Jan 9, 2009 - 10:07 AM
0 shoutsBy Jim Ralabate PA SportsTicker College Football Editor
Sam Bradford and Oklahoma earned just about every offensive accolade that college football had to offer this season.
Bradford won both the Heisman Trophy, the sport's most prestigious honor, and the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the nation's top quarterback.
The Sooners set NCAA records for points in a season (702) and most consecutive games with at least 60 points (five).
And all it did was provide Florida's defense with further incentive to flex its muscles in Thursday's BCS championship game.
"We felt like we were disrespected, like they thought they were going to come out and run up and down the field," linebacker Brandon Spikes said after the Gators beat the Sooners, 24-14. "It was just another challenge and I think we stepped up to it, the whole team."
To say that the Gators stepped up to the challenge was a massive understatement.
Florida intercepted Bradford twice, held Oklahoma to just 363 yards from scrimmage and limited the Sooners to their lowest-single game points total since October 20, 2007 - when they trudged their way to a 17-7 win at Iowa State.
"Obviously they're a great defense," said Bradford, who was sacked twice and harassed throughout the game. "I don't know if it's one thing that they did tonight. I think there were a couple times where we got ourselves in trouble by getting ourselves behind the chains, forcing ourselves into bad situations."
The Sooners found themselves in a pair of favorable situations in the first half, twice driving inside Florida's 10-yard line.
Both opportunities ended in disaster - no points.
"We had some opportunities early in the game in the red zone, where we've been, as ironic as it is, we've been so efficient the entire year in the red zone," Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said. "We came up short on two different occasions."
Oklahoma appeared to gain momentum midway through the second quarter when, with the score tied at 7-7, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy intercepted Tim Tebow at the Gators' 26-yard line.
But after moving the ball to within inches of the goal line, Oklahoma came up empty when Chris Brown was stuffed on two consecutive running plays.
The second tackle was made by defensive tackle Torrey Davis, who tripped up Brown at the 2-yard line. It was a peculiar pair of play calls by Stoops, who twice eschewed a quarterback sneak with Bradford.
After forcing Florida to punt on the ensuing possession, Oklahoma turned to Bradford, who completed seven straight passes and drove the Sooners to the Gators' 6.
But with 10 seconds left in the first half and the score still tied, Bradford was intercepted near the goal line by safety Major Wright, who hauled in the ball after it had been batted several times.
"I tried to force one in there," Bradford admitted. "I probably should have just thrown it in the back of the end zone and taken the three points."
"Those were big factors in the game, being down in the red zone in those two occasions and end up with nothing," Stoops added.
While the red-zone stoppages seemed to deflate the Sooners, they only further inspired the Gators.
"Our defense always feels like we have to make a stand," defensive back Joe Haden said. "They have a great offense, scoring 60 points a game, and we felt like we had to make a stand."
Florida made its most important stand while clinging to a 17-14 lead in the fourth quarter.
Bradford and the Sooners quickly moved the ball to midfield with 10 minutes remaining and appeared destined to take the lead.
But the tide turned when Bradford's long pass over the middle went through Juaquin Iglesias' hands and was intercepted by safety Ahmad Black.
"The play of the game was Ahmad Black snatching the ball away from the receiver," Florida coach Urban Meyer said. "We're up by three, and that's a potential go-ahead touchdown."
"That's just the way it goes," Stoops said. "Juaquin has his hands on it, and the other guy has it, and they end up coming down and as they fall. (Black) gets a better grip on the ball, and there it is."
And there it was for the Gators, who once again delivered their best defensive effort when it mattered most - just like they did two years ago in throttling Heisman winner Troy Smith and No. 1 Ohio State for the national title.
"We like challenges," Haden said. "We like playing against good offenses. We like to show how good of a defense we are."
