Even Florida State fans wanted a piece of Tim Tebow.
Florida’s quarterback took his final victory lap around The Swamp following his team’s 37-10 win against the Seminoles, moving at a slow pace to soak it all in. There were plenty of high-fives, pats on the back, thank-yous and well-wishes, including some from those clad in Garnet and Gold.
One member of the FSU band looked genuinely saddened when Tebow skipped her section, as he chose to offer an emphatic Gator Chomp instead.
It really shouldn’t be a surprise that some Florida State fans stuck around to wish Tebow goodbye.
No one will be happier to see him go than them.
With Tebow as a starter, Florida has topped Florida State by a combined score of 127-37, the most dominant three-year run in the rivalry’s history.
In front of a record crowd of 90,907, Tebow threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns on 17-of-21 passing and added 90 yards and two more scores on the ground. In three years against FSU, he has accounted for 14 touchdowns.
“That was one of his best performances,” UF coach Urban Meyer said. “I’ve never seen anything like [Tebow’s connection with fans]. I hope we get to see that again, I really do. I hope it’s here, and we’re going to go try and find some guys like that.”
Meyer should also be hoping he gets to see another defense like his current one.
In the first half, Florida held FSU to 55 yards and zero points, forced four punts and made an interception.
The unit played well enough for many of its starters to take the second half off and rest up for next week’s showdown with Alabama in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game.
It was a perfect send-off for the seniors on one of the nation’s best defenses, who expected to put the clamps on an FSU offense that averaged 434 yards and 31 points per game before Saturday.
Stamper and fellow starters Brandon Spikes and Jermaine Cunningham played their final home game, and it may have been the last go-round for several juniors as well.
Defensive end Carlos Dunlap and cornerback Joe Haden are highly rated NFL Draft prospects, and tight end Aaron Hernandez, safety Major Wright and offensive linemen Mike and Maurkice Pouncey may also benefit from declaring early.
“I definitely took it all in a lot more,” said Haden, who had an interception. “I stayed in the locker room and kept my pads on for a little longer and did a lap after the game, just in case this was my last game.
"I wanted to make sure I went out doing stuff that I wanted to do.”
Of those juniors, Hernandez made his presence felt the most with five catches for 83 yards and touchdowns of 18 and 37 yards.
He punctuated the second by launching the ball into the stands, a tribute to past UF receivers Carlos Alvarez and Andre Caldwell, who made their final games in The Swamp memorable by doing the same thing.
Spikes focused more on the turf of Florida Field, kneeling to kiss the ground in the south end zone during his Senior Day introduction.
After the game, he was headed to the locker room after a last wave to the crowd, but he suddenly turned back, grabbed some teammates and headed to the midfield logo.
He laid down, did his best impression of a snow angel and took pictures with fellow seniors Stamper, David Nelson, Riley Cooper, Brandon James, Wondy Pierre-Louis, Markihe Anderson, and Dorian Munroe, who will apply for a sixth year of eligibility after missing the last two seasons with knee injuries.
Meyer, Haden and a few others joined in, too.
None of them wanted the night to end.
But the celebration couldn’t last too much longer.
Once the locker-room speeches were over, it was time to get back to business.
The Gators have a date with the Crimson Tide looming, and a bad outing next week will turn Saturday night from a joyous stop along the path to another title into a painful memory of what could have been.
