2009 Florida Gators football team

Pre-season

On January 11, 2009, during the national championship celebration at the University of Florida, quarterback Tim Tebow announced his intention to return for his senior season, followed on January 15 by linebacker Brandon Spikes intention to return as well. With Spikes' return, the entire two-deep of the Gators defense was set to return for the 2009 season. One major loss was All-America wide receiver Percy Harvin, who opted to leave the University of Florida to enter the 2009 NFL draft.

The Gators also lost offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Dan Mullen, who became the head coach at Mississippi State following Sylvester Croom's resignation. Former offensive line coach Steve Addazio was named as Mullen's replacement, with Scot Loeffler hired to take on the role of quarterback coach.

The Gators played their spring scrimmage on April 18, 2009, with the Orange winning.

Florida was voted #1 in both the preseason USA Today Coaches' Poll and the AP Poll. The Gators received the highest ever percentage of preseason #1 votes in the history of the AP Poll, which began in 1950.

Schedule

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Rankings

Game summaries

Charleston Southern

; 1st Quarter

• FLA – Jeffery Demps, 8-yard run (Jonathan Phillips kick), 11:05. Gators 7–0.
• FLA – Chris Rainey, 76-yard run (Jonathan Phillips kick), 4:34. Gators 14–0. ; 2nd Quarter
• FLA – Tim Tebow, 1-yard run (Jonathan Phillips kick), 14:22. Gators 21–0.
• FLA – Jeffery Demps, 23-yard run (Jonathan Phillips kick), 11:39. Gators 28–0.
• FLA – Aaron Hernandez, 28-yard pass from Tim Tebow (Jonathan Phillips kick), 7:55. Gators 35–0.
• CSU – John Paglia 38-yard field goal, 5:37. Gators 35–3.
• FLA – Brandon James 85-yard kickoff yard return (Jonathan Phillips kick), 5:24. Gators 42–3. ; 3rd Quarter
• FLA – Justin Williams 7-yard pass from John Brantley (PAT failed), 12:39. Gators 48–3.
• FLA – Cade Holliday 9-yard pass from John Brantley (Jonathan Phillips kick), 0:24. Gators 55–3. ; 4th Quarter
• FLA – Mike Gillislee 7-yard run (Jonathan Philips kick), 9:33. Gators 62–3.

In the season opener, the Gators met the Charleston Southern Buccaneers in Gainesville. In a game that was never close, the Gators won 62–3. John Brantley threw for 67 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Troy

; 1st Quarter

• FLA – Deonte Thompson, 6-yard pass from Tim Tebow (Jonathan Phillips kick), 6:39. Gators 7–0.
• TROY – Sam Glusman, 45-yard field goal, 0:51. Gators 7–3. ; 2nd Quarter
• FLA – Riley Cooper, 36-yard pass from Tim Tebow (Jonathan Phillips kick), 11:33. Gators 14–3.
• FLA – Tim Tebow, 4-yard run (Jonathan Phillips kick), 8:04. Gators 21–3.
• FLA – Deonte Thompson, 33-yard pass from Tim Tebow (Jonathan Phillips kick), 7:44. Gators 28–3.
• FLA – Jeffery Demps, 24-yard run (Jonathan Phillips kick), 4:03. Gators 35–3. ; 3rd Quarter
• FLA – Brandon James, 32-yard pass from Tim Tebow (Jonathan Phillips kick), 12:27. Gators 42–3.
• FLA – Chris Rainey 1-yard run (Caleb Sturgis kick), 8:38. Gators 49–3.
• TROY – Sam Glusman 42-yard field goal, 0:39. Gators 49–6. ; 4th Quarter
• FLA – Mike Gillislee 6-yard pass from John Brantley (Caleb Sturgis kick), 6:19. Gators 56–6.

The Florida Gators met the Troy Trojans in Gainesville, Florida. After a slow start, the Gators scored four times in the second quarter before cruising to a 56–6 victory.

