JACKSONVILLE - UF linebacker Brandon Spikes made one thing perfectly clear on Georgia's second play from scrimmage: UGA running back Knowshon Moreno would not have his way with the Gators' defense like he did last year.
Moreno took a handoff up the middle and was met immediately by Spikes, who dropped him for no gain with a vicious hit. The two ended up facemask-to-facemask on the ground for a few moments, and Spikes offered Georgia's talented tailback a warning.
"I just told him he better get ready because I'm going to be here all night," Spikes said.
The rest of UF's defense followed Spikes' lead in the 49-10 win, as the Gators kept No. 8 Georgia (7-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) out of the end zone until late in the fourth quarter when reserves were in the game.
No. 5 UF (7-1, 5-1 SEC) forced four turnovers that gift-wrapped three second-half touchdowns for quarterback Tim Tebow and the offense to turn a close game into a rout. Those big plays from the defense came in a five-drive span and helped expand the Gators' lead from 11 to 39.
UF's offense started slow but had an easy time in the second half as it needed just 36 yards on four plays to score three touchdowns, the first of which signaled a huge shift in momentum.
Georgia trailed 14-3 early in the third quarter but moved 68 yards to the UF 30-yard line and appeared poised to score until cornerback Joe Haden jumped in front of UGA quarterback Matt Stafford's pass at the 11-yard line, took off down the sideline, and cut back before being tackled near the goal line.
The 88-yard return all but handed Tebow a 1-yard score to kick off the Gators' onslaught, and Haden said he knew what to expect on the play.
"In the red zone, they run a lot of post-corner routes, so that's one thing I was looking for." Haden said. "They hit us with the post route all the way down the field, and when they get to the red zone, it's post-corner. He stemmed inside, ran a post-corner, and I stepped in."
Tebow didn't have to do much but was extremely efficient, going 10-for-13 for 154 yards and two touchdowns passing while adding three more scores on the ground.
He entered the contest tied with running back Emmitt Smith for the all-time UF record for rushing touchdowns, a mark he surged past while playing in his hometown.
Tebow said he didn't realize he had broken the record until offensive lineman Phil Trautwein told him in the fourth quarter, an understandable statement from the emotional Heisman Trophy winner, who took a victory lap around Jacksonville Municipal Stadium after the win.
"That was the first time I had heard about it or thought about it," Tebow said. "That's pretty cool too look at because Emmitt Smith was my favorite player in the pros growing up. He and Danny (Wuerffel) were my two favorite Gators ever, so just to be in the same sentence with him is a huge honor."
And the win against Georgia further strengthens Tebow's chances of joining Wuerffel and Chris Leak as the starting quarterbacks who've led UF to a national title. The Gators will still need teams ahead of them to lose as the season draws to a close, but a berth in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta looks more and more likely.
