The Florida Gators defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats at the Louisiana Superdome on New Year's Day in the 76th annual Sugar Bowl. It was a strong comeback after their final season championship game loss to Alabama a month ago, and a decisive victory against the Bearcats with a whopping 51-24 final score. The Gators ' season stands at 13-1, which is the first time an FBS college football team has had 13 wins in 4 different seasons, and the first time a team has had 13 wins in consecutive seasons. The Gators' only loss this season was the SEC championship game against Alabama, which ended their 22 game winning streak and their undefeated season.
This year's Allstate Sugar Bowl was a game of breaking records. Departing Heisman-Trophy winner Tim Tebow, the Gators' star quarterback, set a record of 533 yards offensive. The 482 passing yards set a BCS bowl game and a Sugar Bowl game record. A Sugar Bowl game record was also set with 31 completions. Tebow tied a Sugar Bowl record with 4 touchdowns, and set one with a completion percentage of 88.6 percent, as well as for completing his first 12 passes.
The Bearcats have been known this season for scoring high, but in Friday's game they tied their season record for a low score. Coming into Friday's game, Cincinnati had averaged almost 40 points per game, and just over 464 yards per game, putting them at number 6 in the country for yards. The Gators held them back with both the score and the yardage, with the Bearcats managing only 246 yards, and only 55 of those in the entire first half. Cincinnati had allowed only 11 sacks in their entire season, but Florida gained 4 sacks against them in Friday's game.
The Gators forced a punt in Cincinnati's first time in control of the ball, and then managed their first touchdown after a 13-play, 84-yard drive. It only took a 7-yard pass for Aaron Hernandez to score. A 40-yard field goal courtesy of Caleb Sturgis put the Gators at 9-0. A 64-yard drive by Tebow and another 7-yard touchdown pass to Deonte Thompson raised the score to 16-0.
Then Emmanuel Moody made a touchdown run upping the score to 23-0 before Cincinnati's Jacob Rogers put the Bearcats on the board with a 47-yard field goal, the Bearcats' only score in the first half. By the break, the Gators had managed an 80-yard drive and another touchdown, ending the half at 30-3.
Moody scored another touchdown, then Cincinnati scored their first touchdown of the game, setting the score at 37-10. A 4-yard run after a 74-yard drive saw Tebow score again and then Tony Pike of the Bearcats threw a scoring pass and gave the Bearcats another touchdown. Chris Rainy gave the Gators another touchdown down run, then Pike passed to Kazeem Alli and gave the Bearcats 24 on the board, to the Gators' 51. With not enough time left to make up the deficit, the Gators won the Allstate Sugar Bowl, giving Tim Tebow one last victory in the blue and orange.
Florida Gators vs Florida State Seminoles The Florida Gators ratcheted their ranking up to 12-0 on Saturday by beating Florida State's Seminoles with a decisive 37-10. And quarterback Tim Tebow, a 2007 Heisman Trophy Winner, had another stellar game. It's fitting that the record-setting Gators games should have had senior Tebow with a whopping 5......
2009 Defense Preview The defense nearly had to start from scratch just two years ago when nine brand new starters were thrown right into the fire. After experiencing a great year, 11 starters are back, creating one heck of a brick wall of a defense. All the top reserves are coming back and......
Gators to Play Florida State Seminoles The undefeated Gators will face the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday, November 28th, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Â The match-up looks to be a challenge for Florida State, which stands at 6-5 for the season. Their last game was against Maryland and gave them a 29-26 victory, putting their winning......
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Gators' Winning Streak Ends with a 32-13 Alabama Victory With Alabama and Florida both 12-0 for the season, both teams knew that only one could remain undefeated after Saturday's game. That team was Alabama, reigning over Florida 32-13, and knocking the Gators to 12-1 for the season. In the Georgia Dome, 75,514 fans turned out to see Alabama......
