Oct 18, 2009 1:00 am US/Eastern
Gators Squeak By Razorbacks, 23-20
By Solange Reyner
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
-
-
GAINESVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 17: Florida Gator players celebrate kicker Caleb Sturgis' game-winning 27-yard field goal against the University of Arkansas Razorbacks October 17, 2009 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.
Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images
Tim Tebow couldn't bare to watch as kicker Caleb Sturgis kept the Gators perfect.
Sturgis connected on a a 27-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining to squeeze by unranked Arkansas, 23-20, on Saturday night.
"The end was really fun. Once I heard everyone cheering and I opened my eyes and saw we made the field goal, that was fun," Tebow said.
"I was praying. I was holding Brantley's hand and I was just like 'Tell me it's good.' Pretty soon after I heard the fans, he didn't have to tell me anything. To come away with a win was huge, especially when you don't play up to your potential."
Florida was tested against the Razorbacks (3-3), who sacked Tebow six times.
But Arkansas couldn't stop the top-ranked Gators on their final drive of the game.
Tim Tebow drove Florida 69 yards in 2:59 to get the Gators within field goal range, using a a bevy of short to mid-range passes and rushes to get Sturgis on Arkansas' 10-yard line.
The 2007 Heisman Trophy winner threw for 30 yards and ran for 22 on the final drive. Three
plays stood out: His 12-yard pass to Riley Cooper on third down (Cooper fell down, then caught the ball on one knee) and consecutive runs that gained 16 yards and put Sturgis well within his comfort zone.
Sturgis overcame an early miss and finished with three field goals, including a 51-yarder in the third. For much of the day, it was Florida's best play.
Just about everything that could go wrong for the Gators did. They had four turnovers, three dropped passes, were gashed against the run and gave up more big plays in one game than they had all season. They missed a field goal and scored once in their first four trips inside the 20-yard line.
"You usually don't win that kind of game," coach Urban Meyer said.
"We weren't playing up to our potential. That's not very typical of us," Tebow said.
"That's kind of what we did against Ole Miss, too. I always knew we had a shot and we were just going to keep believing until the last second."
Arkansas hung tough with the top team in the nation, and had top notch performances from sophomores Ryan Mallett, Dennis Johnson and Greg Childs.
Mallett threw for 224 yards and a score, Johnson rushed for 107 yards and Childs had 135 yards receiving.
The Razorbacks made a few costly mistakes of its own, though.
Mallett overthrew fullback Van Stumon, who was wide open in the end zone, and Arkansas settled for a field goal that tied it at 13 late in the third. Then Alex Tejada yanked a 38-yard field goal with 3:08 remaining that would have put his team ahead.
"We played our hearts out all night," defensive end Jake Bequette said. "It hurts. Right there with No. 1 team in the nation. Take the positives from this: Can play anyone, anywhere, anytime."
Added Mallett: "We had a chance to win against the No. 1 team in the country and we couldn't pull it out."
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
CBS Video Network OLD
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
