By John Shinn
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — You don’t see bulletin boards around college football teams much anymore. If Florida has one it will feature these remarks today.
“If you look at the three best quarterbacks in the country, (they) came from the Big 12, “OU cornerback Dominique Franks said.
That one came before Franks said he thought Florida quarterback Tim Tebow would rank as the fourth best quarterback in the Big 12, behind OU’s Sam Bradford, Texas’ Colt McCoy and Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell.
Safety Nic Harris didn’t even give the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner that much credit.
“Top seven,” the senior said.
Chirping from opposing teams has been around as long as bowl games. Sit a player down in front of a throng of reporters and his honest opinion is bound to come out at some point.
In Harris’ and Franks’ defense, they did qualify their comments for those listening.
Tebow’s 2,515 passing yards would rank 10th among Big 12 Conference quarterbacks. His 28 touchdown passes would tie him for fifth with Kansas’ Todd Reesing.
As a pure drop-back passer, Tebow hasn’t been much of a threat throughout his career. Tebow’s niche is being a good passer that can also run the ball like a bruising fullback.
If you’re a defensive back, it might seem be easier to get ready for a team that throws the ball about 20 times a game instead of 40, like most of the teams in the Big 12.
“We’re coming in and facing Tebow, and he wants to run the ball more. He’s predominantly a running quarterback,” Franks said. “So to me it's going to be a lot easier for us to prepare to stop the run than having to face a quarterback that might throw the ball 40 or 50 times a game.”
OU coach Bob Stoops tried to put out the fire when he heard about the comments following OU’s practice Sunday afternoon.
“Tim Tebow is a great player. We have great respect for him,” he said. “There’s not a lot of Heisman Trophy players who run around anywhere.”
OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables was also diplomatic.
“We’re in a situation to answer questions about how this guy compares and how the conference compares,” he said. “But it really doesn’t matter. It’s how you match up on Thursday. It’s not the SEC vs. the Big 12. It’s not the defense vs. the offense. It’s this team vs. this team, Florida against Oklahoma.”
Of course, Franks and Harris didn’t fire the first salvos in the back-and-forth between the teams since they’ve arrived in South Florida. Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes was asked if OU’s running backs were equal to what the Gators had seen during their SEC schedule.
“A little bit,” he answered. “But not too much.”
Both teams will conduct media interviews at Dolphins Stadium today.
Thankful to be here
Every Sooner player is giddy over playing in the BCS title game. Safety Lendy Holmes might be a little more excited than most. Holmes was ruled academically ineligible for last season’s Fiesta Bowl, missed the game and didn’t even get to make the trip.
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve had to face throughout my career, my life,” he said Sunday morning. “I had let everyone down who had supported me.”
Too nice
OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables said the weather in South Florida might be a little too nice. The Salina, Kan., native thinks it’s a little tougher to get players to focus when it’s sunny and 80 degrees in early January.
“As much as anything we’re trying to adjust to difficult conditions down here,” Venables said. “The weather is really stressing us out. It’s been a while since we sweated like that at practice.”
No blessings for OU
Florida’s players have said their Sept. 27 loss to Mississippi was the catalyst for getting them to the BCS title game
“It was kind of a shock and it kind of got us to play harder,” offensive lineman Phil Trautwein said. “Losing that game was something that really got us going, and it got us to be a totally different team.”
Tebow even called the loss a “blessing.”
The Sooners don’t feel the same way about their only loss (Oct. 11 to Texas).
“Losing is never a blessing … We never want to lose a game, and that was the one that ultimately got away from us,” safety Nic Harris said. “If we could go back and play that game again, I’m pretty sure that we would.”
Nothing’s changed
Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen accepted the Mississippi State job a few weeks ago, but will still call plays Thursday night. Offensive line coach Steve Addazio has been promoted to fill Mullen’s spot. He was adamant Sunday that nothing has changed in the way Florida has prepared for the game because of Mullen’s impending departure.
“There is no transition right now,” Addazio said. “We’re doing exactly what we’ve done in the past.”
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com
