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From Orlando Sentinel

Florida 26, Miami 3

UF hits pressure points

Gators defense dominates Hurricanes

Jeremy Fowler | Sentinel Staff Writer
September 7, 2008

GAINESVILLE - The Hurricane cobwebs are gone from Florida's history, but the Florida Gators didn't exactly rip them down.

The Gators broke a six-game losing streak to Miami on Saturday without the gaudy offensive numbers that have become so commonplace with Tim Tebow under center.

At least Galen Hall, the coach of the last Gators team to defeat Miami in 1985, would have been proud of a Florida defense that never allowed the Hurricanes (1-1) to penetrate the red zone in UF's 26-3 victory.

With all the talk about redshirt freshman quarterback Robert Marve, Miami's struggles on offense were more about the ineptitude on the ground. The Hurricanes rushed for 1.6 yards per carry on 37 attempts.

"Our defense played outstanding," Florida Coach Urban Meyer said. "They are playing with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder."

In an otherwise quiet return from heel surgery, Percy Harvin helped put the game away with a sprint to the corner of the end zone for a 2-yard score to make it 16-3, Gators, with 13 minutes, 19 seconds to play. Louis Murphy followed with a 19-yard touchdown reception from Tebow, who finished with 256 yards passing after a 61-yard first half.

Harvin's run might not have occurred without a 28-yard catch by wide receiver Carl Moore that originally was ruled incomplete. Officials called it a catch after Moore, who was carried off the field after the play, was knocked out of bounds by a UM defender and still kept possession of the ball.

An incompletion would have forced the Gators to punt.

But there's no denying that the Hurricanes, who were 5-7 last season, were down 9-3 after three quarters to the No. 5 Gators.

Marve, making his first career start, led a 42-yard drive that was punctuated by Matt Bosher's 50-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Marve completed 10 of 18 passes for 69 yards. Freshman backup Jacory Harris ran the offense for two series for UM, completing two of four passes for 10 yards.

"Youth, inexperienced, whatever," Meyer said about the Hurricanes. "Top to bottom, they are one of the most talented teams in the country."

Despite a score on their first drive with a 14-yard pass to tight end Aaron Hernandez, the Gators offense struggled early. The Hurricanes defensive line flushed Tebow out of the pocket early and often.

Consecutive second-half scoring drives of 86 and 95 yards gave Tebow momentum after completing six of his first 14 passes. Tebow (21-of-35 passing, two touchdowns) rushed for 55 yards, more than twice as much as any of his teammates. Harvin caught one pass for 12 yards and rushed for 27.

With 40 seconds left in the first half, Gators running back Jeff Demps, who went to Groveland South Lake, blocked Bosher's punt into UM's end zone. The potential touchdown was lost, however, when Murphy and running back Chris Rainey knocked the ball out of bounds while chasing the loose ball. The Gators settled for a safety.

The next time Florida and Miami play is in 2013.


Jeremy Fowler's Swamp Things blog can be read at OrlandoSentinel.com/swampthings, and he can be reached at jfowler@orlandosentinel.com.

Copyright © 2008, Orlando Sentinel

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