The week prior to the game, it was announced that DT Marcus Thomas was indefinitely suspended after failing a drug test. Florida quarterback Chris Leak was 19-of-29 for 352yards and four touchdowns. Maurkice & Mike Pouncey. Soon thereafter, the Gators seemingly averted danger when they stripped the ball from the Tigers at the goal line. As the Gators came into their annual rivalry game with Georgia, they were heavily favored. The team is honored as BCS champions by President George W. Bush at the White House. From there, the Gators offense stagnated for most of the first half. 101st football season in school history; second national championship victory, Ten-year national championship anniversary, 2006 Florida Gators footballconsensus national champions, 2006 Southeastern Conference football standings, 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings, 2007 national championship in men's basketball, https://web.archive.org/web/20070929111019/http://www.gatorzone.com/football/media/2006/pdf/42.pdf, https://web.archive.org/web/20091222085829/http://www.gatorzone.com/football/history/2006/team.pdf, "NCAA Official Stats, 2006 Toughest Schedule, Sorted on Cumulative Opposition", Florida Gators, NCAA Football, Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes - CBSSports.com, NCAA Football - Arkansas Razorbacks/Florida Gators Preview Saturday December 2, 2006 - Yahoo! Get a summary of the Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Florida Gators football game. DeShawn Wynn added 86yards on the ground to help the Gators maintain a steady attack. In desperation, Florida responded on the last play of the game with a failed hook and lateral play, which Auburn's defense was able to pick up and return for a score as time expired. Two national championship rings and a Heisman Trophy. Leak threw three interceptions, all of which came with the Gators controlling the flow of the game. Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. The 2007 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was an American football game played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on January 8, 2007, and featured the top-ranked Big Ten champion Ohio State Buckeyes against the 2nd-ranked SEC champion Florida Gators.The Gators would defeat the Buckeyes by a final score of 41-14. Tebow appeared to be running yet again, but he pitched the ball to wide receiver Andre Caldwell who then threw a touchdown pass to tight end Tate Casey which proved to give the Gators a big enough lead to win their first conference championship in six years. Kyle Pitts became the highest-picked tight end in NFL draft history back in 2021 after being named a unanimous All-American and winning the John Mackey Award during his junior campaign. After the Tigers muffed on a Gator punt a drive later, reserve freshman QB Tim Tebow scored on a QB sneak from one yard out to tie the game. Following the interception, the Gators continued to use unorthodox formations and plays to keep Ohio State off balance. [6], In addition, with the men's basketball team winning the 2006 and 2007 NCAA men's basketball national championships, the University of Florida became the first Division I school to ever win the football and men's basketball titles during the same year. Join our linker program. : The momentum changed yet again, this time in Florida's favor. DeShawn Wynn and Tim Tebow each rushed for a touchdown for the Gators. Leak rebounded to finish 21-of-30 for 248 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Buckeyes then got their first offensive possession of the game. Conferences. [18], at Alltel Stadium Jacksonville, Florida. Freshman Tim Tebowthe backup quarterbackled the Gators in rushing for the second time in four games with 73 yards on six rushes. Florida's defense again came up huge in the second half, when on the first play of the half, Georgia tailback Kregg Lumpkin fumbled the ball and defensive tackle Ray McDonald recovered the fumble and returned it for a touchdown, giving the Gators a commanding 210 lead. Assistant Coach Men's and Women's Swimming. He appealed the suspension, but missed the Kentucky game while awaiting word on the appeal. Schedule and Results. Brandon James also added a 77-yard touchdown from a punt return. On the next offensive series, Leak was intercepted on an attempted shovel pass which was returned by Antwain Robinson for a touchdown, giving the Razorbacks a stunning 2117 lead. Ten-year national championship anniversary, Postseason awards and further accomplishments, 2006 Florida Gators footballconsensus national champions, List of Green Bay Packers starting quarterbacks, List of Washington Redskins starting quarterbacks, 2006 Southeastern Conference football season, Southeastern Conference football champion seasons, 2006 Florida State Seminoles football team, http://www.gatorzone.com/football/media/2006/pdf/42.pdf, http://gatorzone.com/football/history/2006/team.pdf, "NCAA