Just Another Gator Bowl

Posted Nov 1, 2008 by Tom McEwen

Updated Nov 1, 2008 at 07:03 PM

These Florida Gators are certainly better than these Georgia Bulldogs-08, but are they 49-10 better?

No, but they were on Saturday in the Gator Bowl where the Dogs once beat Florida 51-0, in the cold rain. And worse than that, if you keep going back. Though no one on that storied old turf thought about that.

These Gators were but trying to forget that one point loss to Mississippi, long ago this season. And, were trying to keep moving towards a Southeastern Conference, and a longer shot national championship. Quarterback Tim Tebow was a bit more pointed. He reminded the Gator faithful this week past he’d promised after that painful loss to Mississippi, he failing to gain the yard Florida needed for a winning field goal try, he’d make amends the rest of this season.

He’s been attending to that, assuredly with the 49-10 pounding of the Bulldogs Saturday. He has promised more. Surely he and his family loved the blessings a 49-10 dismissal of Georgia can mean.

Now, those who saw live, or saw the Georgia-Florida game on television Saturday saw Tebow at his best - as a leader, as an accurate passer, as a tuck-it-and run with it player. He looked like the athlete who was embarrassed even by the thought of that Gators loss to Ole Miss, reaffirming he and his teammates would continue to make up for their Rebel game play in the Dog game.

Remember, it was a year ago the Georgia players assembled all in the Gator end zone in an unprecedented pre-game celebration. It was different. It appeared to ignite the Bulldogs, who beat the Gators in that one. 

Gator Coach Urban Meyer said little of it, publicly. But, Gator quarterback Tebow surely remembered it, saying the great reward awaited Florida fans in Jacksonville.

Well, they got it. 

No, surely a mistake-free game would not have ended 49-10. Fumbles and interceptions caused by a combination of rushing harassment of Florida defenders—who played so well against a solid Dog club led by the terrific pocket quarterback Matthew Stafford—made it a fine afternoon for Gators in the Gator Bowl.  It also gave the Florida football team who felt the urge, to go a bit nuts in the end zone with the game’s end, jumping about, even dancing a bit, surely in payback for the pre-game Georgia assembly in that end zone before the game a year ago. May have overdone it. Georgia fans will say that for sure. They may even threaten to take their home games to Athens, again. That won’t happen. The only thing what will happen is the game will be played again next year in the Bowl, and there will be drama and more controversy.  Fine, it is part of this great rivalry.

And this season, the college football world today sees both Tebow and Stafford as future National Football League stars and the Gators as getting the SEC title, perhaps even national championship contenders.

If they make it there, it is because they made it another Saturday in November on the old football battleground, the Gator Bowl, and her end zones. 

Surely are.