Tim Tebow Zone

Florida State remembers Tim Tebow all too well. Last year, in a game that really meant nothing for Florida, Tebow threw the ball for 262 yards plus 3 touchdowns and the rushed the ball 13 times for 89 yards plus 2 touchdowns. What a game that was. All week prior, FSU linebacker Geno Hayes was talking smack about Tebow. We all know what Tebow did to him as punishment…Here’s a clip from last year’s Florida vs. Florida State game in The Swamp. Tebow punks Geno Hayes right at the beginning.

This year is different though. A lose to FSU would end the Gators chances at a BCS National Title game birth. Florida State has absolutely nothing to play for. They’re a tough team to beat in their house and they’ll be playing very hard. Tebow will need to rely on getting the ball to his playmakers, Percy Harvin and Deonte Thompson.

The best way for the Gators to win this game is to take the crowd out of it. If Tebow can lead the Gators two a couple of scores in the first quarter like he has been against all the other teams, the crowd will be a non-factor the rest of the game.

Emotions will be flying high as this could be Tim Tebow’s last Florida vs. Florida State game. The entire nation will be watching. There’s no way Tim disappoints us. I predict a 49-13 Gator victory with Tebow throwing the ball for 240 yards, rushing the ball for 45 yards and scoring 5 total touchdowns.

Tim Tebow was named a Maxwell Award Finalist on Monday. Joining Tim on the finalist list are fellow QBs Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy. The Maxwell Award is given annually to the nation’s best all-around player (Tebow won it last year).

I think Tim has a great shot at becoming a back-to-back winner of the Maxwell. He’s playing on a National Championship contender and has compiled very good stats. He doesn’t have the yardage or touchdown numbers that McCoy and Bradford have, but that’s because the Gators don’t throw the ball as much as them. If Tim was the nation’s best all-around player last year, then he certainly hasn’t done anything in 2008 to lose that distinction.

In other notes… Tim Tebow is still alive in the Heisman race!

Compiled by the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, the Scripps poll is in its 22nd year, making it the longest-running weekly Heisman ranking in the country. The final poll, taken in December, has predicted the Heisman winner correctly in 18 of the previous 21 seasons. Ten voters select five players each week. The tabulations are made on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis, with five points for a first-place vote, four points for second, etc. First-place votes are in parentheses.

This week’s poll, with statistics from last week:

Player, Position, School, Last Week, Points

1. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma, 14-of-19, 304 yards passing, 4 TDs, 42 (5)

2. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas, Did not play, 41 (3)

3. Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech, 33-of-55, 361 yards, 3 TDs, 27 (1)

4. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida, 9-of-11, 201 yards passing, 3 TDs, 23 (1)

Good Luck Tim!

Ok, sure Tim Tebow threw two incompletions so he’s not “perfect”… but when you have a 325 QB rating, I’d say he was pretty darn close to it. In the Gators 70-19 rout over the Citadel, Tim Tebow completed 9-11 passes for 201 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also ran the ball two times for 34 yards. Pretty nice stats considering he only played 1 full quarter!

I didn’t make it to this game, but apparently in Tim’s victory lap after the game all the fans were chanting “one more year, one more year!” The more this year progresses, the more I get a feeling that he will come back for his senior year.

I got a great quote from Tebow about his 43 yard pass to Riley Cooper (who made a spectacular one-handed grab). “He’s my roommate. He was mad at me last week because I overthrew him,” Tebow said. “I missed a touchdown there, so I was trying to get him one this week. He was happy about it. That was a pretty good one.”

The Gators are now 10-1 on the season and still rank 4th in the BCS standings. The general consensus is still that if the Gator wins out, they will go to the BCS CHampionship game.

Tim Tebow is going to need one hell of a trophy room when he buys his first house. This guy has more college awards then anyone I’ve ever seen.

Clear off more room on the mantle, because last night Tim Tebow was won the Disney Spirit Award, given annually to college football’s most inspirational figure. Tebow will be presented with the award during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards at the Atlantic Dance Hall at Walt Disney World Resort on Thursday, Dec. 11. The 18th annual awards show is scheduled for 7:30-9:30 p.m. ET and will be televised live on ESPN.

“I would like to accept this award on behalf of those who inspire me and give the credit to my Lord, my family, my coaches and my teammates at the University of Florida,” said Tebow. “I’ve always been very passionate about football, but it is not going to be my life’s work forever and I’d like to think that I am not defined by it. To be recognized by Disney Sports for the way I try to use my platform to spread my message about faith and to join the list of recipients of this award is a blessing and it is very, very humbling.”

It was Tim’s charitable work, community work efforts and mission trips that helped him win this Award. It’s nice to see players acknowledged for what they do off the field as well as what they do on it.

Congratulations Timmy!

We received this email from a big-time Gator fan.

I have been a life long Gator fan (since 1990). I have never been to a game at “The Swamp,” but my family and I will be attending our first game next Saturday, November 22.

The main reason I finally decided to attend a game was due to Tim Tebow. Not only is he an amazing player, but he is an even better person. My two daughters and I enjoy the manner in which he handles himself and he shares his faith with others.

Any advice you can give a “first timer?”

I’ll give me two sense, but I want to encourage all the readers to give their advice to this “first timer”.

1. Learn the fight songs and cheers - If you’ve been a lifelong Gator fan, you may know the cheers… but they don’t show them on TV, so you may now. You can find the fight songs here. Two basic cheers are “orange and blue” and “it’s great to be a Florida Gator”. Also be ready for “We Are The Boys” after the 3rd quarter.

