GAINESVILLE — Florida QB Tim Tebow can remember being 5 or 6 years old and watching former Gator QB Danny Wuerffel and former Tennessee QB Peyton Manning battle each other in the then-developing UF-UT football rivalry.
"I remember how big of a game it was and how much that led to the rest of their season and the momentum in the SEC East and everything," Tebow said Monday.
In his final game against the Vols on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Tebow has an opportunity to become the first quarterback since Wuerffel to earn three wins against the Vols as the starting quarterback.
Tebow and the Gator seniors could all walk away having never lost to Tennessee.
"It would mean a lot," Tebow said. "Tennessee is a great program; they've had a lot of great players come through there. So to finish off undefeated would be very special."
Tebow made himself legendary in the series with his 2-yard run on fourth and 1 during the winning drive against the Vols in 2006. He was a freshman.
"I remember that like it was yesterday when we called timeout and it was fourth and 1," UF coach Urban Meyer said. "I saw this young stallion sitting on the sidelines and it was like, 'Here we go.' He's played really well in this rivalry."
Seeing the light: It has taken a long time, but LB A.J. Jones, a Middleton grad, is living up to the expectations the Gator coaching staff has had for the redshirt junior since his arrival in 2006. Jones has six tackles (1½ for loss) and one sack in two games.
"Like Coach Meyer would say, I guess it took me a little while, but I finally bought in," Jones said. "I'm taking coaching (better) and learning a lot more. I'm going out there playing fast and trying to get the job done. I guess it took me awhile to buy in, but now I just knew I had to go."
Jones is battling Brandon Hicks to start and seeing significant playing time.
"He's one of the top, if not the most improved," Meyer said. "He comes from really good people. At some point you hear people say guys try to find themselves. He's never been any discipline issue whatsoever; he takes care of school. But he did get a little lax in football. … He's a completely different young man right now. I admire him a lot. He's in a dogfight with Hicks for that starting spot, and they'll both play."
Two-sport pro?: After three years of catching mostly his coaches' and teammates' attention with his hard-nosed play, Clearwater Central Catholic graduate Riley Cooper is suddenly the Gators' newest star — albeit a reluctant one. Meyer and receivers coach Billy Gonzalez are getting questions about Cooper, who leads the team with 10 receptions for 187 yards and one touchdown but who excels on special teams and keeps getting seen on national television tackling after he has lost his helmet.
When the season is over, Cooper is expected to join the Texas Rangers organization, with whom he signed a professional baseball contract in August. But what if Cooper wanted to play in the NFL?
"Absolutely, he could be an NFL receiver in a heartbeat," Meyer said, pointing to former WRs Percy Harvin, Louis Murphy and Andre Caldwell who are in the NFL. " … Billy G. has done a great job developing them; now obviously they have to be blessed. But my man Coop could play in the NFL, no question about it."
Said Cooper: "We'll have to see how the season goes. I don't know if it's (NFL) a possibility or not."
Asked if he'd like to be Deion Sanders, the former FSU star who played both sports professionally, Cooper smiled and said, "That would be cool, too. That would definitely be cool."
Wear blue: Meyer is urging fans to wear Gator blue Saturday to stand out from Vols orange.
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