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Florida routs Hawaii in opener

Aug 30, 2008 - 11:56 PM GAINESVILLE, Florida (Ticker) -- Last year, former Hawaii coach June Jones referred to Florida's Tim Tebow as a "system" quarterback.

That "system" overpowered Hawaii on Saturday, as the fifth-ranked Gators overcame a sluggish start to post a season-opening 56-10 victory over the Warriors, who are beginning life without Jones and record-setting quarterback Colt Brennan.

Opening a bid to join Archie Griffin as the only back-to-back Heisman winners, Tebow had a quiet game, completing only 9-of-14 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown.

But Tebow did not need to do much and got plenty of help from his defense, which held the Warriors (0-1) to 241 yards and forced six turnovers, including two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. That is an encouraging sign for Florida, which is looking for improved play from its defense following last season's up-and-down 9-4 campaign.

"We were working on pass defense all summer very hard, and it showed," Florida coach Urban Meyer said. "Our defensive coaches did a nice job coaching our guys up. We forced six turnovers and when you force six turnovers, you've got good stuff going on."

Hawaii gained a large chunk of its offense on a meaningless 80-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter.

Florida also got a score from its special teams, as Brandon James returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown to give the Gators a 21-0 lead with 5 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter.

"It was a good effort from every one today," Tebow said. "Offensively, the running backs ran well, and we spread the ball around effectively. Everyone was part of the win."

Still, Florida (1-0) was held scoreless in the first quarter, but erupted for 28 points in the second quarter and tacked on another 28 points in the third period to extend their lead to 56-0, spoiling Greg McMackin's debut as Hawaii coach.

"We were on the ropes a little bit in the first quarter, but we responded all right after that," Meyer said.

It is a safe bet that the Warriors have had enough of the Southeastern Conference, as they have been outscored, 97-20, in their last two contests against SEC opponents. That includes a 41-10 loss to Georgia in last season's Sugar Bowl.

Hawaii's offense was a far cry from the potent attack that Brennan directed for the past three seasons while throwing for an NCAA-record 131 touchdown passes.

"Florida is an excellent, well-coached football team with great athletes," McMackin said. "They are definitely as good as Georgia. We made some crucial mistakes."

Still, the Warriors held the Gators scoreless until James scored on a 1-yard TD run with 11:39 remaining in the first half. Less than a minute later, safety Major Wright returned an interception 32 yards for a score, and the rout was on.

Safety Ahmad Black had the first two interceptions of his career, including an 80-yard return in the third quarter to complete the scoring for Florida, which finished with 408 yards of total offense after the slow start in a tuneup for next week's grudge match against state rival Miami.

"The defensive line got good pressure on the quarterback and the corners had good pressure underneath," Black said. "The quarterback threw a couple bad passes, and I took advantage of them."

Hawaii's Greg Alexander completed 11-of-21 passes for just 57 yards and two interceptions before getting benched. Overall, the Warriors had four interceptions and two fumbles.

Brent Rausch, a junior college transfer, had won the job as Brennan's heir apparent, but did not start Saturday due to soreness in his throwing shoulder. He did see limited action, completing 2-of-7 passes for 14 yards.

"This won't define us," Hawaii wide receiver Greg Salas said. "We're better than that. We're going to come back stronger."

But the Warriors were worn down by the more talented Gators, who rushed for 276 yards.

Freshman Jeff Demps paced Florida on the ground with 76 yards on just two carries. His 62-yard TD scamper gave the Gators a 35-0 lead early in the third quarter.