2. Be prepared to stand up - If you’re sitting on the alumni side, this may not be an issue… but on the student side, be prepared to stand and yell the entire game… even if the Gators are up by 40.

3. Cheer Tim Tebow no matter what happens.

Since The Gators loss to Ole Miss, UF has averaged 49.9 points per game. They were above that average on Saturday when the Gators stomped on the South Carolina Gamecocks 56-6.

Tebow finished the game 13-20 for 173 yards passing and two touchdowns, plus 39 yards rushing and a touchdown. One of his best passes of the game came on a short corner out by Aaron Hernandez. Tim dropped the ball out there for Aaron to make an amazing one handed grab for a score.

If this were 2007 and I told you the Gators put up 56 points on the Gamecocks, you would have thought Tim Tebow had another 300 yard passing day for 4 touchdowns. Things are totally different this year. Tim is still getting solid touchdown numbers, but he’s not having to throw the ball as much to win games. Since the Ole Miss loss, Tebow is averaging only 184 passing yards per game.

And you know what… he doesn’t mind one bit. “It makes you not press,” Tebow said. “You just manage [the game], you don’t have to force anything. You just let it happen.” Last year Tim would have had to put the team on his shoulders just to compete with the likes of South Carolina and Kentucky. Now he can focus on managing the team and making smart plays. It’s a whole new game.

Tim’s number may not be good enough to win the Heisman back to back, but he made it clear since day 1 that his goal wasn’t to win the Heisman this year. His goal is to win a National Championship. With the way the Gators are playing right now, they would be favorites over any team in the country.

The Old Ball Coach (aka Steve Spurrier) and the South Carolina Gamecocks have probably been game planning for Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators for weeks. Nothing would make Spurrier happier then putting a L in the Win/Loss column for the Florida Gators. I’m hear to tell you it won’t be easy. In fact, South Carolina has never beaten Florida in The Swamp.

South Carolina is supposed to have one of the best defenses in the SEC. I say, their defense only ranks well because they don’t play any good offensive teams. Regardless of what they try to do, Tim Tebow will be ready for them. Bring the blitz… drop back in coverage… it doesn’t matter. Tebow will light them up.

Tebow has a very healthy team arround him. All the offensive weapons, including Moody, are ready to rock. Over the last two games Tim has 10 touchdowns. I think he’ll increase that to 15 in the last 3 games after Saturday’s performance. The Gamecocks have no answer for Tebow’s accuracy, arm strength, and bulldozer legs. If they bring anything, he’ll punish them.

My score prediction for the game: 49-14. Tebow’s stats: 14-21 for 245 yards and 3 touchdowns, plus 30 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns.

Remember, if you can’t make it to Gainesville for the 3:30 kickoff, head over to Gator Envy where you can chat with other Tebow fans in the in-game discussion threads.

It’s about time we see Tim Tebow’s name on this list!Florida junior quarterback Tim Tebow earned the Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week honor for his performance against Vanderbilt.

Tebow accounted for five touchdowns (3 passing and 2 rushing) in the 42-14 victory over the Commodores as the Gators secured a spot in the SEC Championship Game against Alabama. Tim played with fire and emotion. He played like he promised he would… harder then anyone else in college football.

He completed 12-of-17 passes for 171 yards and three touchdown passes (12 yards to senior Louis Murphy, 11 yards to junior Riley Cooper and 41 yards to junior David Nelson). Tebow added 88 rushing yards, a season high, on 11 carries. His 26-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was the longest touchdown run of his career.

The Gators have had several honors from the SEC so far this season, but Tebow’s honor this week is the first “Offensive Player of the Week” award. Way to go Tim!

As you know by now, the Florida Gators are headed the the SEC Championship in Atlanta. If things pan out how they’re supposed to, the Gators will face an undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide team… with the winner advancing to the BCS National Championship game in Miami.

Now is the time to get hooked up with an SEC CHampionship T-shirt. Even if you aren’t going to Atlanta, you need to get one of these hot items and show your Gator pride.

But, if for some reason you don’t want to wear an SEC shirt around town, you can still pick up a Tebow Jersey for only $60. Don’t forget…the Holidays are just around the corner!

Tim Tebow only play 3 quarters in the Gators 42-14 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday. There were no signs of Tim slowing down because of an “ankle injury” he suffered last week after the UGA game. Tebow was 12-17 for 171 yards passing and 3 touchdowns, plus he had 11 rushes for 88 yards and 2 touchdowns. This is his second 5-touchdown game in a row.

He tossed TD passes to Louis Murphy, Riley Cooper and David Nelson. He tried to get Percy Harvin the ball a few time sin the endzone, but they just couldn’t connect. I am so impressed with the way Tim Tebow has been playing over the last month. He’s playing at such a high level that he’s gone from not even in the discussion to a top Heisman Trophy candidate.

Their win on Saturday also clinched the SEC East for the Gators. “Making it to Atlanta for the SEC championship was one of our goals at the beginning of the season, but our goal is to take care of business every Saturday,” Tebow said. Obviously Tebow doesn’t want to start thinking ahead. If they slip up at all, they can kiss the National Championship goodbye.

I also wanted to give you a quote from Vanderbilt’s coach. “He doesn’t get flustered even though he’s getting pressured, people around his ankles, and we just couldn’t tackle him,” Johnson said of Tebow. “He comes out of it and makes big plays, looks like he’s going to be sacked and they throw a touchdown. I think he’s a really outstanding player.”

This is an exciting time to be a Tim Tebow fan. Let’s keep the ride going!