On a day when Ohio State was leading its home opener 13-0 early and LSU led last year’s giant-killer Appalachian St by 31 points at halftime, it appeared at least early on that Hawaii would give the Florida Gators a fight. Florida won the coin toss and deferred to give Hawaii the football to start the game. The Rainbow Warriors then proceeded to drive down the field and take what seemed like a lot longer than three minutes off the clock before having to punt. The Gators were unable to score on their first possession.
Florida's first quarter woes continued as they were once again unable to stop the Rainbow Warriors on their next possession. That was until Ahmad Black ended a promising Hawaii drive with an interception in the end zone. Twelve minutes into their season, the Gators had already committed five penalties and looked like they had plenty of kinks to work out on both sides of the ball. Hawaii had controlled the ball for 8:46 of the first quarter, running 17 plays.
A thirty-four yard Tate Casey reception later and the Gators finally looked like the offense of yesteryear. Gator fans then got their first look at track star Jeffrey Demps, who scrambled for a ten yard reception. Shortly thereafter, Tim Tebow reminded the 88,000+ eager fans in the Swamp why he’s last year’s Heisman winner. From the nine yard line, Tebow scrambled right, then left, on a busted option play to score what appeared to be a touchdown. Instant replay revealed he had stepped out-of-bounds on the one yard line. One play later and eighteen minutes into their season, Tebow handed off to Brandon James who scored the first of assuredly many Gator touchdowns this season.
Less than one minute later, Florida delivered a Major Wright cross to Hawaii’s hopes as he stepped in front of Greg Alexander pass and ran it back for pay dirt for a 14-0 lead.
A flustered Hawaii soon seemed incapable of moving the football as the new-and-improved Gator defense settled in comfortably, forcing another punt. With five minutes left in the half, Brandon James reminded fans why he is one of the nation’s most exciting special teams players by returning a Hawaii punt 74 yards for a touchdown. In the very first half of their season, Florida had already scored one offensive, one defensive and one special teams touchdown.
The wheels continued to come off for Hawaii as another turnover, resulting from a play which new head coach Greg McMackin chose not to review, resulted in a touchdown from one of what promises to be Florida’s most exciting playmakers on the very next possession. A thirty-three yard touchdown run from Chris Rainey, with some outstanding blocking by Riley Cooper, allowed him to waltz into then end zone untouched. Hawaii could not get into the locker room quickly enough to grab the concessionary, white towel.
At halftime, the Gators led 28-0 with Heisman hopeful Tim Tebow accounting for none of the Gator scores.
Coming out of the locker room, the Gator offense once again stalled, as they were forced to punt on fourth and fifteen from their own 25. That was until Coach Meyer called Chas Henry’s number for a fake punt, who ran seventeen yards for the first down to keep the floodgates lodged wide open. On the very next play from scrimmage, Jeff Demps ran between the tackles, sixty-two yards to the amazement of even his coaches. And just as fans were starting to complain about Tebow’s lack of numbers, on the ensuing Gator possession, he hit Louis Murphy for a 48 yard touchdown pass for his first of the season. 42-0 Florida.
In mop-up duty, big Cam Newton added another rushing touchdown to increase the Gator lead to forty-nine. A late 80-yard interception, again by Ahman Black, gave the Gators an even 28 points in the second quarter and 28 points in the third. Even Hurricane Fay didn’t bring this much rain in North Florida. The Gators ended up victorious by the final score of 56-10.
After a rusty first quarter, the Florida Gators finally showed they dressed to impress. Even the stoic Urban Meyer was seen smiling in post-game interviews. Florida came out with something to prove and showed they’re deep at every position. The backfield, whether running the option or between the tackles, boasts a variety of superstars that could start for any other program in the nation. Four different Gators scored on the ground and none of them were named Tim Tebow. While the receiving corps remains a question mark, the backfield is talented enough to keep opposing secondaries honest. And Tebow is still the toughest quarterback in the nation to bring down. Although he only finished the game 9-for-14 for 137 yards passing and 9 carries for 37 yards, one got the impression he’s only getting his feet wet. This Florida team won’t need him like they did last season. Special teams also played well and Brandon James proved he’s a constant threat. The Gator defense, a question mark all of last season, forced six turnovers and led many to believe Charlie Strong has turned things around. Hawaii led in time of possession, only because the Gator offense continue to score at a rapid-fire face. Including interception and punt returns, the Gators had five scoring possessions under :38 seconds.
The Gators face University of Miami Hurricanes next weekend in Gainesville at 8 pm in front of what could be a record crowd. The Gators have not beaten their in-state rivals in nearly thirty years.
Keywords: Chris Rainey, Florida Gators, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer
