. On third-and-8 at the Florida 20, Bradford hooked up with his tight end Greshman for 9 yards and a first down at the Florida 11. The touchdown came on the next play. Score: Oklahoma 14, Florida 14.
UF—FG Phillips 27 at 10:45. Drive: 6 plays, 68 yards, 2 first downs, 1:28 time elapsed following Oklahoma kickoff. Key plays: Harvin gained 52 yards on first down and added another 12 on the next play to give Florida a first-and-10 at the Oklahoma 14. Florida gained 4 yards on a Jeff Demps run. On second down, Tebow scrambled to his left before throwing the ball out of the end zone. On third-and-6 at the 10, Tebow took the snap and play seemed to halt before Tebow alertly threw the ball out of bounds. The Florida QB claimed he heard a whistle but to no avail, which brought Phillips in to kick his 27-yard field goal. Score: Florida 17, Oklahoma 14.
UF—David Nelson 4 pass from Tebow (Phillips kick good) at 3:07. Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 5 first downs, 6:52 time elapsed following Ahmad Black interception. Key plays: Tebow again was deadly on third down, hitting Riley Cooper for 17 yards on a third-and-12 early in the drive, hitting tight end Aaron Hernandez on a third-and-6 shovel pass for 9 yards and then throwing a jump pass to Nelson for the game-clinching touchdown. Score: Florida 24, Oklahoma 14.
GAME INFORMATION
Officials (from Atlantic Coast Conference): Ron Cherry, referee; Tom Laverty, umpire; Sam Stephenson, head linesman; Rick Misner, line judge; Jerry McGee, field judge; Darrell Harrison, side judge; Gary Patterson, back judge; Tom DeJoseph, alternate; Ted Jackson, replay official; Charlie Kalis, communications.
Kickoff: 8:10 p.m. End of game: 11:46 p.m. Time of game: 3:26.
Attendance: 78,468.
Weather: Clear skies, 68 degrees, winds from NNW at 2 mph.
Coin toss: Oklahoma captains Nic Harris, Jon Cooper, Brody Eldridge, Gerald McCoy; Florida captains Louis Murphy, Ryan Stamper, Brandon Spikes, Phil Trautwein. Honorary captains: Danny Wuerffel (Florida) and Billy Sims (Oklahoma). Oklahoma wins the toss and elects to receive. Florida will kick off and defend the East goal.
Records: Florida 13-1, Oklahoma 12-2.