With Alabama and Florida both 12-0 for the season, both teams knew that only one could remain undefeated after Saturday's game. That team was Alabama, reigning over Florida 32-13, and knocking the Gators to 12-1 for the season. In the Georgia Dome, 75,514 fans turned out to see Alabama remain victorious during this second consecutive game that the two teams met in the SEC championships.
Overall, this was the 7th time Crimson Tide met the Gators in an SEC championship game, and the 4th since Meyer became Gator's head coach (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009) putting him 2-2 with Alabama. This marks the first time the Gator's lost an away game since January 1st, 2008, when they lost to Michigan in the Capital One Bowl game. Tim Tebow, departing senior quarterback who's had a stellar season, completed 20 passes of 35 for 247 yards and scored 1 touchdown. Junior tight end Aaron Hernandez had 8 catches for 85 yards, But Alabama's offense managed 490 yards, and a victory.
The Crimson Tide started the game with 9 plays and 47 yards, with senior kicker Leigh Tiffin putting the first 3 points on the board thanks to a 48-yard field goal kick. Over 10 minutes of the first quarter had already passed.
Alabama forced Florida to a 3 and out punt their first time out, the Mark Ingram scored Alabama's first touchdown with a 7-yard run with 5:33 remaining in the first quarter. The score became 6-0, with a missed extra point.
The Gators' next shot at control of the ball led to 2 third down conversions, and Caleb Sturgis kicked a good one 48 yards for the Gators' first 3 points on the board. Each team punted and after a career-first sack by Florida's Ahmad Black, Alabama scored a 34-yard field goal after a 68-yard, 12-play push, putting Alabama at 12-3.
Then Florida rallied and scored their first touchdown with Tebow rushing 38 yards and making a 23-yard pass to wide receiver David Nelson who caught it in the end zone. The score moved to 12-10 Alabama.
Alabama answered with their second touchdown that stretched their lead to 19-10 on their next possession, with a 3-yard rush by Ingram. The Gators narrowed the gap to 19-13 with a 32-yard field goal from Sturgis with less than a minute-and-a-half in the first half.
Florida had possession at the start of the second half, and punted. Alabama drove the ball 74 yards, and quarterback Greg McElroy passed it 17 yards to tight end Colin Peek who scored, widening Alabama's lead to 26-13. Alabama's 3rd touchdown came with less than 14 minutes in the 4th quarter on a 1-yard rush by Ingram, with a failed 2-point conversion, widening the gap to 32-13.
Florida looked about to score and bridge the gap with 11:51 left, but Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas intercepted Tebow in the end zone. Another attempt by the Gators ended on downs at 7:28 remaining in the game, and the Crimson Tide held onto the ball for the remainder of the game, grabbing the SEC championship with a score of 32-13. The Gators' next Bowl game has not yet been announced.
Florida Gators vs Florida State Seminoles The Florida Gators ratcheted their ranking up to 12-0 on Saturday by beating Florida State's Seminoles with a decisive 37-10. And quarterback Tim Tebow, a 2007 Heisman Trophy Winner, had another stellar game. It's fitting that the record-setting Gators games should have had senior Tebow with a whopping 5......
Gators Continue Undefeated Following 27 to 3 Win Against Vanderbilt While playing in front of a grand total of 90,694 fans of the team, the No 1 Florida team, the Gators managed to win a 19th game in a row following a 27 to 3 victory against Vanderbilt while playing in Saturday in the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The......
UF Home Coming against Arkansas The University of Florida Gators are set to go head to head with Arkansas, and the game is going to be aired at 3:30pm on CBS. The Gators football team is going to be going up against Arkansas on Saturday, October the 17. The game is going to be televised......
Game Preview: Kentucky Wildcats vs Gators The Florida Gators will be continuing the SEC action when they go to Lexington in Kentucky on September 26 to visit the Wildcats. Kick off is slated to begin at 6 o'clock pm, and the entire game is going to be broadcast over ESPN 2. The wildcats, in the......
