25 Cheers for 25 Years: Urban Meyer’s Timeouts
Head coach Urban Meyer smiles toward quarterback Tim Tebow #15 of the Florida Gators after a touchdown in the third quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on November 1, 2008 in Jacksonville, Florida. Florida defeated Georgia 49-10. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)
For a full year, Florida stewed.
In 2007, Georgia gave them a gut punch — not just because of the win over the Gators, but with one of the best moments of gamesmanship in modern college football: the entire Georgia team stormed the end zone after their first touchdown, a planned stunt by head coach Mark Richt to fire up his team.
It worked. Georgia won the game, and the celebration was salt in the wound for fans.
Urban Meyer didn’t forget. Neither did the Gators.
Fast forward to November 1, 2008, Jacksonville, it’s time for Florida–Georgia. The Gators rolled into town with revenge on the mind and plenty of momentum. They were ranked fifth in the country and were humming on both sides of the ball.
The Bulldogs weren’t ready for what was next.
It didn’t take long. Brandon Spikes set the tone in the first quarter with a famous smacking of Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno.
Tim Tebow was also relentless, ending with five touchdowns and Gator chomps all around. The defense clamped down, forcing mistakes and never letting Georgia get in rhythm. In the fourth, the Gators were up 49–10. It was a Spurrier style beatdown of the Dawgs.
But the scoreboard wasn’t the only statement Meyer had planned.
With Georgia trying to run out the clock in the final minute, Urban called timeout. Then he did it again. Up by 39. With the game over. On national TV.
CBS analyst Gary Danielson didn’t even need to guess what it meant. “Here’s the response from Urban Meyer to last year,” he said on air. “His response: 49–10, and I’m calling every timeout I got.”
Florida wide receiver Andre Caldwell was more direct afterward: “They deserved that. They rushed the field the year before, and the next year we kicked their ass… [Coach Meyer] was a jerk about it and called timeouts at the end, but I think it was well deserved.”
To the media, Meyer acted like it wasn’t a big deal. “Moody was running hard, and I wanted to get him a few more carries,” he told reporters. No one really bought it.
But Urban Meyer had warned this was coming. In his own words from his 2008 biography, he said Georgia’s 2007 celebration “wasn’t right… It will forever be in the mind of Urban Meyer and in the mind of our football team. We’ll handle it, and it’s going to be a big deal.”
He and the Gators handled it on the field.
Meyer’s extra timeouts were unforgettable regardless of what you’re opinion is on them. It was the perfect end to a game where Florida not only outplayed Georgia, but manhandled and demoralized them.
For Florida fans, it was sweet revenge. A year of frustration all poured into one game and two timeouts that will live in infamy. For the Dawgs, it was a lesson: the cloth cuts both ways in the Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
