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GATORS COLUMN

The Shadow Is Gone: Spur Dog Gets Tebowed

By MARTIN FENNELLY

Published: Nov 11, 2007

COLUMBIA, S.C. - It was a glorious victory, the kind that can make a program.

But enough of Ron Zook.

In other news, the winning legend Zooker replaced at Florida and the winning robot who replaced him at Florida met Saturday night in South Carolina.

It was Steve Spurrier-Urban Meyer III.

Tim Tebow VII broke out.

Never mind that it was simply two teams trying to win a seventh game, or that Meyer's Gators were clinging to fading SEC hopes, or that the Spur Dog's Gamecocks were trying to avoid a four-game losing streak. Spurrier hadn't had one since his first season - at Duke. What in the name of Brad Scott is going on?

Florida came in with Spurrier having once beaten and twice spooked his old school.

He got Tebowed, 51-31.

Enter Superman.

Seven touchdowns.

Exit The Shadow.

"How many did he run in, two, three?" Spurrier asked.

Five.

"He ran five?" Spurrier said. "I lost count."

I miss the Spur Dog.

Spurrier's Shadow Faded Quickly

Move over, Steve.

Heads up, Dennis Dixon.

Call it "The Night The Spur Dog's Mojo Died," or "What do Tim Tebow, Emmitt Smith, Herschel Walker, Shaun Alexander, Garrison Hearst, LaBrandon Toefield and Danny Wuerffel have in common?"

Florida's first Heisman winner might have just watched Florida's third Heisman winner.

Spurrier's shadow mattered not Saturday. Maybe it began fading the moment Jarvis Moss' five fingers blocked that field goal in Gainesville last season, stabbing at Spurrier's heart, if not his greatness, and pouring cement on the Year of the Gator.

Two years ago Spurrier schooled Meyer here and stomped the Gators. Imagine if Urban had lost to the Dog last season. He would have been on the clock this season. Instead, Saturday tolled reality.

The Spur Dog got Tebowed.

In a breathtaking display, on a stage of his own, Tebow made 424 yards of offense and, repeating, seven touchdowns.

In Spurrier's 18 years as a college head coach, the only other time a team hung 50 points on him was Nebraska in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl.

Enter Superman.

Exit The Shadow.

It didn't matter that the Gators were without Percy Harvin, who stayed home with migraines and a sinus infection (we believe Harvin got the migraines from studying the SEC standings). Tebow was back on his weird-glow Heisman prowl.

He'd be the runaway winner, the first sophomore to win Mr. Stiff Arm, if the team around him had a great defense and didn't have three losses. But don't tell me Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon has anything on this kid.

And now the rundown:

Tebow ran for 120 yards and threw for 304.

Tebow now owns the Florida season record for running TDs with 19. The old record belonged to Emmitt Smith.

Tebow is tied for the all-time SEC season record with Shaun Alexander, Garrison Hearst and LaBrandon Toefield. Tebow has more rushing TDs than Herschel Walker ever had in a season at Georgia.

And Tebow broke Danny Wuerffel's Florida record by accounting for his 42nd touchdown of the season. The record breaker was a TD pass, but Tebow's fifth rushing score was the signature, as he smashed past three Carolina defenders at the goal line. No contest.

Exit the Shadow.

Not Much Help In SEC Quest

This was a game the Gators needed to put some distance between itself and Spurrier. The Gamecocks, who were 6-1 and ranked as high as sixth this season, are now 6-5. They gave up 48 to Arkansas last week. Spurrier is still working for the big breakthrough. If anyone can transform South Carolina, I'd still bet on him.

But it means truly getting past teams like the Gators. And for the first time in three seasons, thanks to Tebow, the Gators were impassable.

"The other team pretty much toyed with us like Arkansas did last week," Spurrier said.

The Gators didn't get much help SEC race Saturday. Tennessee and Georgia won. But Mission One was getting by South Carolina without drama, unless it was Tebow drama. That's a good night at this point this season. Not a Zooker night, mind you, but a good night.

Hey, what about a Florida-Illinois, Urban-Zooker Outback Bowl?

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Tim Tebow touchdown.

Steve Spurrier could only watch.