South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier knows something about being a good quarterback. He was the 1966 Heisman Trophy winner and coached 1996 Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel at Florida. So when Spurrier called sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow the "quarterback of the future" earlier this week, it packed an extra punch.
"He's a very good thrower," Spurrier said. "He doesn't miss many open guys. If they're open, he doesn't zing it five or 10 yards over their head. He hits the guys when they are open. He's made some unbelievable plays when they aren't open, guys hanging all over him. He's really sort of the quarterback of the future – a guy that can run and pass. The quarterback of today, I guess I should say that. A guy that can run around, break some tackles and still get some balls off. That's the type of quarterback that almost everyone's looking for."
Tebow is in the Heisman running this season and Wednesday he was named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, given to the nation's top college player. He leads the nation in passing efficiency and has completed 151 of 223 passes (67.7 percent) for 2,228 yards with 21 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Tebow also leads the team in rushing with 598 yards and 14 touchdowns on 144 attempts. With his two rushing scores last week in Florida's 49-22 victory over Vanderbilt, Tebow is tied with former Florida standouts Emmitt Smith and Buford Long for the single-season rushing touchdown record.
In the win last week, Tebow finished 22 of 27 passing for 281 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 35 yards and two 1-yard scores on six carries. All three of his touchdown passes came in the second quarter. Two went to fifth-year senior wide receiver Andre Caldwell.
"He didn't have to run very much against us so he wasn't that big of a running threat for us," Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said. "He's a good player and certainly gives some challenges. He's going to see some good defenses. Hopefully, next time we play him we'll do a little better."
Tebow topped the SEC quarterback mark for rushing touchdowns in a single season that was held by Mississippi State's John Bond (1983), Kentucky's Derrick Ramsay (1977) and Georgia's Andy Johnson (1971). Bond, Ramsay and Johnson each had 13 touchdown runs in their respective years.
"The day I was hired at Florida within 10 minutes of putting my feet on the ground it was Tebow this, Tebow that," coach Urban Meyer said. "The first thing we always look (for in) a quarterback is your competitiveness and your leadership skills and we believe you need a guy who can get you out of trouble. I can't say there's one thing but the great quarterbacks, the one thing they share is they're extremely competitive."
Rivals.com places Tebow, who leads the No. 17 Gators at South Carolina this weekend, second on its Heisman list behind Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon. The numbers between Dixon and Tebow are similar and Dixon has the Ducks in national title contention. Plus, he's a senior which might play a factor in Heisman Trophy balloting.
Dixon has completed 167 of 246 passes (67.9 percent) for 2,074 yards with 20 touchdowns and three interceptions. He's also second on the team in rushing with 549 yards and eight touchdowns on 103 carries.
Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, the preseason Heisman favorite, moved up to No. 3 on the Rivals.com list after tying the SEC record with 321 rushing yards last week in a 48-36 win over South Carolina. Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel, who threw five touchdowns in a blowout win over Colorado, and Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan round out the top five.
Tebow, the top-rated dual-threat quarterback in the 2006 class by Rivals.com, said earlier this season he would rather make it to Atlanta than New York, meaning he wants to play in the SEC Championship game for the second straight season. There is still a chance Florida can get there. If the Gators beat South Carolina this week and Tennessee and Georgia lose once, Florida would win the SEC East.
"We're getting ready to play the Gators," Spurrier said. "They'll be favored. They have an excellent running game, which we haven't been real super stopping the shotgun giving it to a guy. We'll try some different things than what we tried last week and see if we can't make them throw the ball. Florida probably has the best-balanced offense in the league. (Sophomore) Percy (Harvin), they list him at wide receiver, but they play him at tailback, too. He's very talented. Somehow or another, we need to slow them down and our offense needs to play extremely well if we're going to have a chance."