Tim Tebow - Other Heisman Hopeful
Urban Meyer thought Saturday's game against South Carolina would be a test.
He didn't know that
Tim Tebow would teach the Gamecocks a thing or two in the
Florida Gators' 51-31 win.
"I'm not sure I've seen, and I've seen some pretty good games by quarterbacks, but I'm not sure I've seen an all-around game like our quarterback had on Saturday," Meyer said.
Tebow was responsible for all seven Florida touchdowns on Saturday and 424 of the Gators' 537 total yards. He has now accounted for 42 touchdowns, the highest single-season total in Southeastern Conference history surpassing Danny Wuerffel's 41 in 1996.
Five of the seven touchdowns came on the ground and moved Tebow into a fourway tie with former SEC running backs Garrison Hearst of Georgia, Shaun Alexander of Alabama and LaBrandon Toefield of LSU for the most rushing TDs in one season with 19. That total also is a single-season record by a Florida player and by a SEC quarterback.
Tebow's five touchdowns tied him nationally for a single-game high this season with two other players.
The sophomore's talent appeared to rub off on the rest of Florida's offense, which set a school record with 30 rushing touchdowns this year. Florida is the only school in the nation to have rushed and passed for a touchdown in every game this season, and Tebow has rushed for and scored a touchdown in 11 straight games, the longest streak by a quarterback since 1989.
However, Meyer thought Tebow's greatest feat Saturday was picking apart the nation's top-ranked pass defense for 304 yards and two touchdowns.
The Gators scored on their first two possessions and on four of their last five. They did so without Percy Harvin, who stayed in Gainesville to recover from an illness.
Florida was 12-16 on thirddown conversions.
Senior Bubba Caldwell was Tebow's main target, catching 11 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown.
"First of all, he is healthy," Meyer said. "Second, his approach to the game I don't want to say has changed completely, but when he first got here it isn't what it is now."
Aaron Hernandez, the recipient of Tebow's longest pass Saturday of 55 yards, is the fourth Gator this season to catch a pass of 50 yards or more.
"Aaron will be very involved," Meyer said. "That was a great play he made and he actually blocked very well. He'll be involved in the offense from here on out. We need a guy like that.
"He's fast, he can catch and he's a mismatch for a linebacker that would cover him. That just gives us one more weapon so he's worked at it."
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