Tebow helps Gators continue dominance of Vols

[September 22, 2008]  KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Under Urban Meyer, Florida has turned Tennessee into Gator Bait. Tim Tebow threw two touchdown passes and helped Meyer improve to 4-0 as Gators coach against the self-destructive Volunteers with a 30-6 victory Saturday, the second consecutive blowout for No. 4 Florida over its SEC East rival.

"I'm starting to like this team a little bit," Meyer said of his Gators. "I'm not going to say a lot, but I like this team a little bit because they know how to practice and are acting very mature right now."

Meyer joins Steve Spurrier as the only coach to defeat a Phillip Fulmer-lead Tennessee team in four consecutive seasons.

Florida took control on the first play of the game with a 52-yard kickoff return by Brandon James.

The Gators (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) were soon in the end zone, with Tebow flipping 2-yard pass over the top of the line of scrimmage to Aaron Hernandez for a 7-0 lead five minutes into the game.

James, who rank back a punt for a touchdown in last season's 59-20 Gators' victory against the Vols, returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown to put Florida up 17-0 with 4:42 in the first quarter. At least five Vols defenders missed James as he blew by them.

Tennessee (1-2, 0-1) responded with nothing but mistakes, and Fulmer fell to 5-12 against Florida.

Vols fans showered their team with boos and started exiting en masse in the third quarter.

"There's probably not anybody happy with me right now," Fulmer said. "There's probably not anybody happy with the quarterback right now. In this case, I said from the beginning, it's my responsibility and I'll take that.

"A couple of things I'd probably boo too," he said.

Including the fourth quarter of last season's game, Florida shut out Tennessee for four-straight quarters and hung 58 straight points on the Vols.

It's the second year in a row that Tennessee has started the season 1-2, but the Vols regrouped last season to win the SEC East.

"It seems like we've got to learn the hard way sometimes. As a coach, last year that football team was one of those," Fulmer said. "We won't give up. We've got a chance to be there yet, just a little bit harder road."

On the Vols' first drive, Arian Foster was charged a 15-yard penalty for shoving a Florida player. Montario Hardesty fumbled the ball when hit after a 1-yard catch. Florida's Ryan Stamper recovered the fumble, and Jonathan Phillips kicked a 39-yard field goal.

Twice Tennessee drove to the Florida 1 and fell apart. With 11:36 in the second quarter, Jonathan Crompton took the snap, backed up and dropped the ball at the 2. Gators defensive end Carlos Dunlap fell on it, and Phillips kicked a 40-yard field goal 12 plays later to put Florida up 20-0.

Crompton again drove the Vols to the 1, seconds before halftime, and threw an interception to Janoris Jenkins in the end zone.

The interception prompted a loud chorus of boos from the Tennessee fans, who started leaving after Tebow connected with Percy Harvin on a 15-yard touchdown pass with 4:42 in the third quarter.

It was another quiet day for the Heisman Trophy winner. Tebow completed eight of 15 passes for 96 yards and no interceptions and ran 12 times for 26 yards -- but it hardly mattered as the Gators kept taking advantage of Tennessee's mistakes.

Harvin finished with 49 yards on two catches. Emmanuel Moody ran nine times for 55 yards, mostly in the second half. Florida ran for 147 yards compared to Tennessee's 96.

Tennessee narrowly missed being shut out for the first time since 1994 when Crompton pushed into the end zone on a 1-yard run with 14:18 left in the game. The Vols couldn't convert a 2-point conversion.

Crompton finished 18-for-28 for 162 yards and an interception.

Penalties, like an 11-yard holding call on offensive tackle Chris Scott, and deflected passes ended other Tennessee drives. The Vols were penalized nine times for 95 yards. The Gators were also flagged nine times as the game had its chippy moments. Twice the teams received offsetting unsportsmanlike penalties twice when players tangled or verbally sparred.

[Associated Press; By BETH RUCKER]

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