Gator Bites for Sunday, November 29th

From time to time, OGGOA will come across too many news items we want to share with our readers. In those instances, we present a special post: Gator Bites. Enjoy.

– On NBC’s Football Night in America, Peter King said he spoke to 17 NFL general managers about Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow. Asking them where they projected him being drafted, King said the average came out to No. 33 overall. However, two coaches of winning teams told King that he would not get past their pick in the first round. No surprise there. Almost the entire group of commentators on The OT on FOX agreed that Florida will beat the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday. Some claimed the Gators were poised to win the National Championship while others said Tebow deserves the Heisman Trophy.

– Rolling up 545 yards of total offense on the Florida State Seminoles, the Gators unit looks the most comfortable it has the entire season. Consider the fact that it rolled up 584 yards against the Florida International Golden Panthers the week prior.

Be sure to check out the seven additional Gator Bites after the jump…

– Gator Nation sent the 2009 senior class out the right way, according to head coach Urban Meyer. Tebow and Meyer both broke down crying at various points during the afternoon, not that it’s a surprise to anyone.

– Saturday was more of an event than it was a game. Proof of that came on Tebow’s last series as thousands of cameras flashed in the background. “I really didn’t see them,” Tebow said. “But when I came off everybody was saying, ‘Did you see all those cameras going off?’ They said it was pretty crazy.”

– While Saturday was mostly about Tebow and the senior class, junior tight end Aaron Hernandez also had the best game of his career, including two touchdown runs off tosses. Many now expect Hernandez to declare for the NFL Draft after the season is over, and his action of throwing the ball into the stands on his second score lends a lot of credence to that concept. The crowd loved his show of emotion, but you know who didn’t. “I didn’t like the move at the end,” Meyer said. “We have to maintain [his emotions].”

– Whether or not Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden calls it a career this year, he will never return to The Swamp as a coach as his contract runs out in 2010. “This is my last one here,” Bowden said. “If I want to come back I’ll have to buy a ticket.”

– Junior cornerback Joe Haden took a lap around Florida Field after Saturday’s game just in case it was his final one in The Swamp. Projected as the top cornerback in the 2009 NFL Draft, Haden plans to make a decision on his declaration after next Saturday’s SEC Championship game.

– Four-star CB recruit Cody Riggs (Fort Lauderdale, FL) named the Gators as his No. 1 after their rousing victory over the Seminoles on Saturday. The Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers are in Riggs’ top three.

– Former Gators wide receiver Percy Harvin had a career day for the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, recording his first 100+ yard receiving day (with a touchdown) as a pro while also accounting for 45 yards rushing. Harvin is on pace to be named the 2009 NFL Rookie of the Year.