Tim Tebow's two touchdown passes and Percy Harvin's two-yard touchdown run led the Florida Gators to their second BCS National Championship in three seasons. The Gators defeated the Oklahoma Sooners, 24–14, in front of a Dolphin Stadium record crowd of 78,468.[4]
The Sooners, coached by Bob Stoops, lost one game during their regular season to Texas in the annual Red River Rivalry contest, 45–35 on October 11. During the regular season, quarterback Sam Bradford, winner of the 2008 Heisman Trophy, led the Sooners on offense to become the highest-scoring team in NCAA history (702 points) and the first team to score 60 or more points in five consecutive games.[5] The game was Oklahoma's fourth BCS Championship appearance.
The 2008 Florida Gators football season was marked by a powerful combination of dynamic offense and relentless defense. Under head coach Urban Meyer, the team, led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow, finished the regular season with a 12-1 record, showcasing a potent spread offense and a formidable defense that consistently stifled opponents. Key victories included a thrilling win against rival Georgia and a dominant performance in the SEC Championship game against Alabama.
Scoring summary
Scoring
First quarter
No scoring
Second quarter
FLA — Louis Murphy 20-yard pass from Tim Tebow (Jonathan Phillips kick), 14:02 FLA 7 - OKLA 0 (12 plays, 86 yards in 1:20).
OKLA — Jermaine Gresham 6-yard pass from Sam Bradford (Jimmy Stevens kick), 11:49 FLA 7 - OKLA 7 (6 plays, 65 yards in 2:13).
This was the first meeting between these two teams.
Both starting quarterbacks were Heisman Trophy recipients.
Despite both teams having potent offenses (the Gators had averaged over 45 points per game, while the Sooners averaged 54 points per game), neither team scored in the first quarter.
Quarterbacks Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford combined for four interceptions despite throwing for just eight combined over the course of the regular season.
The Gators thwarted two Sooners possessions that were inside the five-yard line: a stop on fourth and goal on the one-yard line in the second quarter, and an interception of Bradford's pass at Florida's three-yard line with 6 seconds to play in the first half.
Despite coming off an ankle injury and declaring himself at "90%", Percy Harvin had nine carries for 122 yards and a touchdown and five receptions for 49 yards. The injury was reported as a high ankle sprain, but Harvin later stated that it was in fact a hairline fracture.[7]
Jimmy Stevens' 49-yard field goal attempt for the Sooners was blocked in the third quarter.
Florida was ranked #1 and Oklahoma was ranked #5 in the final AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll, released after the game.[8]
