http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nca...le-miss-returns-to-swamp/ar-AAeWi6E?li=AA54yf
Tim Tebow's Promise speech inspires current Gators as Ole Miss returns to Swamp 2 / 31
Orlando Sentinel
Edgar Thompson13 hrs ago
GAINESVILLE - Tim Tebow sat on the Florida locker room floor, leaning his exhausted frame against coach Urban Meyer and replaying the crushing defeat over and over.
The teary-eyed Tebow blamed himself for the No. 4 Gators' stunning 31-30 loss to unranked Ole Miss. The team's Heisman-winning quarterback knew he never wanted to feel this way again.
Tebow eventually composed himself, showered and headed toward post-game interviews, pausing next to the iconic gator head near the locker room to be alone with his thoughts one last time.
Somewhere along the way, "The Promise" was born.
With Ole Miss returning Saturday to the Swamp for the first time since Tebow's inspirational speech, Florida tight end Jake McGee flipped on YouTube Monday night to watch it.
"It was like 11 o'clock and it got me excited for today's practice and already excited for Saturday," McGee said Tuesday. "I had to calm down a little bit."
The mood was much more subdued seven years ago as Tebow addressed reporters, as well as Gator Nation.
Choking back tears, Tebow vowed that no one in college football would work harder than him and his teammates the rest of the season. True to their quarterback's word, the Gators won their final 10 games by an average of 35 points.
"Tim was the ultimate leader," former UF center Mike Pouncey said. "He showed it that day."
Tebow did not plan the 102-word declaration.
The Promise speech emerged out of a spontaneous combustion of raw emotion and would inspire the Gators' delirious run to the 2008 national championship.
"There were a lot of us who felt the same way," wide receiver Louis Murphy said. "He had the leadership to say it."
Tebow was a special college player but an unparalleled leader.
Against Ole Miss, Tebow fell short of his standard.
"I remember that we didn't play as good as we could have, and I remember that we kind of took our foot off the gas a little bit and we were coasting," Tebow said while visiting Gainesville last week. "I think that [had] a lot to do with my lack of leadership in that game."
Coming off a Week 4 loss at home to SEC pushover Vanderbilt, the Rebels rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit and, incredibly, stopped Tebow on 4th-and-1 to seal the win.
Tebow had built his reputation during similar situations, beginning famously as a freshman at Tennessee for the eventual 2006 national champions.
This time, against Ole Miss, Tebow lay under a pile of bodies knowing he had failed.
"Agonizing," is how he remembered the moment.
Tebow's frustration and despair were felt collectively by Gator fans in the Swamp.
The Promise was for them, as much as anyone.
"What I did that Saturday after the game that was for the fans," Tebow recalled. "For me, I grew up a Florida fan. I'll always be a Florida fan and that was something that I wanted."
The Gators and their fans had high hopes for the 2008 team.
A year earlier, Meyer's young squad endured growing pains during a 9-4 season. But Tebow still captured the Heisman Trophy, and the next season spearheaded a roster featuring 30 future NFL players - including Percy Harvin, Brandon Spikes and Joe Haden - and eyeing an undefeated finish.
"That was my goal," Tebow said.
Ole Miss ended those dreams before October arrived and reset the goals for Tebow and the shell-shocked Gators.
Florida's locker room was filled with prideful players struggling to come to grips with what had just happened against the Rebels.
Leading 17-7, Florida fumbled on back-to-back drives to open the second half - first by Harvin, and then by Tebow. After Tebow's fumble, Ole Miss tied the game at 17-17.
Florida scored touchdown with 3:30 remaining to bring the score to 31-30, but missed the extra point. Given one more chance by the defense, Tebow completed three straight passes to move from the Gators to the Ole Miss 41.
A nine-yard run on third down by Brandon James set up the fourth-and-one play Tebow will never forget.
"We missed our opportunities," he said. "We missed our opportunity on fourth-and-one and we missed the extra point. Obviously, if you can't already tell, I don't even remember it though."
Tebow flashed a knowing smile.
Winners write history, and The Promise is a powerful, important chapter in Gators' lore.
Current UF safety Nick Washington can recite it word for word. Each day players pass by the speech engraved on a plaque outside the entrance to the Heavener Football Complex since March 2009.
"Man, I remember that, that speech, and after that those guys went on a winning streak," tailback Kelvin Taylor said Tuesday. "I'm about to go look at it, as a matter of fact."
Tebow, now 28, cannot recall the speech verbatim, but the exact words are not important now.
"I know what I felt in my heart," he said.
Tebow believed he had let down himself and everyone else, and he wanted to make things right. He ended up making history.
The Promise actually turned out to be a guarantee.
"We knew we were getting the real deal with Tebow," defensive tackle Lawrence Marsh said. "Him predicting we would go out and finish the season, he pretty much did it without saying it to anybody. He was going out there on faith.
