Florida swamps Hawaii in rout

Gainesville, Fla. — Measuring one’s self against Hawaii is risky business if the topics are climate, Elvis movie settings or umbrella drinks.

When talking football, though, the field can tilt dramatically the other way.

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Stephen M. Dowell / Orlando Sentine

Florida running back Chris Rainey scores a touchdown against Hawaii.

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As Georgia used Hawaii in the last Sugar Bowl to advance its claim to No. 1 this season, Florida Saturday swamped the Warriors 56-10 to send its own message of intent.

The fifth-ranked Gators beat Hawaii every way you can beat a team. In breaking the game open in the second quarter, they would score touchdowns offensively, defensively and on special teams. And then spend the rest of a blustery afternoon trying to invent new ways to the endzone.

The final reckoning of Florida’s assault: Two interception returns for a touchdown, one punt return for a TD, four rushing touchdowns by four different backs, none of them named Tebow.

Most absent was any kind of ridiculous number attached to quarterback Tim Tebow. He accounted for 55 touchdowns last season on the way to the Heisman. With but one passing touchdown Saturday — for the first time in 13 games, he didn’t rush for a score — he is now on track for 12 TDs in the regular season.

“Aw, shucks,” Tebow said, mockingly, when asked about falling so far below the unrealistic pace he set for himself.

The message Saturday for all those keeping at least one eye on the Gators is that there may be many more of them to watch.

Georgia has the top ranking, but the Gators were the ones chosen by a preseason media poll to win the SEC this season. The press box had at least this much right — Florida seemed deeper and more dangerous than the 9-4 bunch of 2007. Both Bulldogs and Gators already have circled Nov. 1 in bile. Nothing that happened Saturday dulled the anticipation of their appointment in Jacksonville.

Repairs on what was the SEC’s last-ranked pass defense last season seemed to be taking. Hawaii contributed four interceptions to the Gators stat sheet. “Confidence was the main thing we needed,” said cornerback Joe Haden.

And coach Urban Meyer seemed almost giddy about the big-play potential of his Gators. Even without two of his marquee players — explosive Percy Harvin on offense and impact linebacker Brandon Spikes, both out with injury — Florida turned in huge plays by the gross. The Gators scored on six plays of 30 yards or more, three of them went for 60-plus.

“We’ve got guys who, when you make a mistake, can score on you. It’s fun to watch,” the Gators coach said.

The Gators’ leading rusher Saturday was freshman Jeffrey Demps (76 yards on two carries), who ran a 10.1 100 meters in the Olympic trials and doesn’t look much slower in pads. “We kind of like fast people around here, and Demps is really fast in case you haven’t noticed,” Meyer said. “And he’s not just a track guy playing football.”

To all that, add the kind of attitude that led to an improvised fake punt on 4th-and-16 with a 28-0 lead and a celebration penalty after going up 56-0.

This was not the same Hawaii team that the Bulldogs beat 41-10 in the Sugar Bowl. Most notably, Florida didn’t have quarterback Colt Brennan to kick around. His replacement, Greg Alexander, had difficulty throwing either overhand or underhand (his lost a grip on one shovel pass morphed into a fumble).

But with whatever standard of measure is available, Georgia and Florida might warily compare themselves from afar. Both have proven themselves against Hawaii, and now the battle begins for control of the mainland.