Tebow, Gators make it look easy vs. Cincy
NEW ORLEANS — Tim Tebow walked toward the sideline, raised his arms above his head and shared a long embrace with Florida coach Urban Meyer.
It wasn't quite how either of them expected this season to end. It came in the Sugar Bowl instead of the national championship game. It came against Cincinnati instead of Texas. It was about redemption instead of perfection.
Nonetheless, it was hard to top for both of them because of Meyer's uncertain future, Tebow's triumphant finale and a 51-24 victory over No. 4 Cincinnati that may have been as important as any of the others the two have shared during the last four seasons.
"This last week was tough, just dealing with everything and just worried about others around you and stuff," Tebow said. "But, you know, it still was special. To finish it off like this was special."
Tebow threw for a career-high 482 yards and three touchdowns, ran for 51 yards and another score and capped a storied college career with his finest performance. It was the best in BCS history, too.
The Bearcats lost their bid for a perfect season and surely will spend the next year listening to questions about whether they belong in the big games against the biggest boys.
Florida, meanwhile, spent the last four weeks regrouping from the disheartening loss.
Things got worse when Meyer announced his resignation last Saturday, three weeks after being rushed to the hospital because of chest pain. Meyer changed his mind the following day, and instead said he would take an indefinite leave of absence.
No one knows how long he will be away or whether he will return at all.
Meyer didn't look like his fiery self against his alma mater. Then again, Tebow & Co. made this a stress-free game for every Gator.
Cincinnati stacked the line of scrimmage, essentially forcing Tebow to beat them through the air. That worked for the Crimson Tide. It backfired for the Bearcats.
The bulky left-hander had all kinds of time to pass and picked apart Cincinnati's sketchy defense.
The Gators pushed the lead to 30-3 early in the third quarter and cruised the rest of the way.
The Bearcats were playing in their second straight BCS game, but this one was even more lopsided than last year's 20-7 loss to Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Quarterback Tony Pike got much of the blame for that one after throwing four interceptions.
Former coach Brian Kelly could get charged with this one.
Kelly bailed on the Bearcats in early December, leaving behind a lame-duck staff and plenty of angry players.