Official Stats, 2006 Toughest Schedule, Sorted on Cumulative Opposition", http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/2006/Internet/toughest%20schedule/ia_9games_cumm.pdf, Florida Gators, NCAA Football, Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes - CBSSports.com, NCAA Football - Arkansas Razorbacks/Florida Gators Preview Saturday December 2, 2006 - Yahoo! Even with this swing of momentum, the Gators were unable to capitalize and elected to punt from midfield. Big Ten, . The third-ranked Gators had little trouble disposing of the 1-AA Western Carolina Catamounts 620. Roster; Game Logs; Splits; More 2006 Florida Pages. The win made the Gators No. Riley Cooper, yet another freshman, added three receiving touchdowns in the game. Ohio State ran a draw play on 3rd down and punted on the following play. Leak led the Gators back on the field, starting from the Ohio State 35-yard line. Or write about sports? This page was last edited on 8 March 2023, at 00:50. Florida's defense again came up huge in the second half, when on the first play of the half, Georgia tailback Kregg Lumpkin fumbled the ball and defensive tackle Ray McDonald recovered the fumble and returned it for a touchdown, giving the Gators a commanding 210 lead. Florida entered the game hoping to avenge a 313 loss in Tuscaloosa, Alabama the previous season, and end a rare three-game losing streak against a conference opponent. Scoreboard; Box Scores; Previews; Injury Report; The Gators' schedule included a four-game stretch against teams likely to be in the top-15 teams, starting with Alabama on September 30. The Gators responded with a field goal, their first of the season for a 33 tie at the end of the first quarter. Chris Leak rallied the Gators to within a field goal when he found Dallas Baker for a four-yard touchdown. Georgia was unable to score on the following drive, but freshman Tim Tebow fumbled on Florida's 10-yard line to give Georgia a shot at drawing within seven points. Leak found Dallas Baker on a 21-yard touchdown pass to strengthen Florida's lead, and safety Reggie Nelson picked off John Parker Wilson's pass and took it 70 yards for the score to put the game out of reach. Razorbacks quarterback Casey Dick, who had struggled mightily in the past few games, threw a perfect pass to Marcus Monk who caught the pass for a 47-yard touchdown. By forcing a safety in the third quarter, the Gator defense outscored the blanked Golden Knights offense. As such, the official record for Alabama is 0-7 (0-6 in conference). College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Gators. Troy Smith continued to have the worst game of his Buckeye career, as he was sacked for a 14-yard loss on the drive, putting Ohio State into a 3rd and 29-hole. Top ten college football programs ranked by all-time NFL draft picks Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. In one of the most anticipated games of the season, former Gator head coach and current Florida quality control assistant Steve Spurrier returned to The Swamp as South Carolina's head coach. The Gators trailed for nearly the entire first three quarters. On the following play, running back DeShawn Wynn rumbled in for a two yard touchdown, giving the Gators a stunning 217 lead. Leak again rallied the team, but it was freshman Tim Tebow who made a huge play when he converted a crucial fourth down inside Tennessee territory. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. American Football Database is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. There has been a critical error on this website. He did, however, kick a 22-yard field goal.[19]. Both teams traded three and outs before Florida exploded in the second quarter. Florida School History; Schedule & Results; Roster; Game Logs; Splits; . (); : Richardson: 176/327 (53.8%), 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 103 rushing attempts, 719 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns Kitna: 10/14 (71.4%), 181 yards, one touchdown, one. Looking Back On, and Forward To, Florida's QB Room - Sports Illustrated Janoris Jenkins. In the second quarter, with a touchdown pass from Chris Leak to Ryan Williams the Gators took a 103 lead. Need we say more about Tim Tebow? The Gators strengthened their lead to 178 on a Tim Tebow run. Game summary of the Florida Gators vs. Ohio State Buckeyes NCAAF game, final score 41-14, from January 8, 2007 on ESPN. Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. 2006 Florida Gators football team - Wikipedia The Buckeyes came back on their next possession, trailing by a touchdown. 