ATLANTA -- If the Heisman Trophy is only about who can put up the biggest numbers, then those of you with votes should cast them for one of those splendid Big 12 quarterbacks who light up the scoreboard with dazzling frequency. They are a joy to watch.
But if the Heisman is about heart; if it's about a competitive fire that burns white hot; if it's about putting a team on your back and willing it to win under the toughest of circumstances, then your vote has to be for Florida's Tim Tebow.
I know mine will.
"I have a lot of respect to those Big 12 quarterbacks. I really admire them all. But I've got the best quarterback in college football," said Florida coach Urban Meyer after Tebow led a fourth-quarter rally to beat No. 1 Alabama in 31-20 the SEC Championship Game. "In fact, I've got the best player in college football."
Few could dispute Meyer's claim after watching the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner give a fourth-quarter performance for the ages at the Georgia Dome. Trailing 20-17 in the fourth quarter with everything hanging in the balance -- the SEC title and a shot at the BCS national championship -- Tebow would simply not let his team lose. He directed touchdown drives of 62 and 65 yards to give Florida its second SEC crown in three seasons and put the Gators in position to win their second national championship under Meyer.
"He was incredible, but Tim does this kind of stuff all the time. We expect it of him," said wide receiver Percy Harvin, who did not play in the game due to a high ankle sprain. "He was the difference," said offensive coordinator Dan Mullen.
To really appreciate what Tebow did here Saturday night, you have to understand how dire Florida's situation had become in this game.
Alabama, with one of the best offensive lines in recent SEC history, opened the second half with 15-play, 91-yard touchdown drive to tie the game at 17-17. Then Alabama came back and drove the ball 65 yards on 10 plays to kick a field goal and take a 20-17 near the end of the third quarter.
For Alabama, the game was going exactly as planned. Coach Nick Saban wanted to wear down a beat-up Florida defense and then dominate the fourth quarter. Alabama held the ball for more than 10 minutes in the third quarter and appeared poised, as a great heavyweight should, to deliver the knockout punch in the final round.
But Tebow would not let it happen. When there was a big throw to make, he made it. When there was crucial yardage needed to keep a drive alive, his strong legs found a way to get it. When Florida led 24-20 late and Alabama was doing everything in its power to get the ball back, Tebow made two of the biggest throws under pressure you will ever see. He lofted a 33-yard beauty to Louis Murphy down to the Alabama 21-yard line, and then came right back with a 15-yard strike to tight end Aaron Hernandez. That set up a 5-yard touchdown pass to Riley Cooper to seal the victory with 2:50 left.
"He's a great competitor, no doubt," Saban said. "I think he takes his team on his shoulders a lot. They have a lot of confidence that he is going to make plays and they played that way."
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| Tim Tebow, SEC title game MVP, deserves another award on Dec. 13. (US Presswire) |
Then, for good measure, Tebow raced and jumped into the huddle of the kickoff team. His message was strong.
"I was just saying, 'Just finish. Finish. Make a play and let's finish this thing,'" Tebow said.
Remember that this is the Tim Tebow who on Sept. 27 took Florida's 31-30 loss to Ole Miss very much to heart. After a long period of reflection in his locker, he went to the media room and vowed that no football player in America would work harder and play harder than him the rest of the season.
"I just didn't want to be so emotional, but I wanted to really be calm and speak from the heart," Tebow said. "I wasn't saying that we were going to win every game or we were going to be awesome or anything like that. It was that we were going to play every play as hard as we can."
Then Tebow went out and made sure his teammates backed up his words. Going into Saturday night's showdown with Alabama, the Gators had beaten eight straight opponents by an average of 39.6 points per game. No team in America was hotter because no quarterback was playing better.
Tebow's numbers this season aren't anything close to last season's Heisman Trophy-winning performance. That was by design. Florida became a great team when Tebow quit being the primary weapon and began distributing the ball to all of those great playmakers.
"But understand this," Mullen said. "A year ago, he couldn't do what he did tonight. He is so much better than he was a year ago. It's not even close."
And consider this when you're casting your Heisman ballot. Eleven of the 12 defenses in the SEC are ranked No. 39 or better. Tebow played against eight of them. In non-conference competition, he also faced the No. 13 defense in Florida State and the No. 24 defense in Miami.
The highest-ranked defense in the Big 12 is Texas at No. 50. Seven defenses in that league are ranked No. 85 or worse.
"At some point, you have to look at the competition and you realize what he has done is remarkable," Meyer said. "We have faced a lot of great defenses this season."
As a Heisman Trophy winner, Tebow gets a vote on this season's award, which will be announced on Dec. 13. Will he vote for himself?
"Oh, I'm not thinking about that," he said. "I'm just glad we won and we have the chance to get ready for another game."
Only one man, Ohio State's Archie Griffin (1974-75) has impressed the voters enough to win two Heisman Trophies. If they will look beyond the numbers, and at college football's most fierce beating heart, Tebow will become the second.
