UF quarterback Tim Tebow played the majority of the second half of Saturday's 45-12 victory against Florida State with a fractured right hand, University Athletic Association sports information director Steve McClain said Sunday.
X-rays after the game showed Tebow suffered a non-displaced fracture to his non-throwing hand, which occurred during his 5-yard rushing touchdown with 12:14 remaining in the third quarter.
BThe trainers looked at him and did some tests on the sidelines to determine if it was broken,C McClain said. BBased on his response, he could still go. People who know Tim, I?m sure he was in more pain than he led them to believe.C
Non-displaced fractures generally do not require extensive treatment to repair. The sophomore will wear a cast for two to three weeks, but he should be back in time for the bowl game, McClain said.
This is not the first time Tebow has played a game with a broken appendage.
In his first year at Nease High, Tebow broke his right leg late in the first quarter with his team trailing 17-0 against St. Augustine Pedro Menendez High. He played the rest of the game and ran for a tying touchdown in the fourth quarter before Nease lost on a last-second field goal.
BOWL POSSIBILITIES: With its win against the Seminoles, UF moved from No. 12 to No. 10 in the BCS rankings released Sunday.
Despite the climb, the Gators will likely miss out on a BCS bowl game and instead play in either the Capital One Bowl in Orlando or Outback Bowl in Tampa on Jan. 1.
Since Georgia won its game against Georgia Tech this weekend, the Bulldogs moved up from seventh to fourth in the BCS standings.
Assuming Georgia does not get passed in the standings and remains in the top four, the Bulldogs will receive an at-large BCS berth.
Tennessee and Louisiana State will play in the Southeastern Conference Championship this Saturday, and the winner of that game will automatically receive the conference?s other bid to a BCS bowl.
RICKERSON REDEEMS: With freshman cornerback Joe Haden (high right ankle sprain) out of the lineup this week, Jacques Rickerson knew he had a second chance to impress UF?s coaching staff.Rickerson started earlier this year against Kentucky but was often burned by the Wildcats? receivers. The redshirt freshman wasn?t about to let the same happen again Saturday night.Rickerson nearly intercepted a pass to Greg Carr toward the end of the first quarter, but the FSU wide receiver was able to get a hand on the ball.Then, in the beginning of the third quarter, Rickerson broke up another pass intended for FSU?s De?Cody Fagg near the goal line.
BWe always have a joke, don?t go to sleep on a certain player,C co-defensive coordinator Charlie Strong said. BDon?t go to sleep on Jacques because we knew he would come at some point. He came [Saturday].C
