We are the CHOMPions

They did it! Last night Florida beat the Oklahoma Sooners 24-14 in one of the best games I have seen in a long time. Sure it was not as exciting as Michael Crabtree's last second catch against Texas or even Alabama's OT interception at LSU earlier this year, but it was two of college football's powerhouses meeting for the first time ever, and it was a slugfest. I could not tell which team had the upper hand all game. The momentum seemed to shift every two drives or so. The tone of the game was set though when Major Wright (#21) almost decapitated an Oklahoma receiver on their opening drive (pictured above). I literally felt that hit sitting in Orlando.

The game could have really gone either way. If Oklahoma would have scored when they had the ball on the 3 yard line and a 1st and goal it could have been a different game. They also had a ball intercepted with 3 seconds left in the first half which denied them a shot at 7 points, or at the very least a chip shot field goal to take the lead going into halftime. Oklahoma's offensive line was dominating our defensive line on a few drives and it felt like they could run the ball at will. When the Gators were up 17-14 in the 4th quarter it felt like Oklahoma was going to march down the field and score to take the lead. In fact, they started marching down the field until Ahmad Black made the defensive play of the game. He intercepted a pass over the middle that Bradford was throwing to Iglesias. The replay showed that Iglesias actually caught the ball, but Black striped it from him in mid air and came down with it. The look on Bradford's face at that moment was absolutely priceless. For once I felt bad for the guy, but then I remembered he just won the Heisman so I got over it. He looked like a child on a playground that just had a bully steal his tricycle. From that point on Tebow would lead the Gators down the field for their final touchdown which sealed it at 24-14. On 3rd down Tebow attempted what seemed to be his patented "jump pass", but it looked more like a half jump / ballet move to hit David Nelson on a drag route across the middle.

I attended a party for the game at John Weaver's new house. It also happened to be Jason Ciekot's 26th birthday so the place was pretty crazy. We had about 30+ people in attendance with tv's on in 3 rooms so everyone could have a good seat. There was more food than you could eat and also more to drink then anyone ever should. Jason's uncle let us borrow his frozen drink machine which basically allowed us to have our own orange and blue slurpees for the event. If anyone ever wants to rent the machine contact me and I can relay his contact information. It is great for parties. I also contributed about 130 orange and blue jello shots for the festivities. As everyone knows, I am not a cook and for some reason even when I follow recipes religiously the food ends up coming out like something my sister made in her Easy Bake Oven when she was 5 years old. I tried making a dip for the party for the first time and I think it actually turned out ok. Everyone seemed to like it. If anyone wants a good frito / chip dip just get 2 blocks of Philadelphia cream cheese and let them soften. Then buy a jar of sweet pepper onion relish from Harry & David and mix it all together until it gets smooth. It is pretty much the best dip I have ever tasted, but it probably isn't too good for you. Anyways, the night was amazing and one I will not forget for a long time. My dad called me from the stadium right as the clock expired and I could hear the confetti getting shot into the air. I am definitely sad that I could not attend the game, but the Gators won and I got to witness it with a lot of close friends. Now if we can only get Tebow to stay one last year... He dodged the question about going to the NFL during his postgame interview, but no matter what his decision the Gator Nation will always appreciate everything he has done for the University of Florida. Go Gators!

Final Standings:

Florida ended up #1 in the polls, but I was a little shocked by how close the #2 ranked team came to dethrowning the Gators. The undefeated Utah Utes (13-0) were around 100 votes shy of passing the Gators for the AP #1 ranking. I like the Utes, but I am shocked by that. I am honestly shocked that they jumped USC in the polls. USC looked like one of the strongest teams in the nation on offense and defense throughtout the year. Even in their loss to Oregon State at the beginning of the season they dominated the 2nd half. USC's strength of schedule obviously hurt them, but even that is thrown into question considering the Pac-10 went 5-0 in bowl games this season. The Utes coach did mention he thought they had an outside chance of catching the Gators, but wasn't surprised by the outcome. They were the only undefeated team in division 1 college football this year and he said he was hoping to get a lot of the simpathy votes. Anyways, I am quite satisfied with the way everything turned out. I do feel like Florida was the best all around team this year, but at the same time you will not see me complaining that we don't have to play USC or Utah in the next few weeks. I love college football and I will savor the Gator's National Championship for the next 8 months, but then it's time to get ready to do it all over again in September. When that time comes, I will see all of you at the Swamp!