Bleacher Report - Articles by Brian Walker

Florida Gators: The Top 10 Moments on the Way to the BCS Championship Game

Brian Walker — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:59:24 -0500

When Florida lost at home to Mississippi on September 27th, any chance for a national championship seemed lost. But, along the way, the Gators embraced every opportunity to back up Tim Tebow's promise, and make the most of the magic moments that led them to the BCS Championship Game:

1. The Drive Against Alabama

Alabama dominates the third quarter, holding the ball for 10 minutes, and scoring 10 points. The Gators begin the fourth quarter trailing 20-17, but embark on an 11-play, 47-yard drive, consuming nine minutes and regaining the momentum and the lead for good.

2. The Loss to Ole Miss

The painful upset galvanized the Gators in a way that a sloppy victory might not have. Tim Tebow has made good on his now-famous pledge to play hard and push the team. Since then, the Gators have outscored their opponents 445-110.

3. Brandon Spikes Hits Knowshon Moreno

The Georgia running back takes a handoff on the second play from scrimmage, but Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes levels Moreno, who usually pops right up after being tackled. But not this time. Spikes lingers on top of him for several seconds to deliver a message: Not today. After gashing the Gators for 188 yards last year, Moreno is held to 65 yards.

4. The Fourth Quarter of the Arkansas game

Florida looked out of synch at Arkansas until, leading 17-7 heading into the fourth quarter, things started clicking. A 21-yard touchdown pass from Tebow to Harvin caps an 83-yard drive. Then, Chris Rainey and Jeffrey Demps break off scoring runs of 75 and 48 yards, respectively. The Gators win 38-7 and establish Rainey and Demps as trusted weapons.

5. Joe Haden’s Interception Against Georgia

With eight minutes left in the third quarter, the Gators leading 14-3, and Georgia driving to the Florida 30, Joe Haden steps in front of a Stafford pass and returns it 86 yards to the Georgia one yard line. Tebow chases Haden on the sidelines, and tells him, “That’s how you change a game!” Tebow scores on a one-yard run on the next play. Game over.

6. The Scoring Flurry Against South Carolina

After a shaky opening that saw the Gators sputter and fumble, they scored three touchdowns in less than three minutes, starting with a Brandon Spikes pick six, taking a quick 21-0 lead on the way to a 56-6 drubbing of the Gamecocks.

7. Runback against Tennessee

Florida sends a message: Beware of our special teams. Brandon James returns the opening kickoff 52 yards to set up the Gators’ first score, but a few minutes later he returns a punt 78 yards for a touchdown. This performance causes Knoxville News-Sentinel columnist John Adams to write,” What does Florida's Brandon James have to do for UT to stop kicking him the ball? Score twice on one play?”

8. The First Touchdown Pass Against LSU

On Florida’s opening possession, with the Gators facing a 3rd-and-12 from their own 30, Tebow’s pass, intended for Percy Harvin, is underthrown. LSU safety Danny McCray tips the ball into the hands of the waiting Harvin who then sprints into the endzone with the 70-yard completion. A bad pass becomes the game’s first touchdown, and, from that point forward, the Gators were off to the races.

9. Consecutive Blocked Punts Against Kentucky

In the seventh game of the year, Florida continues to terrify opponents with their special teams play. In a span of less than five minutes in the first quarter, the Gators block back-to-back Kentucky punts resulting in touchdown drives of four yards and one yard.

10. Tebow’s Touchdown in Tallahassee

In the pouring rain, with 7:32 remaining in the first half and Florida leading 14-6, Percy Harvin is injured on a five-yard carry. Florida State fans cheer. Tebow is furious, and asks for the ball. Two plays later, he completes a four-yard touchdown run, carrying a pile of about ten players into the endzone with him. Message to opponents: Don’t make Tebow angry.

Tebow Shines Despite O'Brien Award Snub

Brian Walker — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:45:39 -0500

More than a few eyebrows were raised around the Gator Nation last week when the list of finalists for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award was announced, and Tim Tebow wasn’t on it.

It’s true that Tebow hasn’t amassed statistics at the same rate he did a year ago, when it sometimes seemed that he and Percy Harvin were Florida’s only reliable offensive weapons. Tebow has carried the ball 137 times this year for 507 yards, but, at this point last season he had 194 carries. It’s no longer just the Tebow-Harvin show.

Before Saturday’s game at Florida State, five different Gators had led the team in rushing in a game, and eight different players had led the team in receiving. Seminole defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews noted, “The thing (Tebow’s) done is he’s not trying to win the game himself. He’s letting the group around him, the skill that he’s got around him, help him do it.”

Defense and special teams have contributed more this year as well. The Gators lead the nation in turnover margin with nine fumble recoveries and 23 interceptions, and they’ve blocked five punts. Because of that, Tebow has often gone to work with the advantage of playing on a short field.

