Tim Tebow is already being missed in Gainesville and the first game in the post-Tebow era was so bad we should expect the Florida Gators to drop well below their No. 4 ranking after this dud. As appalling as it looked, the Gators did manage a victory, however, and beat heavy underdog Miami (Ohio) 34-12 Saturday.

Gators’ quarterback John Brantley has been waiting in Tebow’s shadows for years and was finally given an opportunity. He squandered the chance, leading his offense to just 25 yards, including minus-16 rushing, through the first three quarters.

Through acts of their defense, the Gators still managed to lead 21-12 thanks to picks by Jon Bostic, Janoris Jenkins and Ahmad Black with Jenkins actually returning his pick 67 yards to the house putting Florida up 7-3 in the first half.

The Gators post-game presser included what I thought was a polite reference to their performance considering how awful it truly was. “I didn’t imagine the offense’s incompetence that we experienced today,” head coach Urban Meyer said.

Considering there were eight fumbles and only a few dozen yards after three quarters, I would have expected a little harsher response from Meyer. That may have come behind closed doors prior to the presser.

Brantley’s final passing stats for his first start in The Swamp were 17-of-25 for 113 yards and two TDs with his longest play after three quarters being a 10-yard toss to Omarius Hines. When’s the last time the Gators fans sat through three quarters at The Swamp seeing one lone offensive play for 10 yards?

Although the scoreboard read 34-12 at the final gun, much of the Gators number came in the fourth quarter on a Jeff Demp 72-yard touchdown sprint and a Chris Rainey touchdown.

After this debacle, it will be interesting to see if the Gators even can remain in the top ten in this week’s polls.

Used with permission of the author.

Jay Donetelli is a Tampa-based freelance sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax. With an opinion sharper than an Ovechkin skate blade with the sting of an Ali jab, Donetelli has a loyal cult of readers who have found a way to love him.

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