ATLANTA – The word got under Urban Meyer’s skin like the scratch test for an allergy to cats: “Soft.”
No matter how often that designation, which had been slapped on his Florida team, had seemingly been scrub-brushed away it would flare up – a red, itchy welt that would drive the Florida coach into fits of verbal scratching.
“It’s the worst thing you can say about a team,” Meyer said after his Gators had Dawg-trained Georgia earlier this season. “The worst.”
The insinuation that Florida is a “soft” team resurfaced this week before yesterday’s SEC championship game under the cover of terms such as “finesse,” “gimmick,” and “speed.” The Gators’ opponent, Alabama, was considered as hard to crack as a Nick Saban smile.
Florida’s “finesse” versus Alabama’s “power” had Meyer scratching like he had pox.
“It’s almost an insult when you hear someone say, ‘Well, your offense is a gimmick offense,’ ” said Meyer. “No, it’s not.”
So as rewarding as yesterday’s 31-20 victory over No. 1 Alabama that will almost surely send No. 2 Florida to the BCS championship game was, there is no number that can be placed on the value of winning the game the way the Gators did.
Florida (12-1) took Alabama’s best punch, a roundhouse right in the form of a 10-0 third quarter that turned a 17-10 Gators’ halftime lead into a 20-17 Crimson Tide advantage entering the gut-check fourth quarter.
“From Day 1, the foundation of our program is built on toughness,” said Meyer. “And obviously Alabama is a very tough football team, but the University of Florida, I would like to say when people talk about Florida, I know we’re fast and all this other stuff, but we’re very tough.”
He’s right. A “soft” team does not get up. A “soft” team does not respond with a 14-0 fourth quarter, holding Alabama (12-1) to just 1 yard of offense.
Unless the computers blow a chip and the voters go crazy, the Gators will face Oklahoma, winner of the Big 12 championship game, in the BCS title game.
Tim Tebow, the SEC championship MVP (17 rushes for 57 yards; 14-of-22 passing for 216 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions), might have made a strong enough statement before Heisman Trophy ballots are due Wednesday to become only the second two-time winner of the most prestigious award in college football.
“I’ve never had one like this,” said Meyer when asked if he ever has coached a player like Tebow. “I’ve been around this game a long time. Tim has something special inside of him.”
Alabama should have been in better position heading into the fourth quarter. Leading 10-7 early in the second quarter, Saban gave holder P.J. Fitzgerald the option to run a fake on fourth-and-9 instead of attempting a 48-yard field goal. Fitzgerald got 1 yard and Florida drove for a tying field goal.
Alabama cornerback/return man Javier Arenas fielded the ensuing kickoff and blundered out of bounds at the 4. Florida forced a three-and-out, got the ball at its 43 and Tebow capped the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to David Nelson that made it 17-10 Gators at the half.
“They certainly played hard and played with a lot of tenacity and toughness in this game,” Saban said of his team.
Florida was tougher.
Florida 31 Alabama 20