Columns

Growing legend revs up the fall

By JOHN ROMANO, Times Columnist
Published November 11, 2007

COLUMBIA, S.C. - It was a night of drama. Of titillation.

Of a past flame and a future rendezvous. It was a night of possibilities.

Plus, they played a college football game.

Let's face it, the details of Florida's 51-31 victory against South Carolina on Saturday night were pretty much superfluous. Fumble, blocked punt, touchdown, touchdown, yadda, yadda.

It was the subplots that held all the intrigue.

The possibility that, for the second time in three seasons, Florida's favorite son Steve Spurrier could have knocked the Gators out of contention in the Southeastern Conference.

Better yet, the possibility that Illinois coach Ron Zook, Florida's favorite punching bag, could have put himself in a position to face the Gators in a New Year's Day bowl game.

Or, best of all, the possibility that Tim Tebow, Florida's newest darling, may have reinvigorated his Heisman Trophy campaign in the nick of time.

"That," Florida coach Urban Meyer said of Tebow, "was one of the finest performances I've ever seen."

The hardest-working man in college football was at it again Saturday night. Tebow ran for five touchdowns, threw for two and continued pecking away at the Florida and SEC record books.

So consider the ball in your court, Mr. Dixon.

Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon may be all that stands between Tebow and the Heisman. Oh, I suppose Arkansas running back Darren McFadden is still a contender. And maybe Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan.

But anyone watching Tebow run past, around and over the South Carolina defense had to be impressed with the Florida sophomore. The Gators have no running backs to speak of, and their best receiver was home sick Saturday night.

That means the entire offense was flowing through Tebow's legs and arm, and he did not disappoint. Tebow ran for more than 100 yards and threw for more than 300. He whacked his head off a brick wall after scoring a touchdown, and could have passed out from exhaustion at any point.

"He juices up the rest of the offense," said offensive coordinator Dan Mullen. "It's different when you play with a guy like that. You hold on to your blocks a little longer because you know if you just give him time, he'll make something happen."

Yet, as far as the Heisman, it still may not be enough.

Tebow's national rankings this week were slightly better than Dixon in both passing efficiency (first to fourth) and total offense (ninth to 20th), but Dixon has the advantage of a team still in the BCS championship picture.

As long as the Ducks don't tank, and Dixon doesn't fall on his face, the Heisman is probably his to lose.

Of course, the Heisman race is not the only fascinating story line on the horizon.

Representatives of Tampa's Outback Bowl stood in the press box Saturday evening and watched on television as Illinois upset No. 1 Ohio State, and they spent the rest of the evening trying not to drool on their spiffy bowl-issued sport coats.

The possibility of a Florida-Illinois bowl game is beyond delicious. For the Outback Bowl - or the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, for that matter- any opponent against Florida would be highly attractive.

And the idea that Zook, who was run out of Gainesville before the end of the 2004 season, could return to the state and take on the Gators in a bowl game would be great theater.

It was an upbeat finish to an otherwise disappointing day for Florida. The Gators had been hopeful Georgia or Tennessee might stumble earlier Saturday, giving UF a legitimate chance to get back in the SEC race. As it stands now, believing in Florida's title hopes is kind of like believing in the tooth fairy.

And, in this case, Kentucky is the tooth fairy.

UF would still win the East in a three- or four-way tie with Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky. But that means Kentucky has to go on the road and beat Georgia next week. And Tennessee would have to lose to either Vanderbilt or Kentucky in the next two weeks.

"We're big Wildcat fans as of tonight," Meyer said.

[Last modified November 11, 2007, 01:06:06]