The number one ranked University of Florida Gators take their score-at-will offense and beat-you-to-a-pulp defense on the road to nationally fourth-ranked Louisiana State University Oct. 10. This may be the first “real” test of the 2009 Gator bite when taking on the also undefeated Tigers in their own cage. In fact, both schools account for the last three national champions with Florida reigning supreme last year and 2006 while the Tigers were on top in ‘08.

Image: Zuma Press

Tebow Hurt

The big question posed is will star gator QB Tim Tebow not only suit up for the game, but will he be under center. Tebow suffered a concussion during Florida’s blowout win against the University of Kentucky Sept. 28 at Commonwealth Stadium in Louisville. Suffering from the flu at game start, Tebow managed to guide the Gators through to the middle of the third period when facing a third-and-six-yard to go from the Kentucky nine-yard line, Wildcat DE Taylor Wyndham nailed the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, hitting him squarely in the chest. As Tebow went down, his head hit the knee of Gator tackle Marcus Gilbert.

He lay motionless for a few seconds, but eventually sat up and was helped off the field. He was transported by ambulance to the University of Kentucky Medical Center where he was held overnight for observation.

“He was dinged a little bit,” Florida Head Coach Urban Meyers said after the game. “They checked his memory and all that, he’s fine.”

“Fine” also translated into 123 yards rushing for the senior from St. Augustine, Fla. He moved into sole possession of second place in the SEC for rushing touchdowns after scoring two solo on the ground in the first quarter, He is one behind SEC record-holder Herschel Walker.

Records Broken

Other records booked at the expense of the Wildcats included Gator RB Brandon James setting new high numbers for return average when he began the contest with a 27-yard catch and run. He surpassed Kentucky’s Derek Abney (3,357) with this play when his total tallied at 3,370 yards returned.

As dominating as the offensive game against the Wildcats was, the Gator defense held Kentucky scoreless until the 8:48 left in the first when the Big Blue mounted a 14-play, 58-yard drive that was capped off by a two-yard TD pass caught by Ross Boque. This was Kentucky’s only score of the game.

Dominating Defense

The Gator defense has been rather stingy in the opening games of the 2009 season holding all opponents to a combined 29 points while the offense has humiliated any opposing “D” scoring a total of 182 winning points in four games. The opener against Charleston Southern was a slap-down win at 63-3. The only Buccaneer points came off junior kicker John Paglia foot as he booted one through the uprights.

The following week the Gators drowned the visiting Toy Trojans in the Swamp with a convincing 56-6 win. Again, the tough Florida defense held the opponent to no TDs. Troy had to settle for a pair of field goals as their only scoreboard points for the day.

On Sept. 19, the Tennessee Volunteers wandered into Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to give the Gators their best test of the season to date. However, Florida defeated their SEC rival in a 23-13 win. The win gave UF a new record with 13 consecutive wins.

Daniel Rigdon is a sports writer for www.sportsfantreasures.com. He would like to invite you to check out their Florida Gators Merchandise and Gators Apparel online today!

Post from: EveryJoe

Number One Gators Score at Will in 2009

To be clear – as the announcer said, it was a clean hit. It was a hard hit, yes, but the injury came from Tebow’s head bouncing forward off of the leg of another player, not from some kind of illegal, bad sack. Poor Wyndham will probably get death threats from rabid fans, when all he did was play some ball.

Image: Newscom

Tebow was taken to the University of Kentucky Medical center after laying on the field, possibly blacked out, for two or three minutes. He walked off the field under his own power, but felt ill on the sidelines, so an ambulance took him away. At the hospital, sources say that he got a CAT scan and MRI.

Several fans showed up at the hospital and have been asking to go back to his room and pray with him, but security is tight. Sources also say that his dad and brother are there. Coach Urban Meyer talked to the press after the game, and said that Tebow’s first question to him was “did I hold onto the ball?” and later said “it’s great to be a Gator.”

They haven’t released anything official yet, but I’m sure that he has a concussion. Hopefully, it isn’t anything more serious. I may not be a Florida fan, but I don’t want to see any player get hurt. From my own experiences, I know that concussions typically aren’t super serious unless there’s bleeding or discharge from the holes in your head or unless you throw up. I say typically because we all know what happened to Natasha Richardson after a little bump on the head. He definitely was sick after that hit, but I’m not sure if he vomited or not, and you’ll need a true Gator fan to actually look through the tape of the game at the sidelines to see if there’s pictures of him puking.

Of course, Tebow was sick before the game, so that could have something to do with it. He actually took a private plain to Kentucky, separate from the general team, as did other players with flu symptoms, as a precaution. I think Jen at RightFielders makes a good point though: why was he playing at this point? Florida was way up at the end of the third, and Tebow was definitely already sick. He should have been out of the game at that point.

Image: Newscom

All of this information is up to date as of the time of posting (Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 5:30 AM EST), but I’m sure there will be new information during the day today about Tebow’s condition and the likelihood that he’ll play against LSU. At least he has next weekend off for sure – it’s Florida’s bye week.