Gator Football Recap: Kentucky Wildcats Game The No. 1 UF Gators have managed to take Kentucky down with 41 to 7 in Lexington. Still the top ranked college team in football, the Gator football team has managed to improve their score to an overall 4 and 0 and a SEC 2 and 0 after claiming......
On December 5, 2009, the Eastern Division Florida Gators will face Western Division Alabama at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA. This will be the 7th time since the championship began in 1992 that Alabama and Florida had met for this game. Of the 6 match ups to date, Florida has won 4 of them.
The Gators now stand at a season record of 12-0 for the first time in school history (a previous 12-0 in 1995 included the SEC Championship game) and 12-0 overall for only the second time. They're standing now at 22 consecutive wins, giving them the nation's best and the school record for consecutive wins. It's the 4th best record in SEC history, and the longest winning streak in SEC in the past decade and a half. It's also the 3rd longest in the entire nation over the last decade.
The senior Gators are also the winning-est in SEC history, with a 47-6 record. Last week's game was a season best for senior quarter Tim Tebow, who left the field to a standing ovation, tears from him and the crowd, and a hug from coach Meyer. Fans wore black eyepatches to honor his time as a Gator. It was the last game on his home field.
Tebow's final game at home ended with a decisive 37-10 victory over rivals Florida State. The Gators defeated the Seminoles in their previous 2 matchups and it was widely expected that they'd win Saturday.
Last year, the matchup between Florida and the Crimson Tide in this game had the Gators behind by 3 points in the final period, but they turned it around in the 4th quarter to win the SEC Championship. Tebow's rushing and a pass to Riley Cooper in the 4th quarter made the final score 31-20. The Gators had previously won the SEC Championship in 2006 against the Razorbacks.
The Gators are in top form, but the University of Alabama also holds a 12-0 record for this season. So Saturday's game has two undefeated teams competing for the SEC Championship. Alabama's offense is currently ranked at 13th in the country, with rushing 212.9 yards per game. Rushing defense (at 77.1 yards) and scoring defense (at 10.8 points per game) each rank #2 nationwide.
Going into this matchup, Urban Meyer, Gators coach has a 32-8 record, the number 1 career SEC win percentage of coaches who've been in the SEC 5+ years. And Alabama coach Frank Thomas is ranked number three.
Top performing Gators last week will have all eyes on them during this tough matchup. Riley Cooper, Jeff Demps, Carlos Dunlap, Joe Haden and Aaron Hernandez, Brandon Hicks, Ryan Stamper and of course, Tim Tebow, have been responsible for the majority of scoring plays and shut outs. All eyes will be on the Gators to see if they can pull out a 23-0 winning streak against a team that's ranked as high in the Western Division, for the SEC championship and another feather in departing Tebow's cap.
Gators Continue Undefeated Following 27 to 3 Win Against Vanderbilt While playing in front of a grand total of 90,694 fans of the team, the No 1 Florida team, the Gators managed to win a 19th game in a row following a 27 to 3 victory against Vanderbilt while playing in Saturday in the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The......
Bulldogs Fail to Find Answers Against the Gators Anyone that is interested in Georgia's football likely found themselves wondering about the future of the Bulldogs following their most recent battle, a game against the Florida Gators. The Gators simply happened to be commanding all throughout the entire game, and they further widened the gap between these two......
Gators Top Troy with 56 to 6 on Saturday The Florida senior quarterback, our favorite allstar Tim Tebow managed to throw a total of four touchdowns, rushing for another as the No. 1 team Gators chalked their second win for the season, their 12th straight win after claiming 56 to 6 against the Troy Trojans who are currently......
The Florida Gators Win Against the Cincinnati Bearcats The Florida Gators defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats at the Louisiana Superdome on New Year's Day in the 76th annual Sugar Bowl. It was a strong comeback after their final season championship game loss to Alabama a month ago, and a decisive victory against the Bearcats with a whopping 51-24......