2022 Florida Gators Roster - College Football Players See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. Find out more. As the Gators came into their annual rivalry game with Georgia, they were heavily favored. The game did not start well for the Gators, however. (); : Sports, President Bush Welcomes the 2006 NCAA Football Champion Florida Gators to the White House, Gators hold football and basketball titles, SEC East spring recap - College Football - ESPN, ESPN College Gameday heading to Gainesville, Blocked field goal keeps title hopes alive, "Chance Nearly Slips Away, but Florida Makes Its Case", ESPN Florida Gators vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Play-by-Play, January 8, 2007 NCAA College Football, Broncos select Jarvis Moss, Denverpost.com, University Athletic Field / Fleming Field, College football national champions (championship game era), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2006_Florida_Gators_football_team&oldid=1143483715, 2006 Southeastern Conference football season, Southeastern Conference football champion seasons, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using CFB schedule with named parameters, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Fumble recovery returned 50 yards for touchdown by Prince Hall, Jamie Christensen kick good, Interception returned 70 yards for touchdown by, Andre Caldwell 40-yard touchdown reception from, Fumble recovery returned 9 yards for touchdown by, Kregg Lumpkin 8-yard touchdown run, Andy Bailey kick good, Antwain Robinson 40-yard interception return (Jeremy Davis kick), Wondy Pierre-Louis recovered blocked punt in end zone (Chris Hetland kick), Percy Harvin 67-yard run (Chris Hetland kick), Felix Jones 29-yard pass from Cedric Washington (Jeremy Davis kick), Tim Tebow 1-yard run (Chris Hetland kick), $ BCS representative as conference champion. ESPN's College GameDay was at JordanHare Stadium to cover the critical SEC matchup between the number two ranked Gators and the number eleven ranked Auburn Tigers. The Gators used the game to give young players some playing time. Anthony Nesty. Offensive tackle David Conner hit the transfer portal after redshirting his freshman year at Florida, and now he'll play for Deion (). He appealed the suspension, but missed the Kentucky game while awaiting word on the appeal. Tim Tebow was again brought into the game and powered his way off the right side for a touchdown, giving the Gators a commanding 4114 lead. Cooper Carlisle helped cement the offensive line from 1996 to 1999 under Spurrier, earning a national championship ring as a redshirt freshman. Smith and the Buckeyes marched back on the field, hoping to tie the game. Marcus Gilbert. SOS: 5.77 (14th of 119) . Crawford Ker was another key member of the Great Wall of Florida who helped the Gators earn their first-ever SEC title (which would later be vacated). Visit ESPN to view the Florida Gators team roster for the current season However, Wynn was stopped on a 3rd and 8 play, for only 2yards. Outcome: Charges were dropped and. College Football Scores. ); The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. Starting QB Chris Leak, despite going 17-of-26 passing, was held without a touchdown for the first time this season. Chris Leak's third pass attempt of the game was intercepted by the Golden Eagles, who scored on a 6-yard Damion Carter pass to Jeremy Young 3 plays later. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Florida needed a first down on third and five to seal their victory and elected to give Andre Caldwell a carry off a reverse. 2 Michigan and play in the BCS National Championship Game with a win. The second half of the game was more of a defensive struggle for both teams, but the Gators scored two more touchdowns (and made both PATs) to make the final score 267. All rights reserved. The Gators again continued their relentless pressure on Smith, sacking him several times, and pressuring him into bad throws. Florida entered the game hoping to avenge a 313 loss in Tuscaloosa, Alabama the previous season, and end a rare three-game losing streak against a conference opponent. The Buckeyes attempted to establish a power running game with Pittman and Chris Wells, but the Gator defense was up to the task. On the following Arkansas offensive series, the momentum of the game appeared to change yet again, when receiver Cedric Washington threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Jones on another trick play. Florida scored on their first possession of the game, moving the ball very effectively with a blend of running and passing. RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports. All rights reserved. The Gators got the football back, hoping to restore their two-touchdown lead. During the 2006 season, the Gators also celebrated two milestones in their history: the tenth anniversary of their first national football championship in 1996, and 100 years of Florida football dating to their first season in 1906. Alabama had all victories vacated by the NCAA in 2010. After the Tigers muffed on a Gator punt a drive later, reserve freshman QB Tim Tebow scored on a QB sneak from one yard out to tie the game.