NCAA Endzone

Make no mistake about it. The Florida offense may have scored 41 points, but it was the defense, especially the front four, that propelled the Gators to the 41-14 victory over Ohio State in the BCS National Title game on Sunday.

Florida won its second national title, adding to the one Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel brought home in 1996 under coach Steve Spurrier with a 52-20 romp over Florida State in the Sugar Bowl.

In the first football matchup between these schools — they’ve both played the sport for 100-plus years — the Gators emphatically stopped Ohio State’s 19-game winning streak.

The Buckeyes beat a pair of No. 2 teams earlier in the season, defending champion Texas and Michigan. They were no match for Florida’s speed, strategy and style.

The Buckeyes looked completely dumbfounded by Florida’s frenetic offense at the outset. Trying to match up with the Gators’ shifting formations, they often jumped around at the line and still were out of position.

The Gator defense shut down a vaunted Buckeye offense, a unit that averaged 36 points and over 400 yards per game in the regular season, to just 82 yards and only seven points. WR Ted Ginn scored a 93-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff.

Florida forced two turnovers and sacked Troy Smith six times, three of those coming at the hands of DE Derrick Harvey, who along with DE Jarvis Moss made it a miserable night for Smith. Linebacker Earl Everett got into the act, too, running down Smith despite missing his helmet.

Chris Leak and Tim Tebow showed off coach Urban Meyer’s twin quarterback system to perfection as the No. 2 Gators became the first Division I school to hold football and basketball titles at the same time.

Maligned for never winning the big one, Leak completed 25 of 36 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown. Tebow threw for one TD and powered into the end zone for another. Smith, meanwhile, joined a long list of Heisman Trophy quarterbacks — Jason White, Eric Crouch and Gino Torretta, among them — to fall apart in bowl games. He was just 4-for-14 with one interception and never showed off his elusive running.

They came out in a five-wide set after Ginn’s return and Leak hit Baker with a tying, 14-yard touchdown pass.

The next time they touched the ball, the Gators let Leak, Tebow and scatback Percy Harvin all take direct snaps from center. Harvin later tucked it under his right arm — the one with a lion tattoo — and powered for a 4-yard TD.

A flanker reverse by Andre Caldwell helped Florida move to a third-and-goal at the 2 as the first quarter ended. When the second period began, Meyer immediately reached into his bag of tricks.

Florida put three running backs directly behind Leak — a power-I-plus — and gave the ball to the last one. DeShawn Wynn scored on the first play of the quarter, plunging into the end zone right in front of the Gators’ band, for a stunning 21-7 lead.

Ohio State returned to its roots and ran the ball. Antonio Pittman’s 18-yard burst made it 21-14 with 13:32 left before halftime.

The Buckeyes got the ball on their 20 with less than two minutes left before halftime and were determined to see a score before the break. They did — by Florida.

Moss sacked Smith and forced him to fumble, and the Gators took over at 5. Tebow ran twice up the middle, then faked a quarterback draw, rolled to the left and tossed a 1-yard TD pass to Caldwell, as Florida had complete control with a 34-14 halftime lead.

Florida, Ohio State, BCS

Ohio State (12-0) vs. Florida (12-1)

The Buckeyes finished the 2006 regular season as the clear-cut No. 1 team in the country and can earn a second national title under Jim Tressel with one more victory.

QB Troy Smith has been far and away the best player in college football this season. He can still beat you with his feet but Smith has done most of his damage via the air to his outstanding corps of receivers, which includes speedy Ted Ginn Jr., always reliable Anthony Gonzalez, tall, blossoming sophomore Brian Robiskie and hybrid WR/TE Roy Hall.

Tressel still likes to keep the offense balanced, which is easy to do with RBs Antonio Pittman and Chris Wells on the roster. Pittman isn’t flashy but he’s a tough north-south runner. Wells, on the other hand, is an emerging star with better size and straight-line speed.

The Buckeyes defied odds by improving on defense in 2006 despite replacing nine starters – six of whom were NFL draft picks – from last season’s outstanding unit. DT Quinn Pitcock sets the tone up front, while James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman have developed into big-time playmakers as first-year starters. It also helps to have a cornerback in Malcolm Jenkins who can take away one-third of the field in man-to-man coverage – and he’s just a sophomore.

Urban Meyer is an offensive coach but Florida is playing in the BCS national championship thanks to the strength of its defense. Despite DT Marcus Thomas being kicked off the team, the Gators are loaded along the defensive front seven. Ray McDonald moved inside to fill Thomas’ vacated spot and has become a disruptive force.

Meanwhile, DEs Jarvis Moss and Derrick Harvey continue bring the heat off the edges, and there aren’t many linebacker tandems better than MLB Brandon Siler and WLB Earl Everett. The Gators lack ideal depth at cornerback but Ryan Smith has eight interceptions at one cornerback spot and Reggie Nelson has six picks at safety.

The Gators’ spread attack on offense can put pressure on opposing defensive secondaries, especially considering the wealth of talent at wide receiver with Dallas Baker, Andre Caldwell, Percy Harvin and Jemalle Cornelius. However, their run game is far from overwhelming. The extra time off could help heal nicked starting RB DeShawn Wynn, but the Gators can’t count on the inconsistent senior.

Finally, the biggest X factor with Florida is its quarterback position. While senior Chris Leak has great career passing numbers and has experienced several shining moments this fall, he also has a history of forcing throws under pressure. True freshman Tim Tebow continues to find success as a running quarterback who will replace Leak on five to 10 short-yardage and goal-line occasions throughout the course of a game.

Prediction: Ohio State has seen only one defense as talented as Florida, and the Buckeyes riddled Michigan for 42 points. The Gators’ pass-rush lost some of its bite when coach Urban Meyer threw Marcus Thomas off the team but the Gators still finished the season allowing only 13.5 points per game. Florida’s offense is unusual in that the best playmakers – Dallas Baker, Andre Caldwell, Jemalle Cornelius and freshman Percy Harvin – are on the perimeter. That’s a nice way of saying that the Gators don’t have a dangerous running game. The Buckeyes’ defense is balanced and talented from line to safety. In the end, Smith and company haven’t been slowed down all year and won’t be in this game either. Ohio State wins 30-14.

I wanted to personally apologize to all the NCAA Endzone readers about my lack of posting here lately.

I dropped my laptop over the holiday season and broke the screen and it took me 10 days to get it back. Because of that, I wasn’t able to post.

The good news is I’m back and ready to go and I hope you enjoy all the things I have planned for the blog in this new year. Take care everyone and enjoy tonight’s game.