The UF-South Carolina game usually isn't the most hyped contest on the Gators' schedule, but maybe it should be.
In recent years, nothing has been a better indicator of how UF's season will wind up.
Two years ago in The Swamp, defensive end Jarvis Moss blocked a potential game-winning field goal as time expired to seal the Gators' 17-16 win and propel them to a national title, and last season, quarterback Tim Tebow accounted for all seven of UF's touchdowns (five rushing) in a 51-31 victory that gave him an edge in the Heisman Trophy race.
So it's only fitting that both of those hopes - a championship and another Heisman for Tebow - are on the line this weekend when No. 24 South Carolina rolls into town.
The No. 3 Gators (ranked fourth in the BCS poll) are four wins away from a likely berth in the BCS National Championship Game, and Tebow's award stock will rise and fall with UF's season.
"We have a chance for something even bigger than the (Southeastern Conference), so this game is a huge part of that," Tebow said. "We have to stay focused because we're going up against a very, very good South Carolina team and one of the best defenses we'll play all year - including the SEC Championship Game and possibly a bowl game. We have to be handling our business out there to win."
The Gamecocks rank second in the conference in run and pass defense and third in scoring defense (behind UF and No. 1 Alabama). Coach Urban Meyer said this week that the challenge will be overcoming the wide array of formations South Carolina uses, from three to four down linemen and dropping eight or nine players into coverage to blitz packages.
"I didn't think (the defense was a top-notch unit) until I watched the film," Meyer said. "I saw the stats, but you don't watch them until you play them. Every week I'll probably tell you it's the best defense in the league and tell the team the same thing, but this is, after studying it, the best we'll face."
The Gators (8-1, 6-1 SEC) are riding high on a five-game win streak, partly because of their solid play. They've outscored opponents 243-57 in that stretch - 80-0 in the first quarter.
"We're playing great field position in the first quarter of games, and then our offense has capitalized on it," Meyer said. "There has been a big momentum play early in the game, whether it be a blocked punt, big play on offense or a three-and-out on defense."
Tebow's efforts have been a big reason why UF is making the most of its opportunities. He has 14 total touchdowns in the last three games and a quarterback rating above 200 in each contest - something he didn't accomplish in any of the previous six matches.
His running style has been a return to old form as well, recapturing the bullish manner that first made him a star in Gainesville. He added a 26-yard scoring run against Vanderbilt last week, good for the longest touchdown of his career on the ground.
"He looked like a very aggressive runner (against the Commodores)," Meyer said. "I don't want to say too aggressive, but a couple of times I thought he pulled it down too quick. On the designed runs and option plays, I thought he ran as well as he did as a freshman."
The Gamecocks (7-3, 4-3 SEC) and former UF coach Steve Spurrier will be trying to rain on the Gators' parade, just as they nearly did two years ago when it took two blocked field goals and a blocked extra point to spoil South Carolina's upset bid.
Moss' block was instrumental in UF's 2006 title run, and Meyer said he thinks about it every time he looks at the national championship sign in the south end zone of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
"If I have a vote, I think that it's the greatest play in the history of Florida football," he said. "It was certainly a monumental moment in my life and our program's life. That is one of the finest plays that I have ever been a part of."