Post from: EveryJoe

Tim Tebow Injury Update

Tim Tebow, Image: Newscom

Whatever you think about Florida as a team or their heroic leader, Chuck Norris Tim Tebow, it was a pretty impressive, passionate, off-the-cuff speech he gave in September after they lost to Mississippi. What did he say?

To the fans and everybody in Gator Nation, I’m sorry. I’m extremely sorry. We were hoping for an undefeated season. That was my goal something Florida has never done here.

I promise you one thing, a lot of good will come out of this. You will never see any playing in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of the season. You will never see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I will push everybody the rest of this season.

You will never see a team play harder than we will the rest of the season. God Bless.

That speech is now getting its own plaque, which will be placed outsde the front entrance to Florida’s new football stadium. Some question Urban Meyer’s decision to put up the plaque now, while Tebow is still at the school, but he says he didn’t want to wait, since you never know what happens in the future. He didn’t want the speech to get lost.

There’s already a replica Tebow jersey hanging inside the stadium, to honor his Heisman win. Tebow says he hasn’t seen the plaque yet, but thinks it is cool to have something he said affecting to many people.

Post from: EveryJoe

Tim Tebow’s Speech Immortalized at Florida

You want to know the easiest way to get a playoff instituted? Don’t call the Gators the national champions. By doing so, we just feed into the BCS hype and pretend that one game should determine the national championship.

Taking it a step further, boycotting all things BCS could also get their attention. If you cheer on your team winning a consolation BCS bowl, you are justifying the system. Instead, stay away until they fix it.

One day football fans will look back at how stupid it was to decide the college football national championships without a playoff system. But when that day will come is anyone’s guess. It could be a few years or it could be 50 years from now. The time frame will depend on how long the average fans puts up with BCS nonsense.

College football is a great sport but when the ultimate prize is decided by computers instead of competition, something is hugely wrong.

Post from: EveryJoe

The Florida Gators are not the National Champions

The flash game features several images of Florida Gators football players coming out of the ground and you use your mouse to click on the image before it disappears to “whack” them. Not only is this a game where you can get a free shot in on Tim Tebow, but you can also slap around head coach Urban Meyer a little.

Link to “Whack a Gator” interactive flash game

Post from: EveryJoe

Whack a Gator – interactive game

10. Wisconsin @ Fresno State 9/13. Only two scenarios happen here. Wisconsin wins: They just beat a team they should’ve beaten. Wisconsin loses: The Big Ten looks worse and worse by the minute. No pressure.

9.  Missouri vs. Illinois 8/30. This game is more interesting this year. Missouri is a favorite to win the Big 12 and could possibly play in the National Championship. If Illinois wins than last year wasn’t a fluke and Illinois will have truly arrived and get some respect in the win column for the Big Ten.

8.  USF @ WVU 12/6. The game that could decide who wins the Big East. That is if neither of them stumble. If so, remove this game, move the ones behind it up and insert whatever you like.

7.  Kansas @ Oklahoma 10/18. Kansas didn’t really play anyone until they played and lost to Missouri last year. But they did beat VA Tech in the bowl game. This year they have to play Oklahoma on the road. Will they be able to handle it?

6.  Ohio State @ Wisconsin 10/4. If the Buckeyes get past USC, many think that they would be on cruise control to play for the national championship. Don’t take an away game at Wisconsin at a 8 pm start time too lightly. Camp Randall is no joke.

5.  Georgia @ Arizona State 9/20. Georgia and their crazy schedule. An away game out west could help determine how their season goes.

4.  LSU @ Florida 10/11. Did anyone miss this game last year? Well, I did…at least some of it. The Buckeyes were on. But they were playing Minnesota so I didn’t miss much. A must see SEC game here. Some think Florida will win the SEC this year. And maybe even make it back to the championship game?

3.  Georgia @ LSU 10/25. Another huge test for the Bulldogs. They get no rest this year. Can they seriously go through the SEC undefeated?

2.  Ohio State @ USC 9/13. This game #2? I know I was surprised myself. Obviously the biggest game early on in the season and a statement game for the Buckeyes. Theirs as well as the Big Tens rep is at stake here. Winner could decide who plays for the national championship. If they don’t slip up that is.

1.  Georgia vs. Florida 11/1. Why this game #1? The game should decide who will win the SEC East. And it’s the biggest cocktail party. And the Bulldogs danced in the end zone last year. And if Georgia and Florida are really as good as people think they and they make it through their schedule with no more than one loss, this game will most likely decide who will play for the national championship.

Post from: EveryJoe

Top 10 Games To Watch This College Football Season

What’s that you say? Your favorite college football team doesn’t appear in the recent top 25 rankings? Don’t worry, because SI.com released their list of preseason rankings, 1-119.

Mark Richt’s Georgia Bulldogs also claim the top spot in this ranking, followed in order by Ohio State, USC, Missouri and Florida.

The Gators and defending Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow have to wonder what the season holds for them after news broke today that tight end Cornelius Ingram will most likely miss the entire 2008 season due to a torn ACL.

Oh, and someone need to tell Sports Illustrated they forgot a team. Where’s the love for Western Kentucky? I’ll go ahead and insert the first-year Division 1-A (I don’t use the stupid FCS and FBS abbreviations) Hilltoppers at #120.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: EveryJoe

Ranking College Football 1-119