FloridaGatorforLife
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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Florida quarterback Tim Tebow has heard all about the "Heisman jinx." He even saw it firsthand last January, when Ohio State's Troy Smith struggled against the Gators in the national championship game.
Nonetheless, Tebow and the ninth-ranked Gators are downplaying the supposed jinx -- Heisman-winning quarterbacks are 5-7 in bowl games since 1980 -- heading into Tuesday's Capital One Bowl against Michigan.
"I've never been very superstitious, so I'm not going to start now," he
said.
Tebow, though, was concerned enough that he talked to 1996 Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel about it shortly after winning college football's most prestigious award three weeks ago.
Wuerffel's advice?
"Plain and simple, you don't change," Tebow said. "You are the same
person. You go about everything the exact same. You work as hard as you can. You do everything you did before you won it. Maybe other people's perception is different about you, but your perception about you and how you do things isn't different at all."
Tebow was a one-of-a-kind quarterback this season, becoming the first player in major college history with at least 20 touchdowns rushing and at least 20 passing in the same season. The sophomore also became the first underclassman to win the Heisman.
So why would anyone believe he would stumble in the bowl game like all those other Heisman-winning quarterbacks?
"I don't know what the problem was with all them other quarterbacks, but I know Tim works harder than ever and he's going to do whatever he can to help this team win," receiver Andre Caldwell said. "I don't see Michigan having a chance at stopping him and making him have a bad game."
History backs up Caldwell's point.
The Wolverines haven't had much success against mobile quarterbacks.
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;...1LYF?slug=ap-capitalonebowl&prov=ap&type=lgns
Go Gators!
Nonetheless, Tebow and the ninth-ranked Gators are downplaying the supposed jinx -- Heisman-winning quarterbacks are 5-7 in bowl games since 1980 -- heading into Tuesday's Capital One Bowl against Michigan.
"I've never been very superstitious, so I'm not going to start now," he
said.
Tebow, though, was concerned enough that he talked to 1996 Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel about it shortly after winning college football's most prestigious award three weeks ago.
Wuerffel's advice?
"Plain and simple, you don't change," Tebow said. "You are the same
person. You go about everything the exact same. You work as hard as you can. You do everything you did before you won it. Maybe other people's perception is different about you, but your perception about you and how you do things isn't different at all."
Tebow was a one-of-a-kind quarterback this season, becoming the first player in major college history with at least 20 touchdowns rushing and at least 20 passing in the same season. The sophomore also became the first underclassman to win the Heisman.
So why would anyone believe he would stumble in the bowl game like all those other Heisman-winning quarterbacks?
"I don't know what the problem was with all them other quarterbacks, but I know Tim works harder than ever and he's going to do whatever he can to help this team win," receiver Andre Caldwell said. "I don't see Michigan having a chance at stopping him and making him have a bad game."
History backs up Caldwell's point.
The Wolverines haven't had much success against mobile quarterbacks.
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;...1LYF?slug=ap-capitalonebowl&prov=ap&type=lgns
Go Gators!