"It was like, 'Uh oh, he really said that? Time to back it up.'"
egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
Tim Tebow's Promise speech inspires current Gators as Ole Miss returns to Swamp 2 / 31
Orlando Sentinel
Edgar Thompson13 hrs ago
GAINESVILLE - Tim Tebow sat on the Florida locker room floor, leaning his exhausted frame against coach Urban Meyer and replaying the crushing defeat over and over.
The teary-eyed Tebow blamed himself for the No. 4 Gators' stunning 31-30 loss to unranked Ole Miss. The team's Heisman-winning quarterback knew he never wanted to feel this way again.
Tebow eventually composed himself, showered and headed toward post-game interviews, pausing next to the iconic gator head near the locker room to be alone with his thoughts one last time.
Somewhere along the way, "The Promise" was born.
With Ole Miss returning Saturday to the Swamp for the first time since Tebow's inspirational speech, Florida tight end Jake McGee flipped on YouTube Monday night to watch it.
"It was like 11 o'clock and it got me excited for today's practice and already excited for Saturday," McGee said Tuesday. "I had to calm down a little bit."
The mood was much more subdued seven years ago as Tebow addressed reporters, as well as Gator Nation.
Choking back tears, Tebow vowed that no one in college football would work harder than him and his teammates the rest of the season. True to their quarterback's word, the Gators won their final 10 games by an average of 35 points.
"Tim was the ultimate leader," former UF center Mike Pouncey said. "He showed it that day."
Tebow did not plan the 102-word declaration.
The Promise speech emerged out of a spontaneous combustion of raw emotion and would inspire the Gators' delirious run to the 2008 national championship.
"There were a lot of us who felt the same way," wide receiver Louis Murphy said. "He had the leadership to say it."
Tebow was a special college player but an unparalleled leader.
Against Ole Miss, Tebow fell short of his standard.
"I remember that we didn't play as good as we could have, and I remember that we kind of took our foot off the gas a little bit and we were coasting," Tebow said while visiting Gainesville last week. "I think that [had] a lot to do with my lack of leadership in that game."
Coming off a Week 4 loss at home to SEC pushover Vanderbilt, the Rebels rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit and, incredibly, stopped Tebow on 4th-and-1 to seal the win.
Tebow had built his reputation during similar situations, beginning famously as a freshman at Tennessee for the eventual 2006 national champions.
This time, against Ole Miss, Tebow lay under a pile of bodies knowing he had failed.
"Agonizing," is how he remembered the moment.
Tebow's frustration and despair were felt collectively by Gator fans in the Swamp.
The Promise was for them, as much as anyone.
"What I did that Saturday after the game that was for the fans," Tebow recalled. "For me, I grew up a Florida fan. I'll always be a Florida fan and that was something that I wanted."
The Gators and their fans had high hopes for the 2008 team.
A year earlier, Meyer's young squad endured growing pains during a 9-4 season. But Tebow still captured the Heisman Trophy, and the next season spearheaded a roster featuring 30 future NFL players - including Percy Harvin, Brandon Spikes and Joe Haden - and eyeing an undefeated finish.
"That was my goal," Tebow said.
Ole Miss ended those dreams before October arrived and reset the goals for Tebow and the shell-shocked Gators.
Florida's locker room was filled with prideful players struggling to come to grips with what had just happened against the Rebels.
Leading 17-7, Florida fumbled on back-to-back drives to open the second half - first by Harvin, and then by Tebow. After Tebow's fumble, Ole Miss tied the game at 17-17.
Florida scored touchdown with 3:30 remaining to bring the score to 31-30, but missed the extra point. Given one more chance by the defense, Tebow completed three straight passes to move from the Gators to the Ole Miss 41.
A nine-yard run on third down by Brandon James set up the fourth-and-one play Tebow will never forget.
"We missed our opportunities," he said. "We missed our opportunity on fourth-and-one and we missed the extra point. Obviously, if you can't already tell, I don't even remember it though."
Tebow flashed a knowing smile.
Winners write history, and The Promise is a powerful, important chapter in Gators' lore.
Current UF safety Nick Washington can recite it word for word. Each day players pass by the speech engraved on a plaque outside the entrance to the Heavener Football Complex since March 2009.
"Man, I remember that, that speech, and after that those guys went on a winning streak," tailback Kelvin Taylor said Tuesday. "I'm about to go look at it, as a matter of fact."
Tebow, now 28, cannot recall the speech verbatim, but the exact words are not important now.
"I know what I felt in my heart," he said.
Tebow believed he had let down himself and everyone else, and he wanted to make things right. He ended up making history.
The Promise actually turned out to be a guarantee.
"We knew we were getting the real deal with Tebow," defensive tackle Lawrence Marsh said. "Him predicting we would go out and finish the season, he pretty much did it without saying it to anybody. He was going out there on faith.
"It was like, 'Uh oh, he really said that? Time to back it up.'"
egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
