GAINESVILLE – The records just keep on coming for Florida junior quarterback Tim Tebow.
The reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Tebow had another big day for the Gators, figuring in 48 of Florida’s 62 plays and finishing with 311 yards in total offense thanks to a 21-of-35 passing performance that was good for 256 yards and two touchdown passes in fifth-ranked Florida’s 26-3 victory over Miami Saturday night.
Tebow now has 130 pass attempts without an interception, a new Florida record. His fellow Heisman Trophy winner at Florida, Danny Wuerffel, held the previous record of 121 pass attempts without an interception. Tebow has now thrown an interception in his last four games, the longest streak of his career as a starting quarterback.
With his 311 total yards Saturday, he surpassed 1966 Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier (5,290) on Florida’s all-time list with 5,473 yards for the ninth spot.
Tebow also now ranks 10th on the all-time passing yardage list with 4,037 yards and eighth with 40 touchdowns. He ranks fifth on Florida’s career touchdown responsibility list with 71.
END OF DROUGHT: With their victory, the Gators ended a six-game losing streak in the series that Miami leads 28-26. The win marked the first time Florida has beaten Miami since Sept. 7, 1985 (35-23 at the Orange Bowl) and the first time Florida has won in Gainesville since Sept. 3, 1983 (28-3). That was Miami’s only loss in the season as the Hurricanes won the first of five national titles in the last 25 years (Florida has two in the last 12).
With the victory, Florida is now 6-0 against in-state opponents under Urban Meyer and have outscored them 227-56. Florida improved to 21-1 in The Swamp under Meyer. The victory also gave Meyer his eighth straight 2-0 season start. He is now 30-3 against non-conference opponents and he has never lost a home game to a non-conference team (he’s 14-0). It is also the first time a Florida coach has ever defeated the Hurricanes in the first game between the two teams in Gainesville.
GETTING THEIR KICKS: Meyer is now 11-0 in games in which Florida has blocked a punt and is 18-2 in his career. Since 2001, Meyer, who is the special teams coach for the Gators, has seen his team block 38 kicks, the third best total in the nation.
The punt blocked by freshman Jeffrey Demps in the second quarter resulted in a safety, Florida’s first since it had one in a 23-10 victory over Louisiana State on Oct. 7, 2006.
TURNOVER-FREE: The Gators once again did not have a turnover in the game and now have not made a turnover in their last four games. Teams coached by Meyer have made the fewest offensive turnovers (122) in the last eight years.
MISCELLANEOUS: The game captains for the Gators included defensive tackle Javier Estopinan, tight end Cornelius Ingram, running back Kestahn Moore and linebacker Brandon Spikes. … Florida won the coin toss but deferred to the second half. … The attendance of 90,833 is a new record for Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The previous record was 90.716 for the Sept. 17, 2005 game against Tennessee. … Former Florida linebacker Wilbur Marshall was honored during the second quarter for his recent election to the College Football Hall of Fame. The enshrinement dinner will take place in December in New York and Marshall will go into the Hall of Fame officially next summer in South Bend, Ind. … Junior Percy Harvin played his first game of the year after missing the 56-10 season-opening victory over Hawaii with an injured heel. He scored his first touchdown of the season on a 2-yard run with 13:19 remaining in the game and it was his 10th career rushing touchdown. … Redshirt sophomore tight end Aaron Hernandez, who missed last week’s game while serving a one-game suspension, caught his first pass – a 14-yard touchdown pass from Tim Tebow – and finished with a career-high five receptions for 58 yards. … Six Gators were making their first start of the 2008 season – wide receiver Riley Cooper, wide receiver/running back Percy Harvin, tight end Aaron Hernandez, defensive tackle Terron Sanders, linebacker Brandon Spikes and defensive end Justin T rattou.