Sam Bradford edged out Tim Tebow for the Heisman Trophy. On Thursday night, Tebow has a chance to prove the voters wrong.
That’s when Tebow’s Florida Gators face Bradford’s Oklahoma Sooners in one of the most anticipated BCS Championship Games in years.
Tebow won the Heisman last year – and Florida could use this year’s slight as motivation in the game.
“Obviously, that will help get the team fired up,” said Fox analyst and former Tennessee defensive back Charles Davis. “But if that’s their No. 1 motivation, then they’re in trouble.”
Oklahoma has an extra motivator, too. Oklahoma and Texas each ended the season with one loss, but the Longhorns beat Oklahoma at a neutral site in October. Texas lost later to Texas Tech, and Oklahoma eventually passed them in the BCS Standings.
“This is a defining game for Oklahoma,” said former Sooner coach Barry Switzer, now a Fox analyst. “In order for them to prove that they deserve to be in this game, they have to win.”
The reason Oklahoma hopped over Texas was because of the offensive barrage the Sooners used to crush opponents down the stretch – scoring at least 58 points in their final six games against overmatched defenses.
But that won’t be the case against Florida.
“The teams Oklahoma has been manhandling down the stretch don’t have the type of blue-chip players that Florida has on defense,” Switzer said. “The only team they played this year that was close to them was Texas, and of course they lost that game.”
Bradford excels at passing in the pocket, a place he has gotten very comfortable behind Oklahoma’s dominant offensive line. If Florida is able to take him out of his comfort zone, then the sophomore quarterback will be forced to improvise, which is Tebow’s forte.
“If Bradford isn’t harassed, then he will complete passes,” Switzer said. “If he is, then we will find out if this kid is capable of making plays on the run and out of the pocket the way Tebow has shown he can the last two years.”
Bradford also will have to overcome the loss of running back DeMarco Murray (hamstring), who had 1,397 total yards and 18 touchdowns this season. Meanwhile, Florida’s playmaker, Percy Harvin, is getting closer to returning from an ankle injury that kept him out of Florida’s SEC title victory over undefeated Alabama.
“If Harvin is back and close to 100 percent, then that’s going to be a huge factor, because Oklahoma will be without Murray,” Switzer said of the Gators, whose only loss came against Ole Miss in September.
It also won’t hurt the Gators that this game will be played in Miami.
“When any of those Florida-based teams get to play in their home state, it’s a huge psychological advantage,” Switzer said.