Tennessee

; 1st Quarter

• FLA – Caleb Sturgis, 37-yard field goal, 11:33. Gators 3–0.
• TENN – Daniel Lincoln, 24-yard field goal, 3:00. Tied 3–3. ; 2nd Quarter
• FLA – Tim Tebow, 1-yard run (Caleb Sturgis kick), 12:48. Gators 10–3.
• TENN – Daniel Lincoln, 20-yard field goal, 5:56. Gators 10–6.
• FLA – Caleb Sturgis, 29-yard field goal, 0:51. Gators 13–6. ; 3rd Quarter
• FLA – Caleb Sturgis, 35-yard field goal, 9:33. Gators 16–6.
• FLA – Jeffery Demps 7-yard run (Caleb Sturgis kick), 0:07. Gators 23–6. ; 4th Quarter
• TENN – Montario Hardesty 17-yard run (Daniel Lincoln kick), 8:11. Gators 23–13. In what may have been the most talked about game all pre-season, the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers met in Gainesville, Florida. Most of the pre-game talk surrounded comments made by Volunteers head coach Lane Kiffin. Despite Kiffin’s talk during his introductory press conference, of singing Rocky Top all night long after they beat Florida, Tennessee played very conservatively on offense and was kept out of the end zone until the fourth quarter, by which time they were down 23-6 and ended with the Gators holding on for a 23–13 victory.

Kentucky

In their first road game of the season, the Florida Gators traveled to Lexington, Kentucky to face the Wildcats. The Gators quickly took at 31–0 lead in the first quarter before going on to win 41–7. The biggest news story to come out of the game was a concussion suffered by Tim Tebow during the third quarter. Tebow spent the night in a Lexington hospital; returning two weeks later for Florida's 13–3 win at LSU.

LSU

; Leading passers

• FLA – Tim Tebow – 11/16, 134 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
• LSU – Jordan Jefferson – 11/17, 96 yards, 1 INT ; Leading rushers
• FLA – Jeffery Demps – 16 rushes, 86 yards
• LSU – Charles Scott – 13 rushes, 53 yards ; Leading receivers
• FLA – Aaron Hernandez – 6 receptions, 70 yards
• LSU – Brandon LaFell – 4 receptions, 44 yards ; 1st Quarter
• FLA – Caleb Sturgis, 28-yard field goal, 3:50. Gators 3–0. ; 2nd Quarter
• LSU – Josh Jasper, 18-yard field goal, 5:16. Tied 3–3.
• FLA – Riley Cooper, 24-yard pass from Tim Tebow (Caleb Sturgis kick), 0:50. Gators 10–3. ; 3rd Quarter
• None. ; 4th Quarter
• FLA – Caleb Sturgis, 32-yard field goal, 7:27. Gators 13–3.

Arkansas

; 1st Quarter

• None. ; 2nd Quarter
• ARK – Broderick Green, 1-yard run (Alex Tejada kick), 3:00. Razorbacks 7–0.
• FLA – Caleb Sturgis, 30-yard field goal, 1:40. Razorbacks 7–3.
• ARK – Alex Tejada, 22-yard field goal, 0:00. Razorbacks 10–3. ; 3rd Quarter
• FLA – Caleb Sturgis, 51-yard field goal, 10:53. Razorbacks 10–6.
• FLA – Deonte Thompson, 77-yard pass from Tim Tebow (Caleb Sturgis kick), 2:59. Gators 13–10.
• ARK – Alex Tejada, 31-yard field goal, 0:07. Tied 13–13. ; 4th Quarter
• ARK – Greg Childs, 75-yard pass from Ryan Mallett (Alex Tejada kick), 9:40. Razorbacks 20–13.
• FLA – Jeffery Demps, 10-yard run (Caleb Sturgis kick), 7:27. Tied 20–20.
• FLA – Caleb Sturgis 27-yard field goal, 0:09. Gators 23–20.