While he has been able to rely more on those around him, he has also guided his team with surgical precision. Against Georgia, for example, he attempted only 13 passes, but completed 10 of them for 154 yards and two touchdowns.

On what was otherwise a very ordinary day, statistically speaking, Tebow was eight of 15 passing for 96 yards against Tennessee. But if you look closely, you discover that six of his eight completions, and 95 of his 96 passing yards, came on third down, with two of those completions being touchdowns. To put it simply, when the Gators needed a play, Tebow made it.

If the Davey O’Brien Award committee looks at numbers alone, they can certainly make a case for the three announced finalists. Sam Bradford (Oklahoma), Colt McCoy (Texas) and Graham Harrell (Texas Tech) have lit up the Big 12 scoreboards, and kept the statisticians busy.

But the Florida faithful know it’s not just his arm and his legs that make Tebow so valuable. Following the agonizing home loss to Mississippi in September, Tebow delivered an emotional pledge to fans and teammates alike, “I promise you one thing: A lot of good will come out of this. You have never seen any player in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of the season, and you will never see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I will push everybody the rest of the season.”

The pledge must have worked. In the eight games since then, the Gators have outscored their opponents 414-97, including 136-3 in the first quarter.

After his defense surrendered 502 yards and 45 points to the Gators in Tallahassee on Saturday, Seminole head coach Bobby Bowden had nothing but praise for Tebow, “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a better leader…. He directed everything out there. He’s a tremendous player and a tremendous leader.”

But Mickey Andrews may have unwittingly paid Tebow the highest compliment of all. Entering the post-game interview room, he simply announced to those in attendance that he was embarrassed. Then he walked out without answering any questions.

The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award will be presented on December 11^thduring the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show.

Top Five Candidates for the 2008 Nagurski Trophy

Brian Walker — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:14:43 -0500

If you believe the legend, coach “Doc” Spears was on a recruiting trip near International Falls, Minnesota, when he got lost. In need of directions, he was startled to find a young man plowing a nearby field, without a horse.

His name was Bronislau “Bronko” Nagurski. He went on to play for the University of Minnesota from 1927-29, and spent nine years with the Chicago Bears. He was a versatile player, but was known mostly for his competitiveness and toughness.

When the Football Writers Association of America decided, in 1993, to create an award for the best defensive player in college football, it was the perfect opportunity to recognize the legendary Nagurski by naming the trophy in his honor.

The watch list for the 2008 Bronko Nagurski Trophy started with 88 players back in May, but, as of last week, has been trimmed to five finalists.

Jerry Hughes, Defensive End, TCU (6'2", 248, Junior)

He leads the nation with 14 sacks. He also has 17.5 tackles for loss (seventh in the nation) and five forced fumbles (tied for fifth). He anchors the TCU defense that is tops in the nation in rushing defense, total defense, and sacks, and is second in the nation in scoring defense.

What Others Say: TCU coach Gary Patterson says, "He’s had a season of a lifetime. He just makes plays."

Rey Maualuga, Linebacker, USC (6'3", 260, Senior)

Although he missed the fourth game of the season with an injury, he leads the Trojans with 66 tackles. He is the linchpin of a USC defense that is number one nationally in passing defense, pass efficiency defense and scoring defense, and second in total defense.

What Others Say: Steve Dilbeck, Los Angeles Daily News says, “He is powerful and aggressive and uncommonly fast. More than all that, he is also amazingly athletic. He can be a sledgehammer or a ballerina. Dazzle with power or agility. Play with fury and control."

Brian Orakpo, Defensive End, Texas (6'4", 260, Senior)

Although he has missed the better part of two and a half games due to a knee injury, he has still accumulated 31 tackles (25 unassisted), including 13.5 tackles for loss. He also has a team-high nine sacks, and has forced three fumbles.

What Others Say: Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News says, “In big-time college football, just about everybody is strong. Or fast. Or gifted. Few are all three. All those hours in Texas' weight room, just about every day, has produced an imposing athletic specimen.”

Alphonso Smith, Cornerback, Wake Forest (5'9", 160, Senior)

Smith leads the nation with 18 passes defended. His five interceptions so far this year leave him one short of tying the ACC record for career interceptions (20) held by Dre Bly. He has also seen time as a kick returner.

What Others Say: Commenting on Smith’s gambler mentality and knack for being in the right place at the right time, teammate tailback Brandon Pendergrass says, "Once you see him in the game, you know a play's about to be made."

Brandon Spikes, Linebacker, Florida (6'3", 243, Junior)

Despite missing the first game of the season with a foot injury, he leads the resurgent Gator defense with 74 tackles, including 8 tackles for loss. He also has three interceptions, and has returned two of them for touchdowns.

What Others Say: After Florida’s much improved defense dominated Georgia, teammate cornerback Joe Haden says, “We play the way No. 51 (Spikes) plays.”

