Jan. 8, 2007, University of Phoenix Stadium
Florida 41, Ohio State 14
GLENDALE -- Everybody got it wrong except the Gators.
Turns out Florida was too good to be on the same field as Ohio State, and that Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and the Buckeyes were the ones who weren't worthy.
Coach Urban Meyer's once-beaten Gators dominated the undefeated Buckeyes and streaked to college football's national championship, 41-14 on Monday night.
Florida got all but one of the 65 first-place votes in the final Associated Press poll. Ohio State dropped from No. 1 and finished second.
Chris Leak and Tim Tebow showed off Meyer's twin quarterback system to perfection as the Gators became the first Division I school to hold national titles in football and basketball at the same time.
Ohio State started out like the one-touchdown favorite it was, but only for an instant.
Ted Ginn Jr. returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, but then it quickly fell apart for the Buckeyes. Ginn hurt his foot in the touchdown celebration and hobbled off after Ohio State's first offensive play.
By the time he returned for the second half on crutches, Florida led 34-14.
Leak, maligned for never winning the big one, completed 25 of 36 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown. The Rambo-like Tebow threw for one TD and powered into the end zone for another.
Smith, meanwhile, joined a long list of Heisman Trophy quarterbacks -- Jason White, Eric Crouch and Gino Torretta, among them -- to fall apart in bowl games. He was just 4-of-14 for 35 yards with one interception, sacked him five times and held him to minus-29 yards on 10 runs.
Defensive ends Derrick Harvey and Moss made it a miserable night for Smith. Linebacker Earl Everett got into the act, too, running down Smith on one play despite missing his helmet.
It was the second national title for Florida, adding to the one Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel brought home in 1996 under coach Steve Spurrier with a 52-20 romp over Florida State in the Sugar Bowl.
This time, the man in charge was the 42-year-old Meyer, once a .200 hitter in the low minors in Atlanta's baseball farm system. Since then, he's made a rocket rise in the coaching ranks, topped off by a title in his second year at Florida.
In the first football matchup between these schools -- they've both played the sport for 100-plus years -- the Gators emphatically stopped Ohio State's 19-game winning streak.
The Buckeyes beat a pair of No. 2 teams, defending champion Texas and Michigan, earlier in the season, but they were no match for Florida's speed, strategy and style.
Ohio State hoped to win its fifth national title, but these Buckeyes looked completely flummoxed by Florida's frenetic offense at the outset. Trying to match up with the Gators' shifting formations, they often jumped around at the line and still were out of position.
Leak gladly took advantage of the confusion, picking wide-open receivers at will and hitting his first nine passes. Criticized most of his career for a lack of fire, the guy with the soft, green eyes seemed real comfortable.
By the end, the numbers were numbing. Florida outgained the Buckeyes 370 yards to 82, led in first downs 21-8 and time of possession 40:48 to 19:12.
|
Score by Quarters |
|
Florida |
14 |
20 |
0 |
7 |
41 |
|
Ohio State |
7 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
|
|
Florida |
Ohio State |
|
First Downs |
21 |
8 |
|
Rushing Yards |
156 |
47 |
|
Passes Attempted |
37 |
14 |
|
Passes Completed |
26 |
4 |
|
Had Intercepted |
0 |
1 |
|
Passing Yards |
214 |
35 |
|
Punting/Avg |
4/44.2 |
6/37.8 |
|
Fumbles/Lost |
0/0 |
1/1 |
|
Penalties/Yards |
6/50 |
5/50 |
Scoring Summary
OSU: Ginn 93 yd kickoff return (Pettrey kick); UF: Baker 14 yd pass from Leak (Hetland kick); UF: Harvin 4 yd run (Hetland kick); UF: Wynn 2 yd run (Hetland kick); OSU: Pittman 18 yd run (Pettrey kick); UF: Hetland 42 yd field goal; UF: Hetland 40 yd field goal; UF: Caldwell 1 yd pass from Tebow (Hetland kick); Tebow 1 yd run (Hetland kick)
MOPs: Chris Leak, Derrick Harvey (Florida)