Tebow Leads Second-Half Swing

MIAMI, Jan. 8 -- Florida quarterback Tim Tebow told Gator football fans he was " sorry, extremely sorry" after his team lost by a point to Mississippi in September. That day, he also promised "a lot of good will come out of this ... You'll never see a team play harder than we will the rest of the season."

Tebow put the finishing touch on that emotional pledge Thursday night at Dolphin Stadium, directing a brilliant 76-yard touchdown drive that ended with his four-yard jump pass to junior wide receiver David Nelson with 3 minutes 7 seconds remaining in the game. That score clinched the Gators' 24-14 over Oklahoma for the BCS championship and the national title.

Nelson's catch opened a 10-point lead and finished off a drive that also saw Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, complete two critical third-down throws that allowed Florida to retain possession and kill about seven precious minutes off the clock.

Tebow was runner-up in the Heisman voting this year to Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, but a national title trophy and the MVP of the game surely eased the sting of that small setback.

"I was off-rhythm a little early," Tebow said afterward. " They were doing some things I didn't anticipate. They did a good job of trying to get to me. We just had to settle down."

At halftime, Tebow went to his coaches and said he wanted to carry the ball more often in the second half, and clearly he got his wish.

"I wanted to do whatever I could to win the game," he said. "If that was to carry the ball and run people over and get the crowd into it, so be it. I was trying to play with everything I had and leave nothing on the field.

"I felt like I was in good shape coming into this game. I did a lot of running, and those guys were definitely hitting to the whistle -- that's for sure -- getting some licks in. But I felt good."

Said his coach, Urban Meyer, of his second national championship team at Florida, "That's one of the best football teams I've ever had the privilege to be around. I love them. I'm proud of them. And now they're national champions."

Tebow finished the night completing 18 of his 30 throws for 231 yards and two touchdowns and also gained 109 yards on 22 carries. He also tossed up two interceptions against an energized Oklahoma defense, matching his total for the entire season in one game.

Bradford, who threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns, also had his moments Thursday night, but Oklahoma's offense never came close to resembling a team that scored at least 60 points in its last six games. He also was intercepted twice.

The one throw he surely would love to have back came at the end of the first half on first and goal from the 6 with 10 seconds left. He tried to throw into coverage but the ball was tipped away, batted in the air, and Florida intercepted to end the drive.

"It wasn't the coverage we were expecting," Bradford said of that interception. "I tried to force a ball in there when in reality I should have thrown it away and taken the three points. . . . Obviously it's very disappointing. In the second half, when we needed to make plays, we just couldn't do it.

"Tim Tebow is a great player. He did a great job tonight when his team needed him. You have to give him a lot of credit."