GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It's been 10 years since 2008 captains Louis Murphy, James Smith, Brandon Spikes, Ryan Stamper, Tim Tebow and Phil Trautwein helped guide the Gators on a magical run that ended with a 24-14 win over Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship Game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
The championship squad will be recognized and honored at halftime on the field this Saturday.
2008 Season Review
Offense
The Gators' 2008 offense was the highest-scoring in SEC history, totaling 611 points. Florida led the SEC in scoring (43.6), total offense (445.1), rushing offense (231.1), pass efficiency (170.7), first downs (306) and third-down conversions (51.6%).
UF tallied these numbers while facing eight of the nation's top 30 defenses (based on final total defense).
Florida's 231.1 rushing yards per game average in 2008 was the team's highest since Emmitt Smith led the 1989 Gators to 244.8 yards per game. One year prior in 2007, Florida rushed for 200.2 yards per game, marking the first time since 1976-77 that UF rushed for over 200 yards per game in consecutive seasons.
Over the final five games of the season, UF rushed for 1,448 yards (289.6 per game) and 16 touchdowns, averaging
6.9 yards per carry. Just two teams nationally (Tulsa, Georgia Tech) rushed for more yards in the same span.
Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey ranked No. 1 (8.0) and 2 (7.9) among SEC running backs and in the top six nationally in yards per touch that season.
That tandem each rushed for 100 yards (Demps, 103; Rainey, 103) against Arkansas in 2008, becoming the first pair of freshman running backs in school history to hit the century mark in the same game.
Under center, Tebow set a school record for 230 passing attempts without an interception, which was also the third-longest streak in SEC history. In addition, he surpassed Gators legend
Steve Spurrier (5,290) on Florida's all-time offensive yardage list after collecting 311 yards of total offense against Miami (Fla.) early in the season.
Florida had four players, including Murphy, Percy Harvin and David Nelson, with five or more receiving touchdowns, while no other SEC school had more than two. In addition, the Gators had six players with at least 200 yards and three touchdowns receiving in 2008.
Defense
Florida's defense led the nation with 14 interceptions against top-25 opponents in 2008. UF's defense not only generated turnovers, but often put points on the board itself. The Gators tied for the national lead and set a school record in interception return touchdowns with five.
Overall, Florida had five players amass over 50 tackles, four players record more than five tackles-for-loss and six student-athletes catch multiple interceptions.
On the defensive line, Carlos Dunlap paced the Gators and the SEC with nine-and-a-half sacks despite making just two starts. Also, Dunlap was named the Defensive MVP of the BCS Championship Game with four tackles, one-and-a-half tackles-for-loss and a half of a sack.
Spikes led the team with 93 tackles and two interceptions returned for touchdowns. Cornerback Ahmad Black recorded a team-high seven interceptions, while All-American Joe Haden tallied a team-best 12 pass breakups.
Special Teams
Jonathan Phillips set a UF and SEC record in 2008 with 78 PATs, which ranked second in the nation. He also tied for the national lead in field goal percentage, converting 92.3% of his attempts (12 of 13).
Chas Henry, a 2008 semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, averaged 43.4 yards per punt on his 44 kicks, which ranked third in the SEC. Henry had 15 punts over 50 yards and landed 21 punts inside the 20.
Brandon James, UF's all-time punt return yards leader with 1,371, had 37 punt returns with two touchdowns and a long of 78 yards during the season.
The Promise
Tebow's
speech following a home loss to Mississippi in September 2008 motivated Florida the rest of the season.
The speech was an emotional promise he made after Ole Miss upset the Gators 31-30. Fighting back tears, Tebow vowed that no one in the nation would work harder than him and his teammates the rest of the year. The Gators responded by running the table and beating Oklahoma 24-14 to win the program's second national title in three years.
Former head coach Urban Meyer had Tebow's
speech engraved on a plaque and placed outside the front entrance of the Heavener Complex at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
"I felt like he was a prophet for saying it," linebacker Brandon Spikes said back in 2009. "He just said it and we got it done. He was a prophet."
Quote of Note
"We hate losing. We hate being in that position. It really shows something that it means that much to us. If a team loses a game and shrugs it off, 'We'll just go to the next game,' that's not what we're about. We really learn from our losses and we learn from the mistakes we make and we build on them, and it's really helped us out throughout my career." --
WR David Nelson following 2008 season