Game Preview: Florida Gators vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs Turnovers are Sticking in the Mind of Urban Meyer! With a game against Mississippi State pending, Urban Meyer is looking at the team's current capabilities to determine whether or not the Florida Gators are going to continue their winning streak for another round. In terms of the offense, the gators......
The Florida Gators ratcheted their ranking up to 12-0 on Saturday by beating Florida State's Seminoles with a decisive 37-10. And quarterback Tim Tebow, a 2007 Heisman Trophy Winner, had another stellar game. It's fitting that the record-setting Gators games should have had senior Tebow with a whopping 5 touchdowns and top of his game play, because it was his last home game as a Gator.
Saturday's game was the home finale, and the crowd of almost 91,000 fans sent him off in style with emotions running high for both Tebow and spectators. There's still the SEC Championship game, but Tebow's scored his last touchdown at his home stadium. As Tebow left the field for the last time, the fans cheered and gave him a standing ovation, many wearing his famed black eyepatches, and a tearful Tebow hugged coach Meyer at the 30-yard line.
The Gators are on a 22 game winning streak, and have achieved a 12-0 season for only the second time the school's history. It's the first time in Gators history that they've reached 12-0 in the regular season, however. The first time in 1995 included a post-season game. Tebow also now holds the record of a total 11,389 career yards.
Many who already thought that Bobby Bowden, the Seminoles coach for over 3 decades, should retire are renewed in their opinion that it's time for a new coach at Florida State. The Seminoles are 6 for 6, and came out of the gate at the beginning of the season with less than great gameplay. Bowden ranks 2nd, however, in college football coaches with most career victories overall.
Other notable Gators include tight end Aaron Hernandez who had 2 touchdowns, 5 catches and 83 yards, a career high for him. Jeff Demps had 7 carries, more than other players, and a total of 106 yards rushing. Quarterback John Brantley once again took over for Tebow during the game, this time early in the 4th quarter. He finished the game 2 of 2 with 13 yards.
Florida shut out the Seminoles for the first half, scoring 3 touchdowns and one field goal. They'd forced punts 4 times in the first half. The Gators first touchdown came just less than 7 minutes into the first quarter, with Tebow orchestrating a shovel pass reaching 18 yards to Hernandez. They forced the Seminoles to punt and then running back Chris Rainey helped the ball 55 yards of a 69 yard drive. Strugis kicked and scored the 3-point goal giving the gators 10 at the beginning of the second quarter.
An 80-yard drive, the longest of this season, gave Tebow an 18-yard rushing touchdown, his career 55th. With the extra point, it was Gators 17-0. Just over 2 minutes until halftime, Gators got possession and Hernandez caught a 37-yard pass from Tebow for the score, putting the score at 24-0
Riley Cooper caught the first touchdown pass of the second half, then FSU scored for the first time with 3 seconds left in the third quarter. Tebow got his 56th rushing touchdown during the game, and ended the season with his best performance this year.
Gators to Play Florida State Seminoles The undefeated Gators will face the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday, November 28th, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Â The match-up looks to be a challenge for Florida State, which stands at 6-5 for the season. Their last game was against Maryland and gave them a 29-26 victory, putting their winning......
Cooper in Florida Returning for His Senior Season Riley Cooper, a receiver from Florida, who has made plans to play baseball for the Rangers in Texas has decided to return to the football field for a senior playing season. Urban Meyer, coach for the Florida Gators, made the announcement regarding Cooper's decision on this past Tuesday. This was......
Florida Gators Football 2009 Roster Highlights There are some very memorable faces that are coming back to the Florida Gators sideline for the upcoming 2009 season as well as a few additional brand new faces. Some of the old faces from the Florida Gators are even moving up into much larger roles during the 2009 season,......
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Gators Football Schedule 2009 (5-0) The Gators begin the 2009 campaign with the #1 National Rankings in both the AP and Coaches' poll. Returning Heisman trophy candidate Tim Tebow and a host of all Americans, the Gators have their sights set squarely on the National Championship. *BOLD denotes home game Photo Credits: cracklow's faux toes......
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