Tebow's Shoulder Finally Gets Break
It was a Florida victory that produced plenty of positives. Perhaps the biggest positive of all was the fact quarterback Tim Tebow did not take a single shot on his sore right shoulder in the Gators' 49-22 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday.
"I called Tim late last night," Meyer said. "He said he didn't get hit one time on the shoulder. He made the comment that now this week he thinks he's going to be as close to 100 percent as it's been."
Tim Tebow bruised his shoulder in the Kentucky game three weeks ago. To protect the shoulder, Tim Tebow took on a diminished role in the running game the past two weeks.
He had six carries in Saturday's game, five of them called quarterback runs in the red zone. The week before against Georgia, Tim Tebow's only called running plays were also in the red zone. The Bulldogs sacked him six times and he finished with minus-15 yards rushing.
If Tim Tebow's shoulder is better this week, he'll probably be more of a factor in the running game against South Carolina. But Meyer said Tim Tebow is not going to carry the ball as much as he did in some earlier games this season now that Percy Harvin is lining up at tailback and has become the focal point of the running game.
"We don't want to be a 20-times-a-game quarterback running the ball offense," Meyer said. "We want him to be a threat. With Percy Harvin in the backfield, it opens the inside run, the outside run and the play-action passing game. (With Harvin in the backfield), the threat is real. It's exactly where we want to be, with a legitimate threat in the backfield and a quarterback who is a threat and is great in the passing game."
With Harvin rushing for 113 yards and averaging 10.3 yards a carry Saturday, the Gators did not need to rely on Tim Tebow's legs to have success in the running game. Tim Tebow excelled as a pocket passer, completing 22 of 27 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns.
Being almost exclusively a passer the past two games has helped Tim Tebow improve his pocket presence, Meyer said.
"He has learned to redirect protections a little better and be a little more cautious in the pocket," Meyer said. "He has improved in the pocket. He's a tremendous passer and the older he gets the more presence he gets."
While Tim Tebow and Harvin were helping the Gators light it up on offense, the UF defense played perhaps its best game since the Sept. 15 Tennessee game. Meyer said it was the kind of performance the young defense can build on.
Meyer also reiterated Sunday that Michael Pouncey (Lakeland High) had a big impact on the defense after moving to tackle from offensive center earlier in the week.
"He certainly wasn't perfect, but there is a presence in there (when he's in the game)," Meyer said.
[More
at www.theledger.com]