Mississippi State

Georgia

Vanderbilt

South Carolina

Florida International

Florida State

; 1st Quarter

• FLA – Aaron Hernandez, 18-yard pass from Tim Tebow (Caleb Sturgis kick), 6:48. Gators 7–0. ; 2nd Quarter
• FLA – Caleb Sturgis, 37-yard field goal, 14:55. Gators 10–0.
• FLA – Tim Tebow, 18-yard run (Caleb Sturgis kick), 3:59. Gators 17–0.
• FLA – Aaron Hernandez, 37-yard pass from Tim Tebow (Caleb Sturgis kick), 1:07. Gators 24–0. ; 3rd Quarter
• FLA – Riley Cooper, 39-yard pass from Tim Tebow (PAT blocked), 11:27. Gators 30–0.
• FSU – Dustin Hopkins, 20-yard field goal, 0:00. Gators 30–3. ; 4th Quarter
• FLA – Tim Tebow, 1-yard run (Caleb Sturgis kick), 10:18. Gators 37–3.
• FSU – Jarmon Fortson, 9-yard pass from E. J. Manuel (Dustin Hopkins kick), 8:11. Gators 37–10.

In the regular season finale, the Gators blew by the Seminoles 37–10. A new attendance record at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was set with 90,907 present.

SEC Championship Game vs. Alabama

Main article: 2009 SEC Championship Game

; Leading passers

• FLA – Tim Tebow – 20/35, 247 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
• ALA – Greg McElroy – 12/18, 239 yards, 1 TD ; Leading rushers
• FLA – Tim Tebow – 10 rushes, 63 yards
• ALA – Mark Ingram II – 28 rushes, 113 yards, 3 TD ; Leading receivers
• FLA – Aaron Hernandez – 8 receptions, 85 yards
• ALA – Marquis Maze – 5 receptions, 96 yards ; 1st Quarter
• ALA – Leigh Tiffin, 48-yard field goal, 10:37. Crimson Tide 3–0.
• ALA – Mark Ingram II, 7-yard run (PAT failed), 5:33. Crimson Tide 9–0.
• FLA – Caleb Sturgis, 48-yard field goal, 0:28. Crimson Tide 9–3. ; 2nd Quarter
• ALA – Leigh Tiffin, 34-yard field goal, 6:03. Crimson Tide 12–3.
• FLA – David Nelson, 23-yard pass from Tim Tebow (Caleb Sturgis kick), 4:31. Crimson Tide 12–10.
• ALA – Mark Ingram, 3-yard run (Leigh Tiffin kick), 3:32. Crimson Tide 19–10.
• FLA – Caleb Sturgis 32-yard field goal, 1:18. Crimson Tide 19–13. ; 3rd Quarter
• ALA – Colin Peek 17-yard pass from Greg McElroy (Leigh Tiffin kick), 9:53. Crimson Tide 26–13. ; 4th Quarter
• ALA – Mark Ingram 1-yard run (2PT attempt failed), 13:49. Crimson Tide 32–13.

In a rematch of last year's SEC Championship Game, the Crimson Tide handed the Gators their only loss of the season. Alabama running back Mark Ingram II scored three touchdowns in the 32–13 win.

Sugar Bowl vs. Cincinnati

Main article: 2010 Sugar Bowl

Personnel

Depth chart

(revised 12-2–09)

Roster

Coaching staff

Statistics

Team

|}

Scores by quarter

Offense

Rushing

Passing

Receiving

Players drafted into the NFL

References

References

1. "Florida 2009 Media Guide". University Athletic Association, Inc..
2. "UF's Urban Meyer Steps Down as Head Football Coach".
3. (2009-01-11). "Tebow wants to do it all over again". ESPN.com.
4. [https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090822/ap_on_sp_co_ne/fbc_t25_college_fb_poll Gators are No. 1 in AP preseason Top 25 poll]
5. "Gators shrug off top ranking in preseason coaches' poll".
6. ''[http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2012/media_guide.pdf 2012 Florida Football Media Guide] {{webarchive. link. (2013-05-27 '', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 114 & 116 (2012). Retrieved September 16, 2012.)
7. GatorZone.com, Football, History, [http://www.gatorzone.com/football/history/2009/team.pdf Florida Football 2009] {{Webarchive. link. (2012-05-02 . Retrieved November 25, 2011.)
8. "Florida Gators QB Tim Tebow taken to hospital after hard sack". ESPN.
9. "Gatorzone.com: No. 1 Florida Defeats FSU, 37–10, on Senior Day".
10. "2009 University of Florida Football Roster and Coaches".