Colleges

Florida-Michigan keys to the game

By ANTONYA ENGLISH, Times Staff Writer
Published January 1, 2008

3 key matchups

Avoiding the Heisman jinx

Maybe you don't believe in superstition and jinxes, but the reality is that many Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks haven't fared very well in bowl games after they've walked away with the coveted trophy. Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is the first sophomore to win the award, so it's not like he's one of those guys who might consider mailing it in because he's gone after the bowl game. Still, since 1980, 12 quarterbacks have won the Heisman Trophy and they are 5-7 in bowl games. The Gators need Tebow to play like he has all season, and his weapons - Andre Caldwell, Percy Harvin, Lewis Murphy, et. al to rise to the occasion against a strong Michigan defense. Tebow insists nothing has changed about him, including his preparation and his dedication to the team and winning this bowl game. Florida coach Urban Meyer concurs. "With all due respect to the Heisman Trophy, Tim really wants to win this game," Meyer said. "We don't buy into jinxes, we buy into preparation and he's prepared very well."

Who has the motivation?

On the surface, Michigan seems to have all the motivation to win this game. It's coach Lloyd Carr's final game; he's retiring. The seniors on this team, led by quarterback Chad Henne and running back Mike Hart, have never won a bowl game. Incoming coach Rich Rodriguez will be in the stands, which means all the returning players want to play well and impress the new coach. Florida has a handful of seniors who already have a national championship ring and a guy who took a Heisman Trophy home a couple of weeks ago. But the Gators insist they need that 10th win as a springboard for 2008. Whether that's motivation enough remains to be seen. "Our guys are real serious," Meyer said. "This is as good a week of bowl preparation as we've had."

Florida's speed on defense vs. the Wolverines' offensive line

When Carr gave his assessment of the Wolverines' woes on the eve of the bowl game, he said the team's biggest problems in games Michigan lost was its inability to protect up front. When the offensive line struggled, Hart couldn't get the running game going. And without a running game, Henne wasn't able to thrive with his solid trio of receivers - Mario Manningham, Adrian Arrington and Greg Mathews. If Hart gets loose, it'll open up the passing game and the Gators have struggled with tall, speedy receivers. If Florida can stop the run, it'll force the Wolverines to become one-dimensional. "We all understand that to win this game, we have to play much better than we have offensively," Carr said.

[Last modified December 31, 2007, 20:08:49]