The Great Escape

Hats off to the Arkansas Razorbacks this evening. They really gave the boys in Orange and Blue a run for their money up at The Swamp this evening.

With just 7 seconds left on the clock, kicker Caleb Sturgis put the #1 Gators ahead 23-20, preventing the type of embarassment Mississippi State dealt them last season (much less the disaster that the guys from Little Rock dealt Auburn just last week).

This was a real nail-biter of a game, ye socks--especially if you were a Florida fan.

Coach Meyer's squad trailed by 10-3 at the half, and things were looking pretty grim.

Brandon Spikes was out after only the 2nd series with an injured hamstring. Tim Tebow was getting sacked left and right. And, the Gator O suffered fumble after fumble in the red zone.

Yours truly had to take a walk at half time to cool off, or risk serious damage to the television set.

Fortunately, the reigning national champions eventually got their collective act together.

Some will say a win is a win, even if it's ugly. Unfortunately, style points still count in some polls, and I think this lackluster performance will sway a few waivering votes toward the Crimson Tide. (Probably not enough to actually topple the Gators, though . . . )

On the other hand, our Heisman contender did pad his already outrageous resume tonight by surpassing the combined rushing/passing TD record of another Gator great: Danny Wuerffel. Tebow now can boast 123 in that stat column, just one shy of tying the all-time leading Herschel Walker. If . . . nay, WHEN . . . he racks-up 125, I don't think anyone could deny him the second Heisman trophy he so richly deserves.

Orange and Blue!

VICTORY!

Well, ye socks, yours truly has been battling a nasty cold all week, and was afraid that would prevent him from staying awake long enough to witness the kick-0ff of the Gators' 3rd national championship.

I mean, the game didn't even start until 8:15 PM in this little corner of heaven, and I had been doing some serious Nyquil shots all day.

But, like the Gators, I persevered.

It was not the high-scoring affair many of us expected it to be, with the high-powered offenses on both sides.

Still, the Gators never trailed the Laters . . . er, Sooners.

Once again, the deciding factor proved to be Tim Tebow. He passed for 231 yards, including one of those little jump passes into the endzone that have become one of his many killer trademarks. He also rushed for 109 yards, making critical third down conversion after critical third down conversion.

The current Heisman Trophy winner was also impressive, and got within 6 yards of leading his team to two more touchdowns. Fortunately, the Gator D held. Imagine if they hadn't, Oklahoma would have had 28 points.

On the flip side, the Gators had to settle for a Jonathan Phillips field goal because a fan's whistle faked-out Tebow on third down. If he had punched the ball in for a TD instead, the Gator total would've been 28, too.

Can you imagine if the result had been a 28-28 tie at the end of regulation?!?

No such nailbiter was to be had, though. Nor, did the fans of Fun 'n Gun get to see the scoreboard lit up as had been promised.

Still, "It's great to be a Florida Gator!" And, we have another set of numbers to add to the mantra:

1996 - 52-20
2006 - 41-14
2008 - 24-14

ORANGE AND BLUE!

2008: The Year of the Uneducated Voter

I don't want to disenfranchise people around here, but I would like to see some minimal education requirement put in place.

I mean, you should at least know what the *()#@&) you're voting for before you cast your ballot, right?

It was bad enough so many people thought last month we were electing a motivational speaker instead of a commander-in-chief.

Now, this month, a bunch of haters handed the Heisman Trophy to a dude who is an excellent passing quarterback but certainly NOT the person it was intended to honor: the best ALL-AROUND college football player in the country.

Fortunately, the latter situation will be rectified in a couple of weeks when the better man will demonstrate the voters' folly.

The former is another story altogether . . .

New Year's Eve reminders

1. All you Florida voters, remember today is the last day to get registered if you want to participate in the primary on 1/29/08. Make sure you get down to your local supervisor of elections office and sign-up so you can vote for the next President of the United States: Mike Huckabee!!

2. All you Gator fans, make sure you wear ORANGE tomorrow to counteract all the Michigan blue at the CapOne Bowl. Kick-off is 1pm tomorrow. If ye socks are fortunate enough to be in the Central Florida area, our favorite Heisman winner will be allowing fans to take pictures with his recently-acquired trophy outside the stadium before the game!

3. Be safe. If you're going to be drinking tonight, do it responsibly. And, if you're going to be out on the roads, use a designated driver. This may seem trite, but it cannot be said enough.

4. Have a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous 2008!!

Thanks to Amy for sending this one!

The Man of Steel wears Orange and Blue!

Ye out-of-state socks may not be aware of this, but the running joke down here in Florida this year has been: "Superman wears Tim Tebow pajamas to bed."



But, before you laugh too hard at that one-liner, can you tell me the last time you saw Clark Kent over at the Daily Planet?!



I have recently come to the conclusion that Superman has at long last ditched his reporter alter ego in favor of a much more dynamic modern alias:

TIMOTHY RICHARD TEBOW

(Or Timmy T, or Touchdown Tim, or any of a thousand variations of the name Gator Nation has grown to love over the last two seasons.)


I think what we love most about Tebow was evident this evening up in NYC when he accepted the Heisman Trophy at the Downtown Athletic Club - - the first sophomore to do so in the history of the most prestigious award in college football.


He was humble.


It wasn't all about him.


In fact, he acknowledged his faith first and foremost as the reason why he was standing up on that stage. Then repeated that and other acknowledgements several times over.


That's what has made this underclassman stand out as a leader on and off the football field. He gives credit for his amazing achievements not to his own abilities, but to the support he has had and continues to receive from others: his parents and siblings, his teammates, his coaches, etc.


And, that's probably why his win isn't just being celebrated in New York and Gainesville tonight. It's being heralded at the prisons and orphanages across this country that he visits on a regular basis. It's being lauded in the Philippines where his parents work as missionaries, and where newborn babies are being named Timothy in record numbers. And, don't forget Bangladesh, where his sister Christy took a brief break from fighting poverty to attend tonight's ceremony.


The appeal of this guy is wide spread. With Heisman in hand, he is not only an ambassador for the University of Florida or NCAA football. He has become a superhero for the modern generation.

Tebow Mania

There are 14.3 million folks in the Sunshine State, and they all love Tim Tebow.

They've got lots of company, too. We'll find out just how much after 5pm today, the deadline for all those much-coveted Heisman ballots.

If the voting goes as expected, Mr. Tebow will be the youngest winner of the Downtown Athletic Club's prized trophy. And, he deserves it.

But, I am still a bit unnerved by all the mania that has gripped folks down here.

We have reports in the Orlando Sentinel today that at least one person has seen his image in a block of cheese.

And, there was mass confusion down at Lake Eola Park when a dog owner called for his lost canine companion: "Here, Tebow!" Something like a dozen little rovers answered his call. That's right, folks are actually naming their new puppies after the Gator quarterback!

The only thing the real Tebow is going to fetch, though, is that Heisman.

Dare we suggest a Heisman for Tebow?!

I think so.



In this afternoon's trouncing of the Not-so-wild cats of Kentucky, he was 18 for 26, throwing for 254 yards and 4 touchdowns . . . PLUS he rushed for 73 more yards and 1 more touchdown.



This guy is amazing. And, I'm glad to see he and the rest of the Gators have bounced back from the Auburn and LSU games.



His numbers have got to be putting him on the short list for the Heisman, even if he is just a sophomore!



GOOOOOOOO GATORS!