My Pick: Brandon Spikes.

Maualuga, Hughes and Orakpo may not even be the best defensive players on their own teams. Smith may be out of luck because the award has only once been given to a player on a team with more than three losses, and Wake Forest currently sits at 6-5.

Spikes has emerged as leader on a Florida defense that has turned from last year’s liability into this year’s strength.

The award will be presented on Dec. 7 in Charlotte, NC.

Afterbirth: College Football Week 13

Brian Walker — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 20:06:00 -0500

Red(Faced) Raiders

So I was only wrong on one of my Crystal Ball picks, but BOY, was I wrong on that one. Texas Tech showed that the only way to get big game experience is to play in big games. It’s understandable that you might totally choke in one of the first few—and they choked. They were tight as a drum and never in the game.

From start to finish, Oklahoma dominated. It reminded me of the Gators in ’95. They were clearly better than every team in the nation—except Nebraska. But the Fiesta Bowl ass-kicking at the hands of the Huskers may have set the Gators up for their national championship run in ’96. You can’t know what it takes to win a big game until you’ve been through it.

That was the biggest game in Red Raider history. With any luck, they’ll have more. But what are the odds that Mike Leach will still be there?

How Many More Times for St. Bobby?

I've never been a Bowden fan, for reasons too numerous and inflammatory to list here. But have you seen one of his pre-game speeches lately? I mean, seriously. I'm surprised his team isn't napping on the sidelines before the kickoff.

This is the week that the Gators take on the Criminoles, and I'm actually glad that whatever cognitive abilities St. Bobby may have had have disappeared in recent years. I hope he coaches for another 25 years. Seriously.

My College Football Crystal Ball Says...

Brian Walker — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:17:00 -0500

...that I know what will happen in this week's key games. Always remember that I'm right, and your team sucks.

Michigan at No. 10 Ohio State

In case you’re wondering why you should care about this game, I can’t think of a good reason. Unless you’re a Buckeye fan. As irrelevant as they now seem in the national picture, they can still win the Big 10 and a place in a BCS bowl game with a win over Michigan, combined with a Michigan State win over Penn State.

Michigan leads the overall series, 57-41-6, but Ohio State has a chance to win its fifth in a row over the Wolverines for the first time ever. The fact that Michigan quarterback Steven Threet is injured doesn’t help. Ohio State is a very average team. But the Buckeyes are still better than Michigan.

No. 15 Michigan State at No. 8 Penn State

Michigan State is one of those teams that can’t quite get over the hump. Despite a 9-2 record, they’ve lost to the only decent teams they’ve played—California and Ohio State—and they’ve lost 10 in a row to ranked opponents. An Ohio State win over Michigan, combined with a Michigan State upset of Penn State would put the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl. Let’s hope Penn State pulls this one off at home.

No. 14 BYU at No. 7 Utah

This has quietly turned into a very interesting rivalry. These two teams have played 89 times dating back to 1896. Each team has won an even six of the last 12 meetings, and 10 of the last 11 have been decided by seven points or less. BYU’s only loss was at TCU in September.

Utah is unbeaten, and playing for the right to play in a BCS bowl. Both teams can pile up the yardage on offense, and both play better defense than you might think. Utah is a touchdown favorite at home, and I like their chances to repeat their BCS-busting performance of 2004.

No. 21 Oregon State at Arizona

By virtue of their late September win over USC, Oregon State can win the Pac-10 with wins at Arizona and at home against Oregon to finish the season. You think it’s a big deal to them? Probably. The Beavers haven’t been to the Rose Bowl in 44 years.

The problem is Arizona plays well in Tucson. And, while Oregon State is playing for all the Roses, Arizona, bowl eligible at 6-4, is playing to improve their bowl status. The Beavers have won eight of the last nine over the Wildcats, for what it’s worth, but Arizona is a field-goal favorite at home.

I think Orgeon State may be a team on a mission, and I’ll take them in a slight upset. Plus, you have to like any team called the Beavers.

No. 2 Texas Tech at No. 5 Oklahoma

Oklahoma is 58-2 at home under Bob Stoops, and they are a somewhat surprising seven-point favorite in this game. Both teams have been rolling up the yardage and scoring at an amazing rate. And both teams have a respectable ground attack to complement the passing game.

But here’s what I think. Every team that makes it to the BCS championship game needs a little luck. Things have to fall into line for you in just the right way, and that has happened for Texas Tech.

The Raiders beat Nebraska in overtime in early October, and Texas on the game’s last play three weeks ago. They’ve survived the close ones, and, although I think the teams will combine to score 100 or more points, I think the Red Raiders will survive another one.

The Citadel at No. 4 Florida

I don’t think there is much suspense here, but, as a Gator fan, I always pick their games. So...I’ll go out on a limb and take Florida.