BCS National Championship Game

SI Staff | Jan 9, 2009

BCS National Championship Game /

BCS National Championship Game

Sam Bradford is sacked for the first time by Brandon Hicks in the first quarter.

Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford delivers a pass in the first half.

Florida safety Major Wright zeroes in on Manny Johnson just before delivering a bone crushing blow in the first quarter.

Oklahoma LB Travis Lewis gets to Florida QB Tim Tebow just a second too late.

Oklahoma receiver Juaquin Iglesias hauls in a pass in the first quarter.

Dangerous Florida playmaker Brandon James runs in the open field.

Florida senior captain Louis Murphy puts the Gators on the board first quarter ...

... by sprawling for the end zone on this 20-yard touchdown catch.

Oklahoma star tight end Jermaine Gresham ties the game up with this six-yard touchdown grab.

Florida QB Tim Tebow tackles Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy after throwing his second interception of the first half.

The Florida defense stuffs Oklahoma RB Chris Brown for a huge goal-line stand late in the first half.

Oklahoma had the ball in the Florida red zone three times in the first half, but totaled just seven points.

Ahmad Black's acrobatic interception in the fourth quarter occurred on Oklahoma's final offensive play in Florida territory. The Gators defense (two INTs on the night) would shut down the Sooners from that point forward.

Oklahoma's Jermaine Gresham might have lost a shoe on this play, but the tight end regained his footing to pull down eight catches for 62 yards and two TDs.

Florida safety Major Wright hauled in this free-for-all interception just seconds before halftime, officially ending Oklahoma's second drive inside the 5 that resulted in zero points."

So much for the bad ankle. Florida junior Percy Harvin amassed 171 total yards (121 rushing) and one TD in the Gators' 24-14 win.

After a poor first half...

...Florida QB Tim Tebow gets his mojo back in the second.

Tim Tebow's passing in the fourth quarter put the finishing touches on Florida's 24-14 win over Oklahoma and clinched the Gators' second national title in three years.

David Nelson's TD catch with 3:07 left clinched the Gators' win over the Sooners. Nelson (2 catches for 33 yards) was one of seven Florida players to catch a pass.

Florida's Ahmad Black (35) ripped the ball away from Juaquin Iglesias for a pivotal fourth-quarter interception.

Tim Tebow (340 total yards, 2 TDs) accepts championship congratulations from the Florida faithful, in perhaps his final game as a collegiate QB.

As a one-time Heisman winner and two-time national champion, Tim Tebow always seems to enjoy being the center of attention.

Florida's Urban Meyer joins Pete Carroll, Bobby Bowden, Tom Osborne, Dennis Erickson, Joe Paterno, Bear Bryant and Barry Switzer as the only coaches to win at least a share of two national titles since 1975.

The champion Gators had plenty to smile about in the BCS title game, particularly holding the Sooners to 40 points under their season average.

Even if Tim Tebow turns pro early, the Gators should be strong contenders to celebrate another BCS title in 2010 -- in Pasadena.

Major Wright (21) and the Gators stand tall and proud with the BCS championship trophy, the ultimate reward for a 13-1 season.

Linebacker Brandon Spikes -- the leader of Florida's defense -- takes in the moment after the Gators shut down the highest scoring offense in NCAA history.

Published Jan 9, 2009

SI STAFF