Ten seconds.
Freshman defensive end Justin Trattou said that's how long it felt from the time he tipped the ball into the air until he came down with an interception, Florida's first this season.
Trattou picked off one of Troy senior quarterback Omar Haugabook's passes late in the second quarter. It led to Florida's final score of the first half, sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow's 3-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Jarred Fayson with 22 seconds left, to give Florida a 49-7 lead at halftime. The fourth-ranked Gators defeated Troy, 59-31.
"It was a great feeling just to hear the whole stadium erupt," Trattou said. "It was one of the great experiences of my life?I got cut blocked so I used my hands to get over the cut block and then I tipped it in the air. I felt like that ball was in the air for like 10 seconds but I came down with it.
"I just wanted to catch it. I wasn't thinking about taking off and running. I just wanted to catch that ball and get an interception. That was one of my goals. In practice, I got one pick and I said I have to do what I can to get one in the game."
Trattou was not the only true freshman to make an impact in Florida's victory. Carlos Dunlap, also a defensive end, deflected a punt in the first quarter that led to an early second quarter 1-yard touchdown run by junior Kestahn Moore. That run put the Gators ahead, 28-7.
Cornerback Ahmad Black played well on special teams and finished with five tackles. Chris Rainey returned a kickoff 39 yards midway through the third quarter but fumbled it and Troy recovered.
Freshman cornerback Joe Haden continues to hold down his starting spot as does right guard Maurkice Pouncey. Safety Major Wright has earned more time. Expect defensive tackle Torrey Davis to become more involved. Chas Henry punted three times with an average of 36.3 yards against Troy.
Perhaps the most positive news for Florida about a freshman was announced Saturday when defensive tackle John Brown was declared academically eligible to play for the Gators by the NCAA Clearinghouse. Brown was a star at Lakeland and Rivals.com rated him the 10th best defensive tackle in the 2007 class.
"He is behind to tell you the truth, and playing catch up with the rest of the players there," Lakeland defensive line coach Dan Talbot told Rivals.com. "John is probably a little out of shape so it might take him a while to get back to his normal self because of the time he missed there. He also has to learn a new system, but I can say that once he does John will bring a strong presence of power and quickness that will be felt immediately for (co-defensive coordinator) coach (Charlie) Strong and the Gator defense."
Quotes from the news conference
Offensive coordinator Dan Mullen on why Florida was sluggish in the second half: "What happened is the momentum. We came off. Our offense was kind of rolling. We were in sync. We were moving up and down the field. We came in at halftime and just sitting there in the locker room. Everybody cooled off a little bit. Once they cooled off it was hard. I don't think they came out with the fire we needed to start the second half and certainly not the fire we started the game with.
"Once that momentum goes it's hard to grab it back. You really have to try to slam the brakes on, stop the momentum and get it back on our side. When you have young guys, that's tough to do."
Mullen on the offensive line: "The offensive line really set the tempo, great demeanor. Ended the week on a strong note. They really prepared well on Thursday, Friday and earlier (Saturday) in our walk through. Our offensive line prepared well. That showed the first couple possessions of the game."
Coach Urban Meyer on the let up in the second half: "I saw it in the locker room. I tried to be a little cheerleader and get everybody going and we have such a young team, that's a great learning experience. Troy is a hell of a football team. They had Arkansas not beat but right there in the fourth quarter last week. It was 23-17 at one point.
"That quarterback is a hell of a player. Great scheme on offense. (I was) so busy with special teams and their defense I didn't watch much of their offense until later in the week. I got that knot in my stomach after watching it."