Tim Tebow couldn't even remember the last time he had thrown an interception.
The junior quarterback has gone a school-record 145 attempts since throwing a pick, eclipsing Danny Wuerffel's mark of 121 throws.
He didn't even know until team officials told him.
"It probably gets overlooked with some other records," he said. "The way we want to do things, control the clock, control the ball, never put our defense in bad situations - that's something I think we've done really well this year."
The Gators are the only Football Bowl Subdivision team to have not committed a turnover so far this year. The defense has nine takeaways, and the team has a +3 turnover margin, which is good for a tie for second in the NCAA.
"That's always been a huge priority for us at Florida," Tebow said. "Teams that turn it over, no matter how good the defense is, you put your defense in bad situations, and you give the other team lots of momentum."
Coach Urban Meyer has ingrained in his team the importance of winning the turnover battle - forcing more turnovers than the team commits.
The rules are clear at UF - fumble the ball, and the next place you're headed is the bench.
"It's non-negotiable," he said. "Some people say well 'let 'em play, let 'em play.' I don't. Take care of the football and move the chains."
Running back Emmanuel Moody had a brush with that policy in the Orange and Blue game this spring.
During his first game in The Swamp, the junior had a huge run, but lost the ball as he attempted to stretch across the goal line. All Meyer talked about after the game was the fumble, negating Moody's effort.
The learning experience led to much off-season work on cradling the ball the way UF coaches wanted.
"In the Southeastern Conference, one turnover can cost you a game," Moody said. "The year (UF) won the championship (2006), the games were close. … (Games were decided) by field goals, by a blocked punt. So a turnover - that's whether you win or lose."
Offensive coordinator Dan Mullen has seen the same emphasis on ball security from Meyer since they began coaching together at Bowling Green. Protecting the ball is part of Meyer's plan to win.
"If you don't protect the ball, you don't play," Mullen said. "Obviously there's a lot of guys that want the ball, so they're protecting it."
Meyer even adjusts his play-calling to avoid putting players in a place to make a turnover.
On long third-down plays, say 3rd and 12, for example, he said he does not even want Tebow looking for receivers past the first-down marker unless they are clearly open. The defense will likely plan on Tebow making a long pass and drop several defenders in coverage.
Meyer would rather him throw a short pass and give one of the offensive playmakers a chance to make a few people miss and earn a new set of downs then risk an interception down the field.
"That's why we recruit fast people around here," Meyer said. "Let them try to get the first down. If it doesn't work, punt the ball."
Of course, he does have one better option.
"Stay out of 3rd and 12."
