AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2007 > December > 10
Monday, December 10, 2007
Tebow won Heisman on Nov. 10 at South Carolina
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Three things we learned over the weekend:
1. Tebow won the Heisman with his performance at South Carolina: On Nov. 10 Florida went to South Carolina for a game most thought would be competitive because Steve Spurrier was at home and coaching against his alma mater. With Florida WR Percy Harvin out, everybody in the ballpark knew that Florida would ride Tim Tebow all night long. South Carolina had a beaten up, weak defense. But it was still an SEC defense and the Gamecocks still couldn’t stop him. Tebow ran for five touchdowns and threw for two more.
That night even Florida coach Urban Meyer, who had laughed at the notion of a Tebow Heisman in May, admitted that his quarterback was doing something none of us had ever seen. Tebow’s numbers are unprecedented in SEC history. Darren McFadden is a magnificent football player but Tim Tebow had a Heisman Trophy season.
2. Michigan is like a little old lady: You remember the one down the street who had a good, reliable Chevy in the garage for all those years? It wasn’t fancy but it got her to the grocery store and to church and back. But finally the old Chevy gave out she had to go buy a new car and got a huge case of sticker shock. That’s Michigan as it tries to hire a new football coach.
The market has changed dramatically since Lloyd Carr took over in 1995. On principle, Michigan feels it shouldn’t have to pay north of $2 million for a football coach. That’s admirable and a little arrogant. But that attitude ain’t going to beat Jim Tressel and the Ohio State Buckeyes who are now 6-1 against the Maize and Blue.
You didn’t ask but I’ll share this. The best fit for Michigan, and the guy who could out-Tressel Jim Tressel, is coaching at Wake Forest. Jim Grobe, who has told friends that he probably has one more move left him, would be perfect for Michigan.
3. Arkansas looks to NFL: Media reports out of Little Rock have Arkansas perhaps looking to the NFL to find a head coach to replace Houston Nutt. We’ll see how many of those guys Arkansas can help get raises. They’ve already helped four households named Tuberville, Bowden, Davis and Grobe have a very Merry Christmas.
Here’s a hint to my Arkansas friends: If you want a good coach who knows offense better than anybody, hire Norm Chow of the Tennessee Titans. He should have been a head coach long ago. If you want an energetic guy to compete with the big boys of the SEC in recruiting and reunite the fan base, hire Will Muschamp from Auburn or Charlie Strong from Florida.
