FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Florida Gators may have some bulletin-board material, a little extra motivation heading into the Bowl Championship Series title game.
Oklahoma cornerback Dominique Franks, a sophomore from Tulsa, Okla., called Florida’s Tim Tebow the fourth-best quarterback in the country Sunday.
Franks said Tebow, who is already miffed he finished third in Heisman voting last month, ranks behind Sooners teammate and Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, Texas’ Colt McCoy and Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell. Franks added that preparing for McCoy and Harrell was tougher than getting ready to face the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Tebow.
“If you look at the three best quarterbacks in the country, (they) came from the Big 12,” Franks said. “The three best receivers in the country came from the Big 12. The three best tight ends came from the Big 12. So we’ve faced some great offenses, and a lot of people don’t understand that other conferences don’t have what we face.”
Franks then acknowledged that Tebow would be fourth on his QB list.
“Yup. I think our quarterbacks are better,” Franks said. “Just the way they conduct themselves and how they play on the field. I just think, playing against those guys, it’s a lot harder to prepare for those guys than it is for Tebow.”
Franks said devising a game plan for a quarterback who is going to throw the ball 40 or more times a game is more difficult than getting ready for someone like Tebow, who likely will throw the ball far less.
Defensive coordinator Brent Venables defended his player, saying Franks was “going to bat for the guys he has a lot of respect for.”
“I think he’s just a young guy that doesn’t know any better, too,” Venables said. “He hasn’t watched enough tape. And I really mean that. … Not that he doesn’t have (respect for Tebow), but guys that he’s familiar with.
“We’re in a situation to answer questions about how this guy compares and how the conference compares. But it really doesn’t matter. It’s how you match up on Thursday. It’s not the SEC vs. the Big 12. It’s not the defense vs. the offense. It’s this team vs. this team, Florida against Oklahoma.”
Tebow has played some of his best games against opponents who got chatty before the game. Remember Florida State linebacker Geno Hayes? How about LSU defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois?
Hayes said Tebow was “going down” a few days before the Seminoles played Florida in 2007. Tebow responded on the field, running for 89 yards and two touchdowns and throwing for 262 yards and three scores as the Gators rolled 45-12. Hayes, meanwhile, had a meaningless tackle in the fourth quarter.
Jean-Francois has even less success when he said the Tigers would try to knock Tebow out of their matchup this season. Tebow laughed it off, then accounted for three touchdowns in Florida’s 51-21 romp. Jean-Francois, meanwhile, missed the game because of an injury.
Tebow was unavailable for comment following Franks’ remarks Sunday. Franks wasn’t the only Sooners player feeling confident about the facing Tebow, either.
“He’s a great player, but I think we’ll be able to handle him,” defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